We’re just a little over a month away from Destructo’s highly-anticipated Friendship festival and there’s a lot to be excited for. This year’s lineup is as stacked a lineup as we’ve ever seen before with heavyweights like Skrillex, Chris Lake, Bob Moses, Boys Noize, and Chris Lorenzo leading the pack.
This Saturday, Destructo and friends are starting the party a little early as they gear up for their takeover of Meow Wolf Denver’s signature immersive dance party, Danceportation. Partygoers will unite in polychromatic energy, together, embodying the Friendship ethos; a place for friends to do fun things. Joining Destructo in on the festivities are J. Phlip, Mike Dunn, Nitepunk, 1788-L, and more.
You can find tickets to Danceportation here. We also had a chance to speak with Destructo about all things Friendship and Danceportation. Check out our conversation as long as the full Danceporation lineup below!
[TSIS]: Friendship 2024 feels like the biggest one to-date. Can you share your vision for this year’s festival and what makes it a unique experience compared to years past?
[Destructo]: This year is the biggest ship I have ever done. The Norwegian Joy itself is massive with so much space to build and create epic dance floors. I think the 24-hour island party in Belize is what’s really going to set this apart from any other experience on a ship to date though. In the past we have only been able to use the island during the day sort of as a quick stop – but this time we’re pulling up and we’re staying there all day and all night. We get a sunset and a sunrise on the island and that to me is going to be so special.
What’s the concept behind the Danceportation pre-parties in LA, Miami, and Denver? How do they enhance the overall Friendship experience?
Danceportation is actually the Meow Wolf brand. But yea these pre-parties are a fun way to ramp up the excitement amongst the ship family bringing everyone together in some of our most concentrated regions before the main event. Then in Miami we have our signature pre-party we do every year the night before we sail – it’s basically a bonus night with the whole family seeing eachother in one place before we embark. If you’re going on the ship, you can’t miss that either.
How do the various pre-parties contribute to building Friendship’s community and the broader electronic music scene?
I think the pre-parties are a great way for ship family to bring their friends who haven’t been and might be on the fence and introduce them to what we’re all about. We’re all about community, and welcoming new people into this community at all times.
With AMF’s first-ever takeover at Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station, what can fans expect, and how does this event represent a new chapter for AMF?
Fans can expect a taste of what’s to come on Friendship – we’ve got OG legends like Mike Dunn in the house and some new faces such as Nitepunk who our team are really excited about. I would say that represents our goals when curating these things pretty well – your favorites mixed in with your new favorites surrounded by all your friends in a special place.
Following the success of your recent collaborations, can fans look forward to more joint projects? Are there any artists you’re particularly excited to work with?
I’ve got a lot of music coming in 2024 – and everyone can definitely expect some cool collaborators in the mix for sure. Some new ones and some familiar faces as well.
We pride ourselves in our curation skills over here at TSIS and we have say, yours are out of this world. Are there any newcomers that we should keep our eyes (and ears) on?
I’m really excited about Vigro Deep – he’s part of the Afordisiac crew and really pushing that afrohouse sound that I love right now. Also VTSS and Patrick Mason – two peeps Boys Noize put me onto recently who I can’t get enough of. All will be on the ship by the way!