Man that was absolutely poignant.. I was completely there.. my heart felt the thumps.. my skin felt the drips of sweat racing each other down my back.. very very good
ahhh thank you mate --- that genuinely means a lot!
writing something like this is weirdly vulnerable, you know? like, you’re deep in it, reliving everything --- the sweat, the lights, the chaos --- but then you hit “publish” and suddenly you’re like… will anyone else get it? or is this just me having a breakdown in italics?
so i’m really glad it landed for you. sounds like your body knows exactly what kind of dancefloors i’m talking about 👀
who knows? maybe we have crossed paths in one of those clubs. shoulder to shoulder, losing it to the same bassline
oh — and tell me you clicked the links to the tracks? please. if we’re gonna spiral together we may as well have the right soundtrack playing!!
I was telling one of my closest friends that I listened to each track as I crossed it, while reading. A sort of full immersion onto the humid dance floor as your words pulsed in sync with the basslines — it was transcendent. The links weren’t just a soundtrack, they were time machines. Each beat transported me to that night, that club, that hour, that staggering little moment where two souls collided. And somehow, it felt like I was the one who made you blush. Like I was the one who reached for your hand and pulled you through the fog and light into the bathroom stall where time melted and the world hushed.
Reading it, hearing it, feeling it — it gave me love, mate. Just for a moment, maybe. Fleeting, fickle, like the heartbeat of a supernova. But it was real. And it burned beautifully. Thank you for making me feel it.
The way you described reading (really reading) with the tracks pulsing through you and the sweat rising up from the page like you were back there… honestly, that’s more than I could’ve ever asked for! If even one person felt the bass, the blur, the heat and the ache — I knew it would all be worth it. And here you are, doing exactly that.
And that last line? “like i was the one who made you blush” — oof.
Don’t tempt me like that. Maybe you were. Maybe we did meet that night.
Or maybe we’re yet to find each other in the smoke and strobes.
Thank you, truly, for letting the piece move through you. For stepping fully into it.
And for sharing it with your friend, I can’t tell you what that kind of support means, especially when I’ve been writing this thing quietly, anonymously, with no one in my real life reading a word. This right here is the closest I’ve felt to being seen in it.
You gave me love with this. And if we ever do find ourselves in the same club, just know: the first round’s on me — and the second’s on whatever track makes us close our eyes and forget time again!
Brilliant... really loved this piece. Loved the way you embedded the tracks, and I absolutely loved the Charlotte de Witte track - really reminded me of some of the House I was playing and listening to 20-odd years ago. That bass-line.... A really great counterpoint to the piece I did on LGBTQ plus plus plus – makes it all a bit real. Thanks...
Thanks so much, Steve --- really appreciate you taking the time to read the piece and properly sit with the music too! That Charlotte de Witte track hits hard, doesn’t it? There’s something about that bass-line that feels both relentless and meditative --- love that it brought back some house memories for you (would appreciate hearing those tracks of yours!!).
I really valued your LGBTQ plus plus plus piece as well --- it struck such a thoughtful balance between personal reflection and cultural context. You're right, it’s in the music and lived moments that these conversations really come alive, and you're essay was great for discovering new music too. Can’t wait to read part two when it’s out!
For anyone curious about what we're going on about, Steve’s beautiful/reflective/layered/and somewhat personal piece is here:
Man that was absolutely poignant.. I was completely there.. my heart felt the thumps.. my skin felt the drips of sweat racing each other down my back.. very very good
ahhh thank you mate --- that genuinely means a lot!
writing something like this is weirdly vulnerable, you know? like, you’re deep in it, reliving everything --- the sweat, the lights, the chaos --- but then you hit “publish” and suddenly you’re like… will anyone else get it? or is this just me having a breakdown in italics?
so i’m really glad it landed for you. sounds like your body knows exactly what kind of dancefloors i’m talking about 👀
who knows? maybe we have crossed paths in one of those clubs. shoulder to shoulder, losing it to the same bassline
oh — and tell me you clicked the links to the tracks? please. if we’re gonna spiral together we may as well have the right soundtrack playing!!
thanks again for reading it. x
I was telling one of my closest friends that I listened to each track as I crossed it, while reading. A sort of full immersion onto the humid dance floor as your words pulsed in sync with the basslines — it was transcendent. The links weren’t just a soundtrack, they were time machines. Each beat transported me to that night, that club, that hour, that staggering little moment where two souls collided. And somehow, it felt like I was the one who made you blush. Like I was the one who reached for your hand and pulled you through the fog and light into the bathroom stall where time melted and the world hushed.
Reading it, hearing it, feeling it — it gave me love, mate. Just for a moment, maybe. Fleeting, fickle, like the heartbeat of a supernova. But it was real. And it burned beautifully. Thank you for making me feel it.
mate… this just stopped me in my tracks.
The way you described reading (really reading) with the tracks pulsing through you and the sweat rising up from the page like you were back there… honestly, that’s more than I could’ve ever asked for! If even one person felt the bass, the blur, the heat and the ache — I knew it would all be worth it. And here you are, doing exactly that.
And that last line? “like i was the one who made you blush” — oof.
Don’t tempt me like that. Maybe you were. Maybe we did meet that night.
Or maybe we’re yet to find each other in the smoke and strobes.
Thank you, truly, for letting the piece move through you. For stepping fully into it.
And for sharing it with your friend, I can’t tell you what that kind of support means, especially when I’ve been writing this thing quietly, anonymously, with no one in my real life reading a word. This right here is the closest I’ve felt to being seen in it.
You gave me love with this. And if we ever do find ourselves in the same club, just know: the first round’s on me — and the second’s on whatever track makes us close our eyes and forget time again!
Brilliant... really loved this piece. Loved the way you embedded the tracks, and I absolutely loved the Charlotte de Witte track - really reminded me of some of the House I was playing and listening to 20-odd years ago. That bass-line.... A really great counterpoint to the piece I did on LGBTQ plus plus plus – makes it all a bit real. Thanks...
Thanks so much, Steve --- really appreciate you taking the time to read the piece and properly sit with the music too! That Charlotte de Witte track hits hard, doesn’t it? There’s something about that bass-line that feels both relentless and meditative --- love that it brought back some house memories for you (would appreciate hearing those tracks of yours!!).
I really valued your LGBTQ plus plus plus piece as well --- it struck such a thoughtful balance between personal reflection and cultural context. You're right, it’s in the music and lived moments that these conversations really come alive, and you're essay was great for discovering new music too. Can’t wait to read part two when it’s out!
For anyone curious about what we're going on about, Steve’s beautiful/reflective/layered/and somewhat personal piece is here:
👉 https://ziggyslament.substack.com/p/lgbtq-plus-plus-plus?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2