We’re excited to announce our newest resident DJ, Christian Parchuke. He’s lent a helping hand to make our events happen on many occasions, but our favorite story is that of him diving into DJing, and this photo from our Pride Rooftop Disco party captures what was yet to come perfectly.

It shows Parchuke front and center, chin-stroking, during our second time hosting Mystic Bill in the Sunshine City for St. Pete Pride in 2018. Little did he (or we) know he’d later go on to join Bill behind the decks a year later to make his DJ debut when we brought the Chicago legend back for a warehouse party at Paper Crane — next door to where we first originally had him at The Movement Sanctuary with King Britt for a Christmas party in 2017 that would wind up being a catalyst for many cultural shifts to come for the city.

If all of this feels like too many full circle moments, that tends to be the effect of operating from a place of pure love. The reason we picked Parchuke to open the party was that his passion for the music and events was obvious and, after a session hanging out at his place, we discovered he was also holding back on a great personal record collection heavy on EBM, new wave, italo disco, and early Chicago house trax. This made him an excellent fit for Mystic Bill, so we asked him if he had ever thought of DJing, offered him the gig, and told him he had about a month to prepare. The night of, we threw him to the wolves, opening to a room already full of serious dancers spilled over from a pre-party dance workshop with What the Punk Fest. He handled it with class and delivered a set well beyond his experience on the decks.

Since that gig, he has been honing his skill at home and on Austen van der Bleek’s livestreams. We’re excited to welcome him to the collective as he has a taste and style unique unto himself, representing a range of sounds that would otherwise be absent from our area. Be on the lookout for a future Open House Conspiracy livestream showcasing his talent.