Safe Space: These Collectives Welcome LGBTQ+ Communities as They Are

To the uninitiated, tell us more about KAPUT.

Kaput is an art and rave project we initiated back in 2022 together with Jan Pineda and friends in Makati, Philippines. What started as small gatherings during the pandemic has become a rave celebrating art and fast techno and electronic music. Kaput means “broken” or “forsaken” which is the main ideology of this project—to present what is thought to be “wrong” in the contemporary. So far, we have done raves in a commercial space, office space, cinema, retail area in a mall, and in a museum.

What makes night raves different from other modes of celebration and community-building?

Rave is a space that allows you to be yourself and have fun with techno music. It brings together people, mostly queer-identifying, in celebrating their wholeness with hedonism. I think raves give you that pleasure that there is a world that can celebrate your fantasies, your sexuality, a utopia in a sense. Rave may have some connotation of hedonism that may not be suitable for everyone, but for those who need it, it’s a way to make sense of a community that understands what it’s for.

How would you define freedom?

Freedom is subjective; it’s personal. In the universal sense, freedom is self-actualization—meaning, how can you feel pleasure in your most authentic way? It’s a process of taking out the shame that is inherent in your upbringing and to be able to express the essence of your being—that is to be free.

How does the nightlife scene empower Pride and other social movements?

Nightlife gives you the energy to be primal and to seek hedonistic pursuits. Being queer is quintessentially affiliated with nightlife because this is a space that liberates us from shame or darkness. Emerging social movements usually take place behind closed doors and in creating “safe” spaces that allow this sense of euphoria to emerge despite societal discrimination. Nightlife is an important ritual that gives us a chance to be ourselves, to dissociate from life, or at least to have fun.

What’s your own Pride awakening story? How do you think peo- ple can genuinely engage more with what it represents?

Much of the idea of liberation stems from the question, “What do I need?” I need to be myself, I need pleasure, I need love, to be loved. If you listen more to your needs or other people’s needs, that I guess is the most genuine way to engage with what Pride represents. I need to be normal like other people, I need to have the same rights as the heteronormative systems have, I need to exist. We are no different to them, we are all of the same species.

Name 3-5 tracks that capture Kaput's agenda.

Most are from the 90s to 00s rave.

“Good Life” by Inner City
“21” by Faster Horses
“Play With Me (Jane)” by Thompson Twins
“Incident” by Joris Voorn
“Rapture (feat. Nadia Ali)” by Iio

To the uninitiated, tell us more about Danza Organika.

Jem, Jeric, and Luis: It’s a series of parties we boys wanted to start for ourselves. Essentially, we bring in international acts we like and have them share the decks with local DJs who deserve the space to play whatever music they feel. We three just have a penchant for having a really good time, and Danza’s our way of sharing that with anyone (literally, anyone) who’d want to come in and join the fun.

What makes Danza Organika different from other modes of celebration and community-building?

Jem, Jeric, and Luis: In terms of community, we’re happy to have seen a lot of familiar faces even with only three events under our belt. It’s really special and heartwarming to form and feel that sense of familiarity on the dancefloor. This community we’re slowly but surely building is our edge. In terms of music and programming, Danza is firm with not restricting itself to a certain sound or to booking acts that have more experience. We’re intentional with looking outside our circle of friends to find artists for our events. For our Pride party on June 29, we’ve joined the best of both new and veteran queer talents (DJs, drag queens, and performers) in one big lineup. It’s going to be a good time.

How would you define freedom?

Jem: It’s hard for me to define what freedom is. It’s easier for me to define what it isn’t—and it isn’t true freedom if it’s just your own.

Jeric: Freedom for me is being able to express oneself without any inhibitions or restraints. It’s being able to wear anything without the fear of being judged.

Luis: Freedom is all about who we become when no one’s watching. 

How does the nightlife scene empower Pride and other social movements?

Jem: At least for us in the “underground,” the scene empowers partygoers by doing away with arbitrary rules to having a fun night out. No oppressive dress codes, no pressure to spend thousands on top-shelf bottles, and no restricting DJs to stick to what’s popular. Just purely coming out and enjoying the night with the community you feel you belong to.

Jeric: People are free to be who they are in the nightlife scene. In our events, they can come as they are and we accept them with open arms.

