The obituary for the dance floor has been written more than once. This isn’t that. Don’t get me wrong, it’s natural to feel like the plug’s been pulled! Between shrinking nightlife, rising costs, and a generation who’s increasingly experiencing live music through their phone screens, it's normal to wonder whether the spiritual, communal ritual of dancing until dawn is quietly disappearing. But if you ask (and witness) the women of Club Honey, you’ll be infused with some much-needed hope.

We’re in Sacramento, and "Be the One" by Dua Lipa is ringing through Cal Expo’s speakers as the already-iconic 11-year-old Mia Kretzer lands another X Games gold. By the end of the weekend, 16-year-old Japanese BMX phenom Miharu Ozawa also claimed gold of her own, adding to a weekend defined by fearless young women pushing their sports forward. It was truly an inspirational sight. Around every corner of the space, expectations were being rewired — not as exceptions, necessarily, but as the standard.

Just steps away from the ramps, another group of women was doing the same.

Throughout the weekend,  DJ collective Club Honey transformed High Noon's activation into the X Games' most magnetic gathering spot. Across three days, the collective’s founder, Honey, was joined behind the decks by Zuri Marley, Quinn Blake, SOSUPERSAM, Starrza, and Sasha Marie. Each DJ brought a distinct musical identity while sharing a common mission: creating spaces where connection comes first.

“I've been doing this for 10 years and it doesn't get easier,”  Honey admits, “but the purpose gets stronger, and that's what always keeps me going.” The melting pot DJ whose sets were the most multicultural and global of the batch says her selections are a reflection of her upbringing. The Lebanese community-builder grew up overseas and has continued traveling the world since then. From establishing a strong foundation with breakout sets in Paris and London fashion weeks to curating lineups of her own, it still feels like she’s just getting started.

For Honey, whose collective has grown into an international network of at least 30 women DJs across the world, their presence is about more than representation. It's about building the kind of community she wished existed when she first entered the industry — a space where women mentor one another instead of competing for the lone spot in the lineup.

For beloved Filipino and Irish DJ SOSUPERSAM, the mission is simple. Her job, she says, is "to provide joy and an enriched human experience. I think that's it, period." The mother and golfer drew in the largest crowd of the weekend with a throwback set that included a “Gasolina” interpolation and old school hip-hop standouts like “Summer Nights” and “Gas Pedal.”

Whether soundtracking skate competitions, introducing audiences to new music, or becoming the first woman DJ someone in the crowd has ever watched perform, these women see every set as an opportunity to deepen the moment rather than simply accompany it.

Ahead of their sets at X Games, Honey and SOSUPERSAM sat down with me to discuss the importance of building community through music, the changing state of the dance floor, why women belong in every space, and what it means to create an experience people leave feeling better than when they arrived.

I'd love to know how you ended up being part of this collective.

HONEY: It's been 10 years in the making. Club Honey's on our third year now. But me and my solo career, it was always missing something. I got to the point where I was like, "Okay, I played every show I wanted to play. I'm on the lineup with all guys all the time. Where are my other girls? Why is no one else getting opportunities that I'm getting?" And then the other girls that I was meeting, everything felt like a threat. Girls were feeling like, "Oh, there's no space for more girls." And I was like, "Okay, if there's no space for more girls, we just need to create more opportunities to have more space for the girls." So I think I was definitely the first girl to help break the mean girl mentality in a way. I think people realize, "Okay, this girl, all she's trying to do is play music and enjoy life and meet other amazing artists." It took a while to get people to understand my persona and what I'm about, and that I'm not about getting and being the most famous or doing whatever it takes to get to the top. I'm very much all about putting all of the girls on. So that's just been fucking great.

It started as almost a mentorship. I felt like, "Okay, I've left so many girls crying. I've been verbally abused by so many men, whether it was booking agents or other managers, or also other talent." I've had other guy DJs literally unplug my USB mid-set or take me off the booth—the most rogue shit. And I just kept being like, "I hope an 18-year-old that was like me and was starting doesn't have to go through this shit again." Club Honey started as creating a safe space for women to come and DJ and have an amazing experience, from the booking to getting paid properly, to a great experience throughout the night, even from the security guards. I would talk to the security guards before the night started. I want the whole experience for the girls to feel amazing, and not any sense of leaving with a bad taste in their mouth or feeling just... I would leave gigs with knots in my stomach, just feeling like that didn't feel good. So Club Honey started as a place for the girls to DJ, to feel good. And then the mentoring just happened naturally through me starting to reach out, find these girls, start booking them. And then it's just friendships that build with these girls.

