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Its another Saturday night at a DC gay bar.

As a mirrored disco balls spins specs of light across the dancefloor, and while Rhianna thumps the phrase “ella, ella, ella” over the house speakers, more than one hand reaches to gleefully swirl an appletini into the air. It might be that combination of sugar and vodka which gives most patrons their headaches the next morning, but for Shea Van Horn its this repetitious gay scene of DC itself that pounds his head in pain.

“I can’t be the only person who wants to dance to a little Italo-disco or acid house or early Wax Trax! recordings. But, I’m not hearing that anywhere,” says Van Horn, a local DJ and performance artist best known for spinning local alternative queer parties at places like the DC9. Not that Van Horn is above playing classic camp. “I am a big fan of cowbell and Madonna uses it brilliantly in ‘Give It 2 Me.”

Van Horn and his compatriot Matt Bailer, a Los Angeles DJ relocated to the District, are hoping to readjust the nightlife offerings for DC’s gay community with the launch of their new monthly party “Mixtape” this Saturday night at the Eritrean restaurant Dahlak in Adams Morgan. The event is part of a growing movement establishing a beachhead of alternative/indie nightlife in Washington that is different from the standard gay offerings.

For several years, the seasonal party TAINT at the DC9 has served as the cornerstone of the alt-gay (a self-adopted term for DC gays who prefer their music a bit more indie) scene in DC, offering itself as an outlet for gay DC to dance to rock, punk and electro on holiday weekends. That event has influenced the creation of additional alt-gay nights, such as the recently-launched Homo/Sonic party backstage at the Black Cat and the monthly TheNewGay.net parties at Solly’s on U Street. Still, “Taint and Homo/Sonic fill up just two nights per month, at best,” says Van Horn. “That leaves 28 other nights when the alt-gay crowd is stuck with Madonna-rama.”

Van Horn and Bailer are hoping to offer the alt-gay scene an additional venue at Dahlak, located on the corner of 18th and U Streets, NW. “There aren’t many, okay any, Eritrean restaurants on the gay nightlife circuit. But the unconventional location may be an appeal of hosting a party at Dahlak. Its definetely not another gay bar.”

Brightest Young Things: Both of you could easily book additional gigs at current venues, both gay and straight. What makes you want to start your own monthly party?

Matt Bailer: Exactly. Not to be divas about it, but we really wanted to make sure that we would be able to create exactly the kind of environment that we wanted. One where people would feel equally comfortable dancing to the Ramones or to Fannypack.

BYT: Alt-gay nights like Taint and Homo-Sonic offer occasional breaks from the traditional music of local gay bars. But, they have a reputation of attracting the same alt-gay crowd. Thats not a value judgment - that crowd is largely underserved by DC venues. Is Mixtape an attempt to build in another venue to serve this crowd, or are their other audiences you are looking to attract?

MB: Yeah, I’d say we welcome pretty much anyone who comes ready to dance his or her ass off. And while I’m on the same page as Shea regarding “Give It 2 Me” vs. “4 Minutes”, I must say Shea wowed me the night we spun together at Taint when he opened his set with a kickass mix of “4 Minutes” mashed up with Fatboy Slim’s “Praise You”. That was the first track I ever heard him play, and I knew right then that we were a musical match.

MB: It would be great if world peace and peace for the Iraqs could somehow manifest as a result of our little Saturday night experiment. For the children. But if just one person leaves Dahlak a little sweatier, a little dancier, a little Mixtape-ier, I’d say the night was a success. And also if someone comes up to ask the name of the artist or song playing. That’s always a good thing.

MB: But never say never.

SVH: Ooh, I think I’ll play ‘Never Say Never’ on Saturday. The Lottergirls have a kick ass version of that song with Princess Superstar. Thanks Matt.

BYT: What are your challenges in turning a restaurant into a dance venue?

SVH: For Mixtape, Dahlak’s letting us move all the tables and chairs out of the dining area so we can squeeze as many people in as possible (capacity is 125). The night is going to be very DIY and bare bones. Just the essentials - good music, a bar, and a makeshift dance floor. Fingers crossed that it all goes well.

MB: Yeah, since there won’t be any tables or chairs, the biggest challenge will be keeping our guests dancing for five hours. It’s a challenge we happily accept, with the aforementioned crossed fingers

SVH: I guess people could sit on the floor if they get tired.

BYT: Shea, as a performance artist, you’re known for your raunchy political-tinted humor. Quickly describe your dream date with Sarah Palin.

SVH: Sarah and I put lipstick on each other, eat some greasy pig products, and then she slips me a roofie. At least I wont remember it. She’s nasty and probably has ticks.

BYT: Many readers are too young to appreciate what a good mix tape means. Do you have any fond memories of constructing a mix-tape back in the day, or any particular awesome mixtape you received?

SVH: When I was a 16-year old goth kid living in a small town in Eastern Washington, I loved making mixtapes for the boys I had crushes on. It always felt so important to craft a tape that conveyed exactly what I was feeling. After a tumultuous break up I could make the perfect tape that weaved in all my favorite 4AD bands and concluded with “Love Will Tear Us Apart.” Nothing says teen angst like a good mixtape.

MB: Honestly, I feel like I’ve been making mixtapes for people my whole life in some form or another. I’ve kind of been casting myself in the role of a music-sharing DJ since I was 10 years old. I “dated” a girl named Jangela in middle school. You know how most couples have “our song”? Well, I decided that Jangela and I would have not one but eight songs, all of which I recorded onto a mixtape for her. She’d never even heard most of them when we first started holding hands. Just recently she reminded me that one of our songs was “If You Don’t Know Me By Now”.

Mixtape a new monthly party

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