Berghain resident Boris and Herrensauna co-founder MCMLXXXV will headline HART’s queer techno party at 24 Moons in March.
In a city saturated with parties, HART has carved out a reputation as a music-forward, community-focused event. The Naarm-based party collective will host its biggest night to date at 24 Moons on Friday March 6, with co-founders Josh Mckenzie and Wynn Stefani presenting a stellar lineup, headlined by Berlin DJs Boris and MCMLXXXV.
Both DJs are dream bookings for HART, representing the broad spectrum of sounds that make up contemporary queer techno.
HART presents Boris & MCMLXXXV
- Friday March 6
- 24 Moons, Northcote
- Tickets here
“When it comes to queer techno, it doesn’t get much bigger than Boris and his residency at Berghain,” says Mckenzie, who DJs as Jack Hardmen. “His sets there are the stuff of legend.”
The same can be said of MCMLXXXV (pronounced: 1985), the co-creator of Herrensauna, a label and party crew that has been at the vanguard of Berlin’s queer club scene over the last decade.
“Queer techno wouldn’t be what it is today without the infamous parties Herrensauna has thrown over the last decade,” says Stefani, aka Sluddy Daddy.
Mckenzie and Stefani launched HART less than 12 months ago. They both have more than two decades of experience playing raves, clubs and festivals across the globe. But HART spawned from a desire to create a queer party that put techno in all its various forms under the spotlight.
“Most of the parties we play are sex-on-premises affairs – cruising-heavy spaces where the music serves a very specific function,” Mckenzie says. “In those rooms, you’re often locked into a narrower sound. With HART, we wanted to move beyond that, to build something broader, more expansive, and driven by the dancefloor, not just the dark corners.”
HART is an inclusive party that says no to sexism, ageism, racism, homophobia, transphobia and body shaming. It’s also an environment where partygoers can expect to hear a broad cross section of music that fits under the techno banner.
“We opened the last event with more traditional techno, around 125 or 130 BPM,” says Stefani. “Really sexy, sleazy early-2000s techno sounds. By the final set, we were closing with proper hard techno, around 160 BPM. It’s a wild ride.”
Along with the musical freedom, there are a few other principles that define a HART party.
“There can sometimes be a bit of a gender divide in Naarm’s queer party scene,” Mckenzie says. “We wanted to create something that welcomes people from all corners of the queer community into the space.”
HART isn’t aimed at a super-young crowd, either. Rather, they encourage people of all ages to get on the dancefloor.
“You’ll be dancing next to people from all walks of queer life – different bodies, identities and energies – and that mix is what makes it special,” Mckenzie says. “Everyone’s connecting to the music, together.”
HART has adopted a no-phones-on-the-dancefloor policy, designed to create a space where partygoers can truly disconnect from the challenges of the outside world.
“It’s not about disengaging from politics – that’s impossible as queer people,” Mckenzie says. “But I think it’s important to take time to disconnect. To find places that allow for a deeper connection with your body. And to dance, to shake out the stresses that we face on a day-to-day basis.”
Stefani continues, “The vibe is infectious. To connect with people in such an unfiltered way is energising. You can take that back into your life, providing a kind of armour for when you have to deal with all the hard shit being thrown your way.”
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Alongside the full-scale production events they run, HART has hosted a series of smaller pop-up parties in Collingwood. The move to 24 Moons represents the collective’s growing ambition. It also gives them the capacity to program music in multiple rooms.
“Using the ‘queer techno’ banner gives us a little bit of creative license, because we essentially play lots of different styles that fall loosely under the techno genre. So, having a back room gives us an opportunity to experiment with different sounds and feelings,” Mckenzie says.
There will also be some chill-out spaces at 24 Moons, offering a lower-intensity reprieve from the pounding kick drums in the main room.
“People have different levels of capacity and endurance when it comes to loud sounds and flashing lights. We like to offer a break from that, somewhere to chill out,” Stefani says. “That is important – making sure it’s not just all super intense.”
Another key consideration for the HART team is affordability. “We want our events to be accessible to people who don’t always have a lot of cash to splash on things like festivals and gigs,” Mckenzie says. “We’re trying to keep it super affordable despite having two titans of queer techno on the bill.”
The full lineup for HART at 24 Moons includes international guest OLLE from Bangkok’s Horn, Sydney producer PREXSE performing a set of original material, and local support from AMY., Killer Barbie, and Linx, alongside founders Jack Hardmen and Sluddy Daddy. Unhinged Oracle and Izzy Inyette will be on hosting duties. Second release tickets are on sale now for $45 while they last.
Get your tickets for HART IV with Boris & MCMLXXXV here.
