I just watched DJ Kirk’s set from Boiler Room. At first I thought: ”Nice, it’s going to be techno, sweat, and maybe a few ironic sunglasses.”

But what I got? A manifesto about sobriety, glow, and cultural trauma between New York and Chicago, delivered at 140 BPM with a facial serum in the back pocket.

Kirk DJs in a way that makes you want to get your life together. Halfway through the set, you start questioning EVERYTHING:
  • Why don’t I have a bruh girlfriend?
  • Should I also be importing Mexican tretinoin?

Have you heard about ”bruh girlfriends”? It’s not a girlfriend who likes sports. It’s apparently a guy with feminine energy who loves skincare but hates commitment.

Kirk stands there DJing while simultaneously dropping skincare lore like a pharmacist with DJ decks. The crowd is sweating. Kirk goes:

Y’all ever double cleanse with Sulfa?!

And everyone: WOOO!

It was like being at a rave and in a TikTok advice session simultaneously. And the Chicago vs New York part? Gold.

He basically said that in New York, everyone has five titles and zero self-awareness: I’m a DJ. A curator. A somatic coach. A Gemini.

In Chicago? People are named Kyle, weld during the day, and make Kaytranada bootlegs at night. Same anxiety, better jacket. Brilliant.

So how do you throw a successful party? According to Kirk, it’s: the right lighting to hide pores, music that makes you forget capitalism, and a place where people can not only ask about hypochlorous acid for fungal acne, but where it’s legitimate conversation.

Kirk’s DJ set at Boiler Room wasn’t just a party, it was a cultural phenomenon with as much glow-up as beat-drops.