‍SOSUPERSAM: Well, I've been DJing in LA for a minute and I ran into Honey at a party. She was DJing and I was like, "Hey, I really like your DJ stuff." And she was just like, "Oh my gosh, I love you. I follow you and your whole DJ career, and I see... I'm just obsessed with you." And I'm like, "Well, I'm obsessed with you mutually." It was very sweet and touch-and-go. I was like, "Okay, yeah." And then they reached out for this event and I was just like, "She's such a sweetheart. I love what she's building. I would love to be a part of it." And then it happened, so that's what brought me here today.

What would you say to young girls who are thinking of entering the space?

SOSUPERSAM: Any space. Yeah. And I think this is a great place to talk about any space because in sports, in music, in arts, in politics, in anything that you're wanting to do, if you're a woman and you just want to do something, take up the space.

HONEY: I would say reach out. I would say the most important thing is network. I felt like I had no role model. I couldn't call Peggy Gou and be like, "Hey, I just started DJing." That's kind of what Club Honey is building. Even on our Instagram, I get DMs a lot from girls that I always try to respond to. So I think it's all about making that human connection with someone. If you're here, come say hi, introduce yourself, follow them on Instagram. You have to start somewhere and it's all about community because there are DJ gigs that always come up. When I don't get a gig, I think of, "Okay, who of my girls could I pick?" I'm always trying to put on new people and also practicing your craft. It's network and becoming so good at what you do. The reason I had succeeded so early was I was locked in and I was like, "Okay, I need to be the best DJ musically, technically, that no one can talk shit because I know that I am fucking good and I did the work." I can play anywhere now and I'm never nervous. I'm back-to-back with Virgil Abloh, Benji B, Zack Bia, Diplo. If you're not confident in what you do, you're going to miss those opportunities. I would be at a party and go up to them and be like, "Hey, can I..." Oh, Skrillex. I literally have gone up to these people and been like, "Hey, can I back-to-back?" And they've all given me the opportunity to say yes. If these girls have this and go out and meet people, yeah, you will come across people that aren't nice, but you just have to be persistent and you'll find your people. You'll find your Club Honey. Maybe they'll build their Club Honey. I think that's what's happened now is that so many girls are starting their own parties and they tell me it's because they saw what you do with Club Honey. So that's just amazing to me. And I'm not anti-guy. I love all my guy friends that are DJs, but it is so dope to see so many girls entrepreneuring in the DJ world, starting their own parties. It's not just about DJing. It's about curating, programming, promoting. You have to get your parties to sell out, you have to get people to come, marketing your parties. As a DJ, people laugh, it's like, "I'm a DJ, but I'm a graphic designer and I'm a promoter and I'm this." You have to be a jill of all trades.

I know this is not your first rodeo doing these type of events that aren't necessarily music-first, but I'm curious what makes it a symbiotic experience for you energetically? What do you think you are bringing to a crowd like this, and what do you get from a crowd like this, even though it's not necessarily music-focused?

SOSUPERSAM: I think that I am a big enthusiast of culture, cross-culture, sub-culture, all of it, and how they speak to each other, and how they inform a human experience. Because especially as a DJ in my role, I try to think of what's happening, why I'm here, and what the sonic experience is for that event or for these people. So if you're watching a skate ramp or contest, what does that sound like? What should the energy be sonically? And how can I help provide that and help enrich your experience as a human here? So I feel like that's what I can provide. Within the bigger cultural context, there's a lot of people, more than you think, who have never seen a DJ before. There's a greater number of people who have never seen a female DJ before. That can be their first touchpoint, their first exposure, and it could be me or one of my colleagues. I feel like that's important. It's important for me to show up day after day, gig after gig, year after year. I feel like that's what keeps me.

