Mexico City's Pervert: You Have a Spot On This Sweat-Slicked Dance Floor

Mexico City's Pervert

"We are a queer collective that fuses disco, house, and techno music with sexuality, performances, nudity, and art," says Robin Garcia, creative director and proprietor of Pervert, a gritty yet joyous traveling bash in Mexico City, and one where the only thing that seems forbidden is a closed mind. "We go beyond the music by integrating erotic installations, paintings by Juanjo Sainz, and illustrations by Simon Malvaez," Garcia says. "We also enable spaces for sexual encounters and provide condoms, lubricants, and information on sexual education. We believe that pleasure is a right for all."

While past Pervert gatherings have been held at Plaza Mesones and the Crisanta Cerveceria Garage (each enhanced by the collective's neon signage, which travels with it), no one ever knows where the party will pop up next, which makes it all the more enticing for guests thirsty for diversity. "For nearly two years, we've met once a month in underground locations," Garcia says. "We've done the party in cellars, billiard halls, movie theaters, and abandoned mansions."

The Pervert crowd is a gorgeous blend of unshaven men, unabashed regulars, drag queens, performance artists, fleeting lovers, and gender-defying danceaholics, some of whom feel no necessity to wear clothes. Garcia likens Mexico City's underground scene to that of Berlin and says Pervert's dance floor is attracting DJs both locally and abroad.

"We have Villasenor and Portugal," he says, "two DJs who are famous in the local LGBTQ community. We've also had guest DJs from other cities, such as Eris Drew and Harry Cross from Chicago, Sarah Wild from Berlin, David Banjela from Los Angeles, Jeremy Castillo from San Francisco, and Wildfiction from Slovakia." And there's no room for gender discrimination behind the Pervert turntables. "It's very important for us to make visible the female talent in the electronic music of Mexico," Garcia says. "When we discover an experienced or even up-and-coming DJ girl, we integrate her into our lineup."

Garcia says that Pervert will soon be welcoming DJs from New York and Paris, and on November 3, he and his team will present "Pervert XIX: Halloqueer," to be held at Plaza de la Constitucion (Zocalo). If you want to attend, chances are you'll be able to.

"The party has become very popular in CDMX because all people, regardless of gender, identity, orientation, or economic position, are welcome," he says. "In a country like Mexico, where more than half of its people live in poverty, we offer an experience that is accessible to all. This is a country where there's still classism and prejudice, but our community feels comfortable expressing its sexuality -- and freely."