Luis: The people we can’t become by day, we can become by night. In a place like Manila where safe spaces are hard to come by, the queer community finds refuge in the nightlife scene where they can unapologetically be their truest selves without being judged.

What’s your own Pride awakening story? How do you think people can genuinely engage more with what it represents?

Jem: I’ve been out as gay since my early teens but I’ve been fortunate enough to not have faced much discrimination. I guess my true Pride awakening was realizing that I have a responsibility to share in the struggles of others in the queer community since that privilege allows me the bandwidth to take on some of that struggle with them. I think others, like me, who don’t go through “as much” could do a lot just by showing solidarity and helping in any way they would be able to.

Jeric: Growing up, I wasn’t going out that much and my friends were mostly straight, so my Pride awakening started when I started to go out more and meet new people. I started attending Elephant back when they had their events at XX:XX, and I loved the sense of openness and freedom that they still offer to this day. I was welcomed with open arms even if I’m straight. The best way that people can engage more with what Pride represents is by keeping an open mind.

Luis: I wouldn’t exactly call it a “Pride awakening story,” but I was lucky to grow up in a household where there was no room for hate. It was largely my upbringing that taught me how to treat other people. The best way we can engage people with what Pride represents is by leading by example.

Name 3-5 tracks that capture Danza Organika’s current agenda.

Jem:
“Sanctuary of Love (Requiem in D Minor Mix)” by The Source 
”Lost in Music (1984 Bernard Edwards & Nile Rodgers Remix)” by Sister Sledge 
 “Dito Tayo sa Dilim” by Pedicab 

Jeric:
“Blind (Frankie Knuckles Remix)” by  Hercules & Love Affair- 
“People Get High (Original Mix)” by Boxcar 
“What is Love (12” Mix)” by Haddaway 

Luis:
“Live Your Life (Original Disco Mix)” by Diva Avari & The French House Mafia 
“Young Hearts Run Free (Mike Maurro 1976 12” Disco Remix)” by Candi Staton 
”Beautiful People (Underground Network Mix)” by Barbara Tucker

To the uninitiated, tell us more about ELEPHANT.

ELEPHANT is a nomadic queer techno party based in Manila and a platform for LGBTQIA+ DJs and performers. ELEPHANT is organized by a collective of artists and activists; we advocate for safer spaces for all and equitable pay for artists and nightlife workers.

What makes Elephant different from other modes of celebration and community-building?

In a sense, ELEPHANT is not just a celebration of identity and expression through music, dance, fashion, and performance art because underneath all the flamboyance is the queer revolution Trojan horse that is inherently political—questioning heteronormative societal norms and pressures lacking empathic adaptability to LGBTQ+ rights.

Thus, we were awarded a grant from the British Council titled, God Bless the Queers, Save the Badings, in which, from June 7 to July 7, we will be holding an exhibition at Gravity Art Space (Quezon City) in collaboration with Inferno London (UK) where 30+ artists from the PH and UK will interpret their reality of queer faith in response to the cases filed against Pura Luka Vega’s interpretation of Ama Namin in drag art performance. We’ll have a culminating rave party on July 6 at Gravity Art Space as well with the most exciting selection of LGBTQ+ DJs, drag performers, and music producers. Stay tuned on our IG! @thatelephantparty

How would you define freedom?

Freedom is access to leisure and productivity without restrictions from social norms. But for fun and work to be our own, it requires resistance from the status quo and would only be effective once done with a community. The fight for freedom should always consider the marginalized—their feelings, bodies, and desires. It’s all active work of listening, communicating, moving, and dancing.

How does the nightlife scene empower Pride and other social movements?

Pride means equality and liberation, and it is something that we search for and recreate in our nightlife spaces. When a space is dominated by the marginalized and oppressed, that’s when it starts to become a movement. Our wish is to have a local nightlife scene that is empowered by Pride—a culture that is queer, pro-artist, and pro-worker.

What’s your own Pride awakening story? How do you think people can genuinely engage more with what it represents? 

Pride is a complex set of emotions. It’s a mixture of joy, pain, suffering, and celebration. And this is what we usually experience in an ELEPHANT Party—an overwhelming amount of joy from being around other queer bodies and then realizing it isn’t always like this every day. That outside of this moment, pain resurfaces.

