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Music

Octo Octa's Pride Mix Is a Fun-Loving Nod to Dancefloor Freedom

The Brooklyn-based producer will play at The Bunker x Wrecked Pride party this Saturday at Output.

This weekend, THUMP honors Pride with a celebration of all aspects of LBGTQ nightlife in NYC and beyond. We asked Brooklyn-based producer/DJ Octo Octa to make a mix for us (as well as send over a press photo—in which she sent a snap alongside her cat) in advance of her appearance at a Pride party this Saturday and we're thrilled to have it kick off the week for us. F ollow our Pride Weekend coverage here.

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Once you arrive at the ten-minute mark of Octo Octa's new mix for THUMP, you're greeted by a voice amidst a funky house beat: "I could be this, I could be that could be that / I could be a he, I could be a she / I could be anything—who do you think I am?" it closes, confidently.

From the outside, the track—"I Could Be This," released in 1994 on Strictly Rhythm by Androgeny and vocalist Michael M.— probably just sounds like one of the many fun house jams dropped in Maya Bouldry-Morrison's vinyl-only mix, recorded during one of her recent Frendzone! radio shows. But if you take a closer look to the lyrics, as well as Androgeny's androgynous handle (the track even has a version dubbed the "Transy Tribal" mix), it's a clear nod to the LGBT roots of the dancefloor. For Octo Octa, who's released a variety of retro-leaning house jams on labels like 100% Silk and Running Back, and recently came out as trans, it's a pretty powerful beat to include.

Octo Octa will play at The Bunker x Wrecked Pride party this Saturday at Output, alongside a slew of other luminaries like Mike Servito, Jeffrey Sfire, Carlos Souffront, and DJ Minx. The organizers behind both outfits, Bryan Kasenic and Wrecked, respectively, will also round out the bill. Take the mix for a spin below, and we'll see you on the dancefloor this Saturday. Grab your last minute tickets here.