{"id":402591,"date":"2026-07-17T19:53:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T19:53:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/402591\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T19:53:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T19:53:11","slug":"inside-mostly-cloudy-sfs-most-eclectic-electronic-music-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/402591\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Mostly Cloudy, SF\u2019s Most Eclectic Electronic Music Party"},"content":{"rendered":"

Queenie, a DJ and third-generation San Franciscan, books taste-making DJs from Latin America alongside Bay Area locals. <\/p>\n

Jul 17, 2026<\/p>\n

Updated 12:22 pm PT<\/p>\n

Nia Coats<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Queenie (center) started DJing in her backyard. She now runs Mostly Cloudy, a popular party series centered on underground electronic music. \u00a0(Courtesy of Lupe Pacheco-Gomez)<\/p>\n

Brain-rattling bass pumps through the speakers of the Foundry on Folsom Street on a Friday night in June. The smoke machine hisses and psychedelic blobs swirl on the projector, illuminating the dark warehouse. The dance floor fills up with people as DJs Queenie, Martyn Bootyspoon and Bae Bae blend electronic music from all corners of the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The DJs blend R&B songs with raunchy lyrics, like Jodeci\u2019s \u201cFreek\u2019n You,\u201d with fast drums that get everyone moving their feet until they sweat. The dancers two-step, jerk and jump to the music as if they\u2019ve been transported.<\/p>\n

Julia Avila, a.k.a Queenie, presides over the room from behind the decks, dressed in all black with boot-cut jeans, platform boots and long, curly hair. For the past three years, Avila has been bringing people together with her Mostly Cloudy<\/a> party series, which celebrates Black electronic music, including ghetto tech from Detroit, Miami bass, Brazilian baile funk and Chicago house.<\/p>\n

\"\"DJ and producer Queenie poses for a portrait at the Foundry during Mostly Cloudy on June 19, 2026, in San Francisco.<\/p>\n

Avila is a third generation San Franciscan who grew up around music. Her dad was a rapper who went by Young AZ. \u201cI slept in the living room and it was kind of like a studio. He had a microphone in there. He had all the walls padded, so it was soundproof,\u201d Avila said. \u201cAnd I just got to be a kid in that type of environment. And I think that was inspiring.\u201d<\/p>\n

She fell in love with dance music as a George Washington University student studying abroad in Brazil. During her time in \u200athe city of Araraquara, she got out of her homebody habits and found herself at parties, enjoying music beyond just listening in her headphones. Brazil opened her ears to baile funk, funk paulista other genres that aren\u2019t mainstream in the U.S.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew that when I went home I wanted to show off baile funk music in some way, but I didn\u2019t think I would get booked for anything,\u201d she said. \u201cI felt it out when I came back to see if there were any events like the ones in Brazil, and there just weren\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"People dance at Mostly Cloudy\u2019s Carnaval party at F8 in San Francisco on May 23, 2026. <\/p>\n

She created that space for herself and other DJs. \u201cEven though the type of electronic music differs, it\u2019s always music that you feel the need to dance to, music that naturally will make your body want to move,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

People appreciate Mostly Cloudy parties for the diversity, not only in the music but among the attendees. At the party I went to last month, people from everywhere filled the dance floor in all black, tie-dye, big chunky boots and short skirts. Zade, an attendee, came out that night to celebrate Juneteenth after taking time off from partying. Looking through the Resident Advisor guide, they saw the event and wanted to push themself out of their comfort zone.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c\u200aI knew tonight was kind of like more experimental and like had a lot of different types of music playing, so that\u2019s kind of the reason why I chose this show, and also because it\u2019s accessible,\u201d Zade said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Dancers come to hear baile funk, ghetto tech and other styles of electronic music at Mostly Cloudy parties. <\/p>\n

Avila often gets comments on social media from people who want to come to a Mostly Cloudy party but are scared to go alone. Avila encourages them anyway. \u201cIt\u2019s the type of party where you walk in by yourself and you leave with friends,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As Mostly Cloudy grows, Avila hopes it can continue to be a place of comfort for people who don\u2019t traditionally see themselves represented in Bay Area nightlife. She hopes to take the Mostly Cloudy name and create a talent agency, which would allow her to represent other DJs that play similar music.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a particular kind of determination to get San Francisco to be a place where it is a destination for electronic music,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is a destination for partying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mostly Cloudy\u2019s next party<\/a> is at Monarch (101 6th Street, San Francisco) on July 25, with DJs Leonce, mymy, Syd, Casamiento, Afakasi Papi, cm3m and Queenie. <\/p>\n