2000s dancing in 2024? Fringe party still gives electric feels

No one believes me, but there was once a time in this town, around the early 2010s, when you could go out to terrific parties that specialized in ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, and (even then) 2000s music nostalgia. It was quite a robust time for the clubs—if you counted the occasional swing and Latin backyard shindig, you could even snap up tunes from the ’40s and ’50s, as well.

Many of those parties have since moved on, literally now ancient history, but the fabulous monthly Fringe party at Madrone Art Bar keeps drenching us in the noughties—at least the indie dance music part, which was one of the few saving graces of that tacky-Blingee, celebrity-obsessed decade. (Sorry, I had to drag my way through it as a culture journalist.)

This Sat/20, Fringe celebrates 15 years of dancing ourselves clean with a special anniversary blast, full of neon tunes we all somehow know by heart—The Strokes, Chromeo, Bloc Party, Passion Pit, Cut Copy, MIA, Robyn, LCD Soundsystem—plus big-screen videos and colorful swag to spiff up your fit (some of it made by the party’s founders kids!).

Kristin Graff (DJ Blondie K) and Chris Moulios (DJ subOctave) launched the Best of the Bay-winning party in 2009—they met at Cat Club’s 1984 ’80s retro night and got married somewhere along the way—after Chris wrote his his own video-DJing software. Kristin lived a couple blocks from Madrone and noticed they had a big screen, so she approached owner Michael Spike Krouse with a DVD of the duo mixing videos, and the rest is recent history. A little Ableton magic allowed them to remix the videos live, and soon packed crowds were singing along.

I spoke with Kristin about reaching the 15-year milestone, and what 2000s indie dance music sounds like right now.

48 HILLS Congrats! Fifteen years is like an eternity for a party to keep going. What are a couple of your favorite memories over the past decade and a half?

KRISTIN GRAFF We actually had a lot of fun during COVID live-casting Fringe from our house over Twitch. We made the best of a bad situation. It allowed us to be typing in the chat room while DJing; communicating in a new way with our friends and fans. We found ourselves on the mic a lot more because it was such an intimate experience, we could tell stories behind the videos and shout out to people joining the stream. We may have talked too much, haha, but overall I think it was a fun experience for everyone.

Getting DJ Starr Noir a couple years ago to join our resident crew was such an honor. We’d been fans of hers for years before we started DJing. When she came on board, she opened up our catalog of videos and found all these hidden gems to work in her mixes. It was a fresh take on the music that we really needed at that point to stop from being stale. It doesn’t hurt that she is one of the most talented DJs in the Bay Area and an amazing person with a huge heart.

I made a lot, if not nearly all of my friends through music, especially at the nightclubs that I felt safe at. Providing a space for people to come out and genuinely make new friends was a goal of mine. When you are doing something you love, somewhere you love, I think you attract people to you. We DJ’ed a wedding for a fan a little while back who would come out every month with her best friend. In her speech she mentioned Fringe and how special it was to her. She wound up meeting her husband and getting engaged at our event. When she finished her speech, I was bawling my eyes out while I was spinning. Her happiness had fulfilled my dream for Fringe. 

Side note: As for safety, enough cannot be said about the staff at Madrone Art Bar. They are a wonderful group of dedicated people. We provide the atmosphere, but they take care of every person in that bar. 

Every month people come up to us and thank us for the night. Those are the best memories. If we can make people happy through music, that is the ultimate win.

48 HILLS Some of the people reading this (and even attending your party!) were actually in grade school when the club first started. How do you think music from the 2000s and early 2010s sounds to people right now, in the 2020s? 

KRISTIN GRAFF Chris and I have always called it the “new nostalgia.” My hope was that what ’80s dancing was for me, is what ’00s dancing is for younger generations. You are hit with the memories of these songs you loved only now that you are old enough to be in a dance club, singing at the top of your lungs with a group of people who love the music as much as you do. We’ve allowed ourselves the room to spin new indie artists as well, but the classics are what set the dance floor on fire. 

48 HILLS I love that you give out so much swag at your parties? What are some of the funnest things you’ve handed out? 

KRISTIN GRAFF Oh boy, should we talk about the things we’ve had banned from the club? Haha. We once had led glow rings so powerful that it was blinding all the staff. But seriously, we had little kids at home when we first started the night. A lot of the decorations, crafting, and giveaways were inspired by things we were doing with them at the time. We’ve done home made buttons, spray painted tote bags, glasses covered in colorful duct tape. In a lot of cases the kids would help us make them Saturday afternoon before the party.

48 HILLS Can I get a Fringe classic top 5 tunes? 

KRISTIN GRAFF OK, here goes:

1. The Killers, “Mr Brightside”

2. The Strokes, “Last Nite”

3. Robyn, “Dancing On My Own”

4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Heads Will Roll”

5. MGMT, “Time To Pretend”

FRINGE 15-YEAR ANNIVERSARY BASH Sat/20, 9pm-2am, Madrone Art Bar, SF. More info here.