This month, THUMP honors Pride with a celebration of LGBTQ nightlife all across America. Follow our coverage here.Mark Louque's journey toward being a crucial promoter and DJs in New Orleans' DIY scene started in what he describes to me over the phone as "a small swamp village where they grow sugar cane," on the outskirts of the city. He began going to raves as a teen in the mid-90s, both in the city "and in the middle of Cajun country, like in barns in the middle of nowhere." Hundreds, he explains, would dance on top of hay stacks alongside cows to the the best DJs he'd ever heard.
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Years later, Louque—who DJs as Father Figure—and his Trax Only crew are trying to "revive that spirit" with the wild parties they throw at warehouse spaces around the city. Louque has tried to live in other cities, including New York, but he's still in love with New Orleans."It's still very dangerous and gritty and edgy in a way that no other major city is," he tells me. "Despite Katrina, and whatever else you throw at it, it's never going to change."
Louque points out that, unlike in American party centers like San Francisco and New York, gentrification hasn't yet choked the life out of New Orleans. "People are really fucking lazy here and the vibe is so chill that some things, like gentrification, are slow processes," he explains. "We've still got some interesting spaces, and as we get booted out of one, there's always something else. Everything's pretty centered around downtown and the French quarter, but as people are being forced out of those areas to find places to live, then we just find more."Still, things are changing in the city. "Lower income people, largely POC, are getting pushed further and further away, and most getting pushed out of the city all together," Louque explains. "This is dangerous because historically these are the people who make the good food and the good music that everyone here loves to experience."As for parties, Louque adds that in the wake of Ghost Ship, "there's a lot of eyes on nightlife." Cops have been shutting down events in unlicensed spaces and as a promoter who wants things to be "be super gritty and super raw," that puts him in a tough spot.
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"I want everything to be chaotic, because I think that if you get away with it, it's the most magical event you can attend." He explains. "[But it needs to be] a little bit legal so that we can invest money in these things and not lose anything. We can still make magic moments happen here."The parties that Louque and his Trax Only crew throw take place in sprawling, colorful warehouse spaces around the city. He's proud of the diverse crowd they draw. "We get a real variety of sexes and sexualities and genders that come to our functions, so that feels really good," he explains. "That's something I really wanted. I like faggots; I like fairy queers, and I like anyone who is a supporter of these communities. I definitely want to keep it a little bit of everything."Below, he takes me through the LGBTQ-aligned crews, institutions, people and spaces—from drag queens and synth-punks to lounges and warehouses—that make New Orleans what it is.
Trax Only
Castillo Blanco
Allways Lounge
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Vinsantos
Neon Burgundy
Delish
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Psychic Hotline
Southern Decadence
END OF THE WORLD
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