May 1

May 1 Best Dance Party 2008: Inside Nouveau Riche's Fearless Takeover of DC's Nightlife

Nouveau Riche: The DC DJ Collective Bringing the "Ball to the Wall" Party to NYC

We sat down with the fearless trio—Gavin Holland, Nacey, and Steve—behind the DJ set named DC’s Best Dance Party of 2008 to talk about their explosive sound, their open-minded crowd, and their impending takeover of New York.

Before the rise of the modern EDM monolith, the heart of nightlife beat in the hands of crews who understood the sacred art of the dance floor. In Washington D.C., that heart belonged to Nouveau Riche. A fearless set of friends and DJs who met while working at XM Radio, they created a party that DC hadn’t seen since the legendary days of Trax and Buzz. Fresh off their City Paper win for Best Dance Party of 2008, this rising-star collective is setting its sights on New York. We caught up with Gavin Holland, Nacey, and Steve to talk shop, sweat, and large bar tabs.

The Nouveau Riche Sound: A Sonic Journey

So, what is a Nouveau Riche party? It’s a masterclass in pacing. As Gavin Holland explains, “We take the pacing of the night really, really seriously.”

The evening begins invitingly, with a mix of disco, 80s pop gems, easygoing house, and fun hip-hop. But as the night deepens, the energy shifts. “As things get crazier, we work into harder, wilder types of music... Electro, bangin' house music, rave classics, rowdy Baltimore Club anthems... we know we've done our job when people start swinging from the rafters.”

The individual styles of the trio create this potent mix:

Nacey strips things down to a massive bassline or a dynamic hook to command attention.
Steve describes his style as “bass driven dance music with a hip hop feel. Ball to the wall bangers with some old school flava in the mix.”

Admired Artists: A Taste Maker's Playlist

Their influences are as eclectic and hard-hitting as their sets. The crew’s admired artists read like a who’s who of mid-2000s dancefloor innovators:

GH: Miami Horror, Switch, Blaqstarr, Diplo, Crookers, Drop The Lime (a.k.a. Curses), Spank Rock, Jamie Lidell.
Nacey: Blaqstarr, Annie Mac, DJ Mehdi, Switch, Chromeo, MGMT, Feist, Cut Copy.
Steve: A massive list spanning from dance icons like Green Velvet and Armand Van Helden to hip-hop legends like Three 6 Mafia, UGK, and Outkast, even throwing in rock gods like Nirvana and Pantera for good measure.

The State of Dance Music: Limitless Potential

In 2008, dance music was on the precipice of a global explosion, and Nouveau Riche were perfectly positioned to see it coming.

GH saw the staggering potential in the new wave of production and distribution technology dumped on the dance community.
Nacey observed it “accelerating towards the cosmos,” empowered by computers putting production tools in the hands of everyone.
Steve pinpointed the key trend: “the marriage of hip hop and house/club music,” crediting the international blow-up of Baltimore Club.

Tracks They'd Love to Remix

If given the chance, the trio would put their signature bangin' spin on tracks from Santogold, Feist, LL Cool J, Blaqstarr, and even Rob Zombie’s “Dragula”—a promise of chaotic, dancefloor genius.

The Nouveau Riche Crowd: An Open-Minded Tribe

Who is this all for? The answer is perfect: “Open minded individuals who leave the club when it closes, sweaty, and with large bar tabs.”

Consider this your official warning: Nouveau Riche is coming to a party near you. Get ready to leave sweaty.

Catch the wave and follow their next moves: