Midnight.FM: Associate

With his Scotsman's complexion and awkward gait, Associate would like to convey the realness of both his adoptive home in DC and his point of origin, Detroit. To the latter, he was raised in the church on hymns, gospel, and a constant dedication to music. From the church pew and piano bench he committed a decade to music theory. When not engrossed in sheet music, record store employees like Mike Huckaby and LaVell Williams showed him the real music of Detroit and where to see it live. By the early 2000s, every weekend was dedicated to a show, party, venue, happening, concert, etc. So much so, he found himself on couches in recording studios or even as the 2003 greeter at the front of Hart Plaza for DEMF.

In DC, he found a new musical environment. Even if there are a precious few dedicated souls in DC, they realize the opportunities are limitless. He began writing album reviews, giving rides to headliners and spreading thoughts across social media. While the engagement was fulfilling, the Detroit music was lacking. Accordingly, his disposable wages went entirely to vinyl. By 2013, he became the DJ with exceptional records and the car that could fit at least one speaker.

Still, he longed for something that closer matched his native Detroit. He joined a group called Vague Output in Baltimore which focused on warehouse parties as an extension of the art school/noise/techno scene. There, he united with truly DIY music fans and rediscovered what makes the true underground so special.

These new friends led him to the collective known as Sequence. Begun in an all night leather club, this party series focused on a few respected headliners along with a core of dedicated local DJs. Over the next three years, Sequence hosted DVS1, Erika, BMG, The Gods Planet, DJ Stingray, Clarisa Kimskii, among numerous others.

In 2020, Associate formed Midwest Plenty as an extension of his musical personality; weird, all inclusive events that create memories. He hosted Midwest heroes like Scott Zacharias, sold, Rod Modell, D Strange, Sard, MGUN, Venn_Diagramm and Acid Daddy. The goal, as always, to bring the real artists of that area to DC and showcase their talents.

In 2025, the landscape for Associate changed. He continued to practice, produce, eat and sleep his beloved mind warping sounds, yet needed to affirm both his political stance and the core philosophical underpinnings of techno music. He founded Midnight FM with a commitment to underground music as cathartic release through dance, allyship across all manner of humanity, a HarDCore punk 'tude and a desire to pass the ethos forward.