Rave to the Grave – Details, episodes & analysis

East Coast house legend Junior Sanchez started mixing records at 11, by age 15 he was playing in the Shampoo Room at Limelight and starting to make his first productions with help from the fly titties guy. You might know Junior from his releases on Strictly Rhythm, Defected and Relief, his trio S-Men with Roger and DJ Sneak, the remixes he's produced for Madonna, The Faint and Fcukers or as the stunning blonde in Daft Punk's "Burnin'" video. Hear his stories about NYC/NY in the late '80s and early '90s, raving at NASA and Sound Factory Bar, getting up with Constipated Monkeys, having bff adventures with Armand Van Helden and dancing on The Grind, plus tales of all the amazing records that have influenced him along the way. Hosted by Vivian Host (aka DJ Star Eyes). For more info and extras, visit Ravetothegrave.org or Instagram @ravetothe.grave.

Stacey Forrester, head of harm reduction at British Columbia's Bass Coast Festival and founder of Good Night Out Vancouver, joins us for a frank and fun chat about something we don't talk about enough in the rave scene: drugs and drug safety. We learn about harm reduction and community, how they use diamonds for drug testing, the best way to talk someone down, what chemicals to look out for, how Western Canada became the forefront of North American drug policy and how a nurse-ballerina turned into your favorite rave fairy godmother, among other things. Taped live at Bass Coast Festival in Merritt BC! Hosted by Vivian Host (aka DJ Star Eyes). For more info and extras, visit Ravetothegrave.org or Instagram @ravetothe.grave.

McKenzie Wark is an Australian born writer, critical theory professor, and trans-femme techno raver currently living in NYC. Her latest book, Raving, thinks deeply about dancing, dissociation, drugs, bodies, and identity as McKenzie, recently transitioned, navigates the queer ravespaces of Bushwick, Brooklyn. On the line from Berlin, we talk about experimenting with language and writing, bodies and the beat, smart vs. stupid drugs, the intersection of transness and techno, Kathy Acker, cultural theory, and McKenzie's extraordinary journey from growing up in an Australian mining town to dancing on the bleeding edge of the NYC underground. Hosted by Vivian Host (aka DJ Star Eyes). For more info and extras, visit Ravetothegrave.org or Instagram @ravetothe.grave.

Seana Gavin is a London-based visual artist who spent 10 years immersed in the free party culture in the UK and beyond, traveling to week-long parties in Czechoslovakian fields, French mountains, and Berlin squats with soundsystems like Spiral Tribe, Bedlam, Desert Storm, and Hekate. Her photos and diary entries of the adventures of these roving cyberpunks are collected in books like Spiral Baby and Spiralling, and we sat down to talk about the intersection of punk and rave, border crossing, fashion, friendship, adventure, freedom, and just how dirty things can get. Hosted by Vivian Host (aka DJ Star Eyes). Visit RavetotheGrave.org or follow us on Instagram at @ravetothe.grave.

"Tear the Club Up." "Watch Out for the Big Girl." "Bring In the Katz." Shawn Caesar of pioneering Baltimore Club music label Unruly Records joins us to talk about some of Baltimore Club music's greatest bangers, and takes us back to genre's roots in the hip-house scene of the late '80s and early '90s. Learn about Bmore club's inspirations, how it's evolved over the years, and the life and times of some of its icons, including Miss Tony and Club Queen K-Swift. Hosted by Vivian Host (aka DJ Star Eyes). Visit us at Ravetothegrave.org or on Instagram at @ravetothe.grave.

Guestlist etiquette, artisanal ketamine, sordid afterhours parties, club sex and trapeze artists are just some of the topics we delve into with Steven Klavier, a house vocalist and nightlife staple who has worked in a bevy of NYC clubs including House of Yes, Verboten, Thompson Hotel, and Public Records. Along the way, he's been a door person, bartender, booker, stage manager, and many other unofficial positions that have put him on the frontlines of all the blood, barf, bodily fluids, and bad behavior the nightlife can serve up... and he still chooses to go back for more! Hosted by Vivian Host (aka DJ Star Eyes). Visit RavetotheGrave.org or follow us on Instagram at @ravetothe.grave.

In part 2 of our interview with rave icon Flapjack, we talk renegade Burning Man, the business of EDM, the importance of DIY art and culture, haunted weed, and get treated to a steaming handful of wild party stories, including a trilogy of poop-related bad trips. Hosted by Vivian Host (aka @stareyezzz). Visit RavetotheGrave.org or follow us on Instagram @ravetothe.grave.

Literally a pied piper of the underground (happy) hardcore scene, L.A. DJ, promoter, fashion designer, vinyl collector,  and JNCO enthusiast Flapjack joins us to talk about being a Raveaissance Man. In Part 1, we explore how he got so hardcore, kandi culture, being sober but loving drugs, sacred objects of the '90s, DIY ideals and creativity, plus we workshop party names. Stay tuned for Part 2. Hosted by Vivian Host (aka DJ Star Eyes). Visit RavetotheGrave.org or follow us on Instagram at @ravetothe.grave.

Italy's Marco Passarani has been DJing and working in record stores since age 10, and releasing records since 1993. A native of Rome, he walks us through the transition from disco to rave, the evolution of city's unique "broken beat" sound and details the scene at some long-forgotten spots like Borgo Sabatino and Piper. We also talk about his Tiger & Woods project, his complex relationship to Italo disco, smiley pants, the DJ hustle and why techno was and is still the future. Hosted by Vivian Host (aka DJ Star Eyes). Visit RavetotheGrave.org or follow us on Instagram at @ravetothe.grave.

Rave cruises, mermaid outfits, scene hair, nasty hot tubs, Skrillex on the couch! Join American scene queen Lina Abascal (aka @linalovesit) as we revisit the bloghouse era of the early 2000s, the subject of her new book Never Be Alone Again. We talk which DJs were hot (or not), how the internet and technology has transformed culture, wild parties & free booze, bloghouse coming back into style, and how Lina spun her career from professional party girl to book author, journalist, and professor. For fans of Justice, Diplo, and A-Trak! Visit RavetotheGrave.org for extras and follow us on Instagram at @ravetothe.grave.