Check out these photos from opening night!DNA Lounge opened on November 21st, 1985.

Reagan was president, Back to the Future, Rambo and Rocky IV were the highest-grossing films, the number one song that week was We Built This City, and Microsoft Windows 1.0 had been released the day before. It was not a great year.

I was not here in 1985. My tenure running DNA Lounge began a mere twenty-six years ago, in 1999 (Clinton, Phantom Menace, The Matrix, Steal My Sunshine, Napster).

The earliest show I can clearly remember seeing at DNA Lounge was the Machines of Loving Grace show in 1992. I know I had seen shows here before that, though. Probably Thrill Kill Kult in 1990, and I was almost certainly at this Consolidated show in 1991, which is amongst our earliest known video evidence of the club!

So what is your earliest memory of DNA Lounge? Share it in the comments.

Even you youngsters, I wanna hear from you too.

(I asked that question of one of my staff last night, and they said, “Oh that’s easy! It was the KMFDM show in 2002 and you kicked me out for being under age!”)

Anyway, forty years is a long-assed time, so we’re celebrating with a big party: three rooms of DJs, plus four live bands!

In the Main Room: the return of Meat vs. Death Guild, our blood-spattered BBQ-themed industrial party that originally ran from 2003 through 2011.In the Lounge: the return of Turbo Drive, our Synthwave party that originally ran from 2012 through 2022.In the Dazzle Room: 8bitSF, our Chiptunes party that we have been hosting irregularly since 2009.And in Above DNA: live performances from Halou (who first performed here in 2002!) Hectorine, Identical Homes, plus a “Midnight Massacre” performance by Shark in the Water.

Hope to see you there…

Also, photos are up of our epic Twenty-Fifth Halloween party. We had a great showing in the costume contest this year: sometimes I’ll feel a bit judgy about who wins, but this year everyone who made it to the finalist round was extremely worthy. Great job, everybody! You got the memo.

The zeitgeisty winner was, of course, Luigi (a Mario/Mangione mashup with a Nintendo light gun!) The crowd went absolutely nuts for that one; like twice as loud as for second place.

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