CVNT TRAXXX Put Together the Definitive Collection of "Bitch House" Party Anthems

When THUMP's resident vogue and ballroom head Niall Connolly (AKA CVNT TRAXXX) offered to make us a "bitch house" mix, we got pretty stoked. The aggressive, industrial sounds of bitch house or vogue house—the genre of battle-ready music played at balls as dancers duke it out on the runway—have been steadily seeping into today's underground club music, thanks to scene ambassadors like MikeQ, Venus X, and Vjuan Allure, as well as labels like Fade to Mind and Fractal Fantasy. Which meant that a definitive collection of the ultimate bitch house anthems was in order. Turns out that putting together this mix was an emotional journey for Niall, who, in an accompanying essay below, describes how the tracks turned into "a conversation between all these different, fabulous characters—some dead, some forgotten, some unfairly ignored. Ghosts in a haunted ballroom, communing with the high priestesses of fierceness." Stream the mix and read Niall's heartfelt essay below.

This is the gayest mix I have ever put together. Hearing "bitch house" like this back when I was a kid made me feel a lot less alone. Even now it's still pretty rare to hear queer people express themselves completely openly and honestly in music. These voices are not just gay—they are the outsiders of the outsiders: drag/trans/femme people of color, queens, freaks, hustlers and sex workers.

House music has always been a safe space for this kind of expression, and I don't mean "safe space" in the modern Tumblr sense. Being insulted and offended comes with the territory. It's like a challenge, a spook: you are not going to have respect simply handed to you, first you must earn it. At the same time, some of these tracks are so over-the-top it's almost a parody. A play act, a lesson: learn it and learn it well.

Apart from a couple of exclusive acapellas, I'm sure a lot of these tracks will be recognised. But of all the mixes I've done as CVNT TRAXXX, this has also taken the longest to get right. It seemed like a pretty straight forward idea at first: throw some bitch tracks together, the kind I play for the voguers at Realness, Vogue Brawl, and House Of Suarez. But once I started this mix I knew I had to do the concept justice. It became like a conversation between all these different, fabulous characters, some dead, some forgotten, some unfairly ignored. Ghosts in a haunted ballroom, communing with the high priestesses of fierceness. Taking you, the listener, on a sashay down the runway of life. Now walk.

Shout out to the new way and these queens in particular for the dancing and education: Aviance Milan, Darren Suarez, Darren Pritchard, Vjuan Allure, Jack and Andre Mizrahi, Kiddy and Stephi at the House of Miza Paris, Laissandra and all the amazing Paris children, Benji, David and Paletta at the House of Lady Di, Harli and all the London children, Matt at House Of Trax, Sam and Jas at Hub, Louis Balo, Roxy, Kevin Aviance, Franklin Fuentes, Danny Wang and Alphonso King Jr, whose Relentlessly Cunty mix series is the absolute last word in bitch house.

Tracklist:

BALO We Pop We Spin (Intro)
KENLOU The Bounce
JADE ELEKTRA Come Get This Education (Acapella)
RUPAUL Cover Girl (Acapella)
JACK 'N' JILL You Make Me Feel (Serve Me Mix)
ROXY & RIDE COMMITTEE Curtains For You (Intro)
LIQUID CITY Feelin' Free
MOI RENEE Miss Honey (Acapella)
WILLI NINJA Hot (Danny's Dub)
FRANKLIN FUENTES Work It Girlfriend Pt 1
ARMAND VAN HELDEN Work Me Goddamit
BANJI BOYS Love Thang (Acapella)
TRONCO TRAX Runway As A House
JUNIOR VASQUEZ X (JV Mix)
ROXY & RIDE COMMITTEE Get Huh (Kutz Remix)
ETHYL MEATPLOW Queenie (MK Dub Mix)
KEVIN AVIANCE The Feeling (CVNT Edit)
EG FULLALOVE Didn't I Know? (Divas To The Dancefloor)
MISS FERNANDO Octopussy
ALCATRAZ Give Me Beats
DIVOLI S'VERE What I Want (Acapella)
MISS FERNANDO Watch Me Serve
ALCATRAZ Give Me Luv
CELEDA Music Is The Answer (Intropella)
HARMONICA SUNBEAM I'm Here 2 Work (Chip Chop Dramapella)
SHANGELA Werqin' Girl (Professional)
DANNY TENAGLIA Bottom Heavy (Bottom Sound Of Lisbon Mix)
DIVOLI S'VERE, LEGGO & B AMES 808 HaKEVIN PRODIGY If I Throw My Pussy Up In The Air (Intro)
VJUAN ALLURE Queen Of Face
AMANDA LEPORE My Hair Looks Fierce (B Ames Vogue Remix)
JADE ELEKTRA Bitch You Look Fierce (Aquilaganja's Milistiks Mix)
JUNIOR VASQUEZ Get Your Hands Off My Man (Acapella)
MURK If You Really Love Someone (Murk's Groove)
SWEET PUSSY PAULINE Work This Pussy (Acapella)
ARMAND VAN HELDEN The Witch Doktor (What Now? Remix)
ARMAND VAN HELDEN The Witch Doktor (Acapella)
ARMAND VAN HELDEN The Witch Doktor (Original)
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY Dreamin' (Acapella)
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY Crash Goes Love (Acapella)

Realness Vogue Night is happening on September 18, 2015 at London's HUB16. Free entrance, more details here.