As queer people, our weapon is to always go back to our memory when things felt right. We must hold on to the feeling of being surrounded by our queer community and desire for more moments like that daily. Build that environment for you and others; make that moment last longer.

Name 3-5 tracks that capture ELEPHANT’s agenda.

“Acid Against Fascism” by  Ellen Allien
“Tell It to My Heart (T-empo Extended Mix)” by Taylor Dayne 
“Patcha” by  Mocha Girls
“Rollo Goes Mystic” by  Love, Love, Love, - Here I Come
“Divine” by  You Think You're A Man

To the uninitiated, tell us more about Apotheka and Open House. 

Gabs and Marga: Apotheka is Manila’s newest platform and nightclub for artist discovery, queer-centric social events and parties, and the most genre- and community-inclusive, experimental space free for anyone to exxxplore. Open House World is a multi-creative space and brand experience group. Creating space for unique storytelling, immersive experiences, and dynamic collaborations that redefine the way we connect, collaborate, create, and celebrate.

What makes Apotheka and Open House different from other modes of celebration and community-building?

Gabs: Our focus on inclusivity and creative expression sets us apart, making every event a celebration of individuality and community. I also think that Marga and I are incredibly hands-on with the projects and businesses that we work on together. I keep saying this but we aim to create the perfect ecosystem involving different mediums of art—from music and food to photography and entertainment, etc. The most important thing is merging the right people together to experience all of that and grow alongside each other.

Marga: I think for our businesses, or the things we handle, Gabs and I always aim for the same goal. It’s being able to break the divide between communities by creating spaces for them to coexist in one way or another.

How would you define freedom?

Gabs: Being authentically and unapologetically yourself.

Marga: Freedom to me is giving yourself power. The power to be who you truly are, being comfortable in your own skin, and having the strength to express yourself.

How does the nightlife scene empower Pride and other social movements?

Gabs: I think the nightlife scene serves as a platform and a stage for representation and art expression. Diversity is always celebrated, voices are amplified, and collective energy just fuels progress and encourages people to speak and move freely.

Marga: The nightlife has always been the perfect space for queer expression, and I’m talking about going way back in the day! The nightlife scene birthed multiple social movements, advocacies, and merged multiple groups in the LGBT community together. It’s when people step out of their busy lives to celebrate life, arm in arm, dressed the way they want to, dancing to music they resonate to, with the people that support them the most. For artists, it’s the space where they can fully express themselves through their artistic performances.

What’s your own Pride awakening story? How do you think people can genuinely engage more with what it represents? Gabs: My Pride awakening was definitely when I started dating Marga back in 2022, it was the first time I attended a pride event in Manila, out and queer. It was so liberating, and as corny as this sounds, I was just surrounded by love, and also incredibly chic, funny, and hot people [laughs] The gays just know how to do it. I also had no fear of judgment or animosity from people around me. Then and there, I understood the importance pride gave to younger newly out queer kids like myself.

Marga: I’ve had a lot of amazing Pride experiences in my younger years but ever since we’ve opened Apotheka, I’ve understood the importance of Pride in a deeper aspect and fully witnessing what Pride gives to the community and myself. I’ve spoken to many different groups in the LGBT community that seek to express their different movements. Some are queer-centric, some are political, and some even design events to push other artists up by creating fundraisers for them. The scene is evolving and becoming more engaged with Pride. The scene is becoming stronger and even more united. The more I witness it, the wider my eyes get.

Name 3-5 tracks that capture Apotheka and Open House's agenda.

For Apotheka:

“Batucada” by Pantera and Dave Nunes
“Drench” by AYYBO and Preme 
“So In Love With You (Mijk De Vit & J.D. Harris Remix)
“Wow Sabaw Chibao” by obese.dogma777, DJ Love, and DJ Ron
“Paris Madness” by Samaran
“Socadinha” by Dave Nunes, Pantera, and Paul Mond
“Shella Verse” by Sammy Virji and Flowdan

For Open House:

“Force” by Laolu
“Inner Focus” by Space Ghost
“Illusion” by Optik
“Emerald Pools” by Space Ghost
“Deep Blue (The Inner Part of Me)” by Deep Blue
“We Are the Future (Original Mix)” by Gemini