Yo DC ravers — what's good?
Your dance music gremlin is back with issue five and this weekend is a full-on buffet. Bedouin taking over A.I. Warehouse on Saturday. Elif doing an extended set on Flash's club level Friday night. Eli Escobar going open-to-close at Flash on Saturday. Arielle Free running the Matinée Saturday afternoon. Ministry of Sound x Fluffy Cloud pulling up to Berhta for a 35th anniversary showcase. Nü Androids with Sam Alfred at Culture AND Ragie Ban at Tigres for SünDown. Flash running events all three days again because that building literally does not sleep.
Melodic house to warehouse vibes to NYC disco royalty. That's the weekend. Let's get into it.
This Weekend's DC Rave Itinerary (April 3-5, 2026)
Fri April 3 – Stacked!
DJ Susan Presents: The Hood Poli Tour @ Zebbie's Garden – Bass House / Tech House / Club
ELIF [Extended Set] @ Flash (Club Level) – Melodic House / Organic House / Progressive
Sessions presents: Higher Viiibrations Label Takeover with 9b49 @ Flash (Roof) – House / Deep House / Electronic
Arodes @ Culture DC – House / Deep House / Melodic House
Shermanology @ Vera Cocina – House / Tech House / Dance
The Fluffy Cloud: World Debut Residency Opening Party @ Berhta – House / Dance / Immersive
JKYL & HYDE @ Bette (Berhta campus) – Melodic Bass / Dubstep / Electronic
Gaza Thrift Benefit Show — Toro Album Release @ Transmission – DIY / Experimental / Electronic
Reggaeton Rave @ Echostage – Reggaeton / Latin / Dance
HDC Presents: Flash Drive Frenzy @ Jimmy Valentine's – House / Underground / Dance
Gremlin tip: Elif's extended set on Flash's Funktion-One is the underground pick of the night. Istanbul-born, Barcelona-based, Marginalia label founder — melodic techno heads, this is your homework.
Sat April 4 – Peak weekend madness:
Nü Androids Presents: Bedouin @ A.I. Warehouse – Melodic House / Downtempo / Organic House
Eli Escobar [open-to-close] @ Flash (Club Level) – House / Disco / Deep House
Matinée Presents: Arielle Free @ Flash (Green Room) – House / Tech House / Dance
Ministry of Sound x Fluffy Cloud: 35th Anniversary Showcase @ Berhta – House / Dance / Club
Nü Androids Presents: Sam Alfred @ Culture DC – House / Melodic House / Dance
Nü Androids Presents SünDown: Ragie Ban @ Tigres de la Noche – House / Afrohouse / Deep House
Level Up with Zingara @ Echostage – Bass Music / Melodic Bass / Dubstep
Wefunk Presents KVSH @ Zebbie's Garden – Brazilian Bass / House / Dance
Machaki, Lysrgix, Just James & More @ Chop Shop – Techno / Underground / Industrial
Afters tip: Chop Shop is running Machaki, Lysrgix, Just James & more from 11:45 PM to 6 AM. That's your late-night pipeline if you're not done when the other rooms close.
Gremlin tip: The Bedouin x Nü Androids warehouse show is the headliner of the weekend. If you've never caught Bedouin in a warehouse setting — this is the one. A.I. Warehouse, 530 Penn St NE, 10 PM.
Sun Apr 5 — Happy Easter (if you celebrate):
Sunday Love: Gab Rhome - Philip Goyette - Conscious Contact @ Flash – Melodic House / Deep House / Organic House
Chinatown Funk Express Pres: Sayawan Barrio Bounce Edition @ Transmission – Global Bass / Funk / Electronic
Sungay w/ DJ Jerac @ District Eagle – House / Dance / Disco
Gremlin tip: Sunday Love at Flash is free wellness session at 3 PM + Love Bazaar vendor market from 5–9 PM plus Gab Rhome from Montreal in the Green Room. Full vibes, start to finish.
Last Weekend Recap – Highlights
DC did its thing last weekend. Purple Disco Machine brought the glitter to Berhta on Friday — if you were there, you already know the nu-disco energy was unreal. Holy Priest took over Echostage on Saturday and gave the techno heads exactly what they came for. Shout out to everyone who hit the Bunker afters after that one — the pipeline was fully operational. If you missed any of it, the full breakdown is in last week's issue #004.
But let's be honest — the real elephant in the room last week was Ultra Miami. This was the first year your gremlin didn't go, but I was glued to the livestream the entire weekend. And wow. Ultra completely blew it out this year. Eric Prydz joining Swedish House Mafia on the main stage Saturday night for the first time the original Swedish crew has been together in 20 years — that was a genuine moment in dance music history. Prydz was an original member of the SHM circle before deciding not to join the group back in 2008, and watching Axwell declare him "forever a part of the original Swedish House Mafia" while they played "Pjanoo" together had this gremlin emotional on the couch. Martin Garrix and Alesso going back to back on Friday drew one of the biggest crowds of the weekend. Skrillex surprised during Bizarrap's Friday set and the two went back to back. Hardwell delivered on Saturday. And then John Summit closed the entire festival on Sunday's main stage in what was arguably one of his best sets I've seen. Ultra completely blew it out this year, which almost made me forget about the massive, packed crowd. If you watched the stream, you know. If you didn't — the sets are all up on YouTube now.
Unreleased ID Tease / Track of the Week
John Summit's new “Chico 305” collaboration with Feid is rumored to drop today. The track combines Latin flair with Summit's signature sound, and it's one of the most genre-crossing moments off his upcoming album CTRL ESCAPE, which drops April 15 on Experts Only. Summit has been rolling out a new single every other Wednesday in the lead-up to the album — and between closing Ultra's main stage last Sunday and announcing the Experts Only Festival lineup this week (GRiZ, Subtronics, Prospa, Partiboi69 and more), the man is not slowing down. Queue this one up and have it ready for the weekend.
What was your favorite track of the week? Let me know: [email protected]
Gremlin Tips + PLUR Corner
Tip: Bedouin at the A.I. Warehouse is the headliner of the weekend. Nü Androids warehouse shows tend to sell — don't wait on tickets.
Tip: If you're doing the Flash marathon, the timeline is: Arielle Free at 4 PM (Matinée in the Green Room), then Eli Escobar open-to-close at 10 PM on the club level. You could technically be in that building for 12+ hours.
Tip: Flash Drive Frenzy on Friday sounds fun — a good way to meet new up-and-coming DJs and experience new sounds.
Tip: Berhta is running both Friday and Saturday this weekend with the Fluffy Cloud residency launch and Ministry of Sound's 35th anniversary showcase — two very different vibes, both worth checking out.
PLUR reminder: Its Easter weekend plus cherry blossom season is in full swing and the city is packed. Be patient with the crowds, be kind to the people next to you on the floor, and remember everyone is there for the same reason you are.
That's dispatch #005 — the range on this weekend is wild, from Bedouin's desert-drenched warehouse sets to Eli Escobar's NYC disco energy and everything in between. Your gremlin has never been more torn on where to be.
Reply to this email or DM @plurtatochip with:
· Your weekend plans/recaps · Pics from the floor · Unreleased IDs or secret show tips
Next one drops next Wednesday. Forward to your rave fam — let's grow this list.
Stay PLUR, stay hydrated, see you on the floor 🫶
– Your DC Dance Music Gremlin
PLURtatochip
The Capital City Raver