Join us on Thursday, July 7 from 5 to 9 p.m. in the Sculpture Court for Dyspheric with special guest Archangel. The evening will feature DJ sets by XC-17, Yessi, Samira Mendoza, and the crew behind Archangel.

El Rincon Oaxaqueño food truck will be on-site at the museum serving authentic Mexican food from the state of Oaxaca.

Trace Brewing, the official brewery partner of Inside Out, will have beer for sale. A selection of non-alcoholic beverages will also be available.

Inside Out events are FREE and most events are open to audiences of all ages. Make a day of it and reserve your timed tickets to visit the museum before or after you enjoy Inside Out!

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Liner Notes with Lauren Goshinski

Lauren Goshinksi: Hi Dyspheric! You’re a relatively new collective and I’ve loved seeing your events evolve out of the pandemic. Can you tell us more about the people and sounds you are trying to make space for?
XC-17, Samira Mendoza, and Yessi: We push to make space for trans, non-binary, queer, black, and POC artists to thrive, enjoy themselves, and experiment with music. Our sound ranges from soft, elegant soundscapes, to funky and eclectic beats, to hi-tempo resistance music – DnB, Techno, Hardcore, and beyond. We feel that each of us, being from different places and representing different facets of the LGBTQ community, brings a unique voice and special love for music, culture, and queer history.

Lauren Goshinski: Can you share a bit about yourselves as DJs and curators? What are your individual backgrounds, and how do you bring your different perspectives together?
XC-17: I grew up around many different styles of music, especially RnB and Pop music. Being introduced later in life to electronic music production and djing gave me ideas for ways of bringing together those influences. I could hit you with a Beyoncé track, and then throw some techno into it, and then some breaks. I love the whole environment of the rave. My love for experimentation plays a massive part in the openness of Dyspheric parties.

Yessi: think all of us love to share the various cultural transmissions that shaped us, and we have a very personal approach to music. We all have sponge-like brains, and it’s no coincidence we’re also visual artists working with video, sculpture, painting, and many other mediums. We try to create receptive and positive environments for trying out new things and making reasonable mistakes.

Samira Mendoza: I had a super musical upbringing that reflected my multicultural family. My mom was a professional belly dancer, and my dad worked at club venues as a bouncer and bartender until I was about eight years old, so dance music culture was something I was surrounded by. The sounds that you would hear in my house were traditional Indian classical music, bachata, salsa, meringue, old-school freestyle, and New York house. I would say that breaking down cultural barriers is the driving force behind all my curation, and I view dance floors as being especially conducive spaces for that work to happen.

Lauren Goshinksi: What more can you tell us more about your +1 guest, Archangel?
XC-17, Samira Mendoza, and Yessi: Archangel is the founder of Ice Cream Social, a Richmond-based mutual aid platform and artist collective, and co-founder of BodyHack, a party making waves in NYC, centering black trans artists and prioritizing community fundraising and outreach. She has been consistently pushing forward dance music with her productions and mixes and uplifting her communities with the programming she creates. We’re so thrilled to have her in Pittsburgh!

Lauren Goshinksi: Any shoutouts you’d like to make?
XC-17, Samira Mendoza, and Yessi: First and foremost, the many people in the community/scene who have helped us along the way–whether by collaborating, letting us practice at their house, sharing music and equipment, playing on our lineups, supporting us on the dancefloor-and the spaces that have hosted our events. We love the new parties starting up by Jaded Collective, MostBeautifullest, Oasis, Curfew, and many other groups and event series that are creating a more inclusive music scene in Pittsburgh.

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About the Artists

Dyspheric is an LGBTQ dance party group started in late 2020 by Stephanie Alona, Samira Mendoza, and Yessi.

Archangel creates atmospheric music for coming up and coming down; ethereal beats to ascend and find yourself to. ARCHANGEL explores learning experiences, humility, and vulnerability through music.

About Inside Out

Inside Out is Carnegie Museum of Art’s free outdoor summer event series. Inside Out takes place from Saturday, June 4 through Saturday, August 13 in the museum’s Sculpture Court in an immersive pavilion by artist Rafael Domenech, commissioned for the 58th Carnegie International.

Curated by Lauren Goshinski and huny young, this year’s lineup of Thursday evening DJ performances highlights a wide range of crews and collectives who are active across Pittsburgh’s nightlife scenes. The 2022 Inside Out series is centered around the concept of “+1.” Each crew has been invited to add a special guest artist to help expand the music and connections for artists and audiences alike.