HONEY: We're at the X Games and it's a very male-focused group, but what I've seen this weekend is that all the guys that are coming in are pumped seeing that it's a girl DJ. To me that's fire. And also the girls, they're also having fun that are coming in. Yes, this is X Games, that is more male-focused, but there is a huge female presence in skaters and riders this weekend. I feel like just introducing people to the stigma that you can go somewhere for three days and not see a guy DJ. The Monster Tent obviously all weekend has been guy DJs. Having that differentiation and allowing people to see that... and the kids are coming here to be inspired by skaters, but there also could be kids coming here that are being like, "Okay, I've seen six DJs this weekend, maybe I want to DJ." I feel like just showing people that there is opportunity in the DJ space, even at the X Games. They would expect to see us at a Beautycon or at some more female-totally-empowered spaces. So being here with High Noon, it's just such an awesome opportunity to be at the X Games. Also, all the girls were so pumped, like, "I've never been to an X Games." A lot of the girls haven't. I think it's just bridging the gap, honestly, of sports, music... also all the skaters like Zion, Dashawn, Midler, I met them ten years ago when I first started DJing and I would do their parties with all their skater friends. They grew up together. So us all being here this weekend, it's very sweet. I think we're all proud of each other in a way.

I love that. I know you dabbled in the arts overall. What do you think is essential to the art of performing?

SOSUPERSAM: Stage presence and a willingness to try in front of others. That's it. It doesn't mean you're going to nail it, it doesn't mean you're going to train wreck, but you just have to keep going.

What do you think makes a good DJ?

HONEY: It's definitely, one, having a good taste in music and a good ear. All of the girls that I pick, I want to go and listen to their sets. Even yesterday, for example, during Quinn's set... Quinn to me, her music taste is so different but it's so fire. I was texting her during her set like, "Girl, every song you're playing is fire." From edits to classics... I think it's about being able to play a set that isn't just one genre, and all of the girls do that. DJing now, to be a successful DJ, you're categorized: you're a house DJ, you're an EDM DJ, you're an electronic DJ, you're a hip-hop DJ. What the girls are doing, the girls are being like, "No, I can play Sade, and I can play fucking GloRilla, and I can play a house edit, and it's all done really seamlessly and tastefully." It's about introducing new music to the people. Knowing that you can... it's definitely introducing new music and being able to still play hits but also music people haven't heard of yet, which I think is important. Also, you’re the vibe. So you bringing the energy, and I felt like those are the girls that are going to succeed. You have that spark in you.

What kind of energy are you hoping people walk away with after your set today? This is your only one of the weekend, right?

SOSUPERSAM: I want people to walk away having learned something. If I can achieve that, then I have done my job. I really do feel like that's an overtone that I take with me everywhere. It really makes my purpose and my job really simple and clear. It's an exchange.

HONEY: Better than they walked in for sure. I think the DJ's job is to keep the energy happy and positive, and also making people dance. I feel like the best way to meet people is on a dance floor. During Super Sam's set last night, she definitely had the most people on the dance floor. Every DJ has their thing. Some, it's you're getting the people that are there really to hear the music. Some, you're getting people that are really there to dance. Every DJ finds their people in a crowd. Everyone that's coming in throughout the day is finding a DJ that they connect with the most, as well as meeting new people and discovering the DJs. I think that's the dopest thing—discovering Club Honey and discovering all the DJs.

What do you think Club Honey means for the community within the DJ space?

SOSUPERSAM: My main basis statement is warm connection, warm human connection. When I apply that to Club Honey, I think a few things are happening simultaneously. Number one, vibe. Number two, a sense of community, which I think is so important right now in this climate and economy. It's important for people to feel like they belong somewhere. It's important to music. Number three, I think it's also making a big statement about women, and that there's more than enough space for every woman to thrive, be hot, and succeed. I think that the most archaic, antiquated way of break... "You're cute. You do a good job. I'm cute. I do a good job. Why can't we be friends? Why can't we do this all together?" I think that, just in demonstration, speaks such a loud message to everyone, especially the girls that are going to come next, or the next generation of people. This is what the human experience is.

Was the space bereft of community for women prior to this or how was it in your experience?

SOSUPERSAM: When I first started DJing, yeah, women were very marginalized and very stereotyped and cast into a box of what we were supposed to look like, sound like. There was only one token female. Or, on the other side of the spectrum, it [was] a marketing gimmick of ladies night. ‘Oh, come look at these, these girls are going to DJ. Come look at them.’ Literally. Like a fish tank. And to me… I wanted to DJ and I didn't want to do it that way. And so, for me, it was important for me to make moves and make decisions that I felt would speak a different message. That’s always something I considered a major factor in how I move. That’s why I really resonate with Club Honey because I think it’s the same idea, and of course I want to support and be a part of that.

I love that this is happening in this day and age, especially when, unfortunately, there’s a lot of conversation around—especially in California—but also in other cities, that the dance floor is dead.

SOSUPERSAM: Well, the dance floor is dead. [laughs] listen… how much time do you have?

But it’s not because of y’alls lack of good DJ’ing so, what is it… and can we fix it?

SOSUPERSAM: I don’t know if I want to comment on that without sounding like an old head, like a total bitter lady… What would need to happen is people put their phone’s down, and then go out and live, and connect and get messy, and get a little sloppy and not worry about it going viral, you know? And I do feel like there is some sort of, like, big brother energy of social media, where it's like, well, I don't want to be seen looking not 10 out of 10 for this DJ set that I'm attending that's going to be viral on YouTube tomorrow… I am so glad I had so many nights of just tweaking…. Having no shoes on, walking on the sidewalk, drinking my face off and getting messy with my girls and eating burritos. I just feel like that's such an important part of life… I also have a big, a big problem with raves at coffee shops at 10am. I really would urge people to go out at night, and get sweaty, and listen to music really obscenely loud, with proper club speakers, and lighting until 5am.

HONEY: I think the gays are keeping it alive, like my friends at Los Globos and A Club Called Rhonda. Rhonda obviously was a very gay-powered party. They started, that was their focus, it was for the gays, safe space. Now it's really progressed into a space for everybody there because they were able to make the dance floor for everyone through how good the music was. Through their creation, their mission is there and it's still always there, but they were able to be like, "Okay, we got our people, now let's reach more people." So they do an amazing job of keeping the dance floor alive. I think Club Honey does a really good job. I think it's just about the music you play. Someone like Zack Bia, he was very important in the curating of Drake coming to LA, and Delilah and these Hollywood spots that people would kind of just go to to party and be there. But I think he then also saw, "Okay, how can we change this and make the dance floor more alive?" So it was partnering with other DJs, everyone having their network and just bringing all their friends to keep it alive. Also Nova—Nova was always throwing parties. I really think the dance floor is alive, it's just not as consistent. Instead of every weekend there being something, it's every month. Also framework—there's more of the festival-style parties. But we're more in the music, fashion, art community of people. I don't really want to go to a rave every weekend, but I still want to go out and dance.

And I think the girlies are pushing for it to come back. All the girls in my life are like, "We want to dance, we want to go out." The problem is the dance floor is dying because of the guys. No, literally, the dance floor dies because of the guys—they don't dance. It's crazy. The girls play music for the girls, and the girls are on the dance floor dancing. That brings the guys to the dance floor, literally. But I will say my friend group, my community, we definitely are all on the dance floor. So it's again just finding the right places to go. There's places where the DJ is just there for the ambiance, but then there are good places to dance.

Has your relationship to the dance floor changed over the years?

HONEY: Oh my god. I was on every dance floor. I was traveling, DJing every other weekend, going from Ibiza to Madrid to London to New York. I was single for very long and DJ was my love, that was my everything. Dance floors in Europe—Madrid, Spain, Ibiza—that is the party town. But London community culture and music to me is my favorite. Musically, they're ahead of the wave. London is ahead of the wave. All the DJs in London... Skepta is now DJing, he has Más Tiempo. I feel like the DJ culture in the UK inspires me a lot. Even grime music, underground music, that was a big passion of mine when I started DJing.

We've been seeing athletes compete all weekend, or we will, I keep thinking about like, how skating and DJing, they require a sense of like, similarity, there's energy, there's like, improvisation, there's trusting instinct, reading the room, and like, flowing with it. Do you see parallels between the two worlds?

SOSUPERSAM: A hundred percent. I don't know how to describe the skate spirit, but I admire it, and I fuck with it heavy. It is something that want to embody. I think DJs are the same, it's about reading the room… it's all energy and vibes and getting a little bit crazy and revving people up.