Strobe lights flashing, bass throbbing, moving bodies lost in the rhythm of the beat. For a few hours, nothing else matters— just the music, movement and euphoria. It feels like freedom. Nightlife can offer a space to surrender to the beat and exist fully, and a DJ’s responsibility is to create an atmosphere that augments the clubbing experience.
For local DJ “DEATHBYNOIZE,” also known as Syn, being a DJ was never just about mixing a track but about fostering communities and curating sonic identities.
Influenced by early 2010’s DJs like “deadmau5,” Syn said he was keen to create an environment where people could enjoy each other’s company, escape through electronic music and most of all, he wanted to create a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community.
“There’s a lot of hateful people out there that don’t want to see us thriving or do good for ourselves and being a queer person, especially in this day and age,” Syn said. “I feel it is super important that we stick together and create a space where we can exist.”
Syn invites listeners – both queer and beyond – to feel the pulse of his music. He encourages them to let go, move with confidence and deeply connect with the music in a way that radiates passion.
Beyond the lights and beats, DEATHBYNOIZE’s sets remind the community that intentionally crafted sound can cut through even the loudest of noise.
On the dance floor, the club transforms into a cultural movement — one where music not only reflects the times but also pushes them forward.
Robert Fernandez, also known as “DJ TOUGHASSPUTA,” began his mixing journey in 2017, drawing inspiration from the underground nightlife scenes of New York City and Chicago.
In these spaces, he saw how nightlife was used as a platform where marginalized communities could express their identities and resist mainstream norms – he aimed to bring that same sense of purpose to El Paso.
“I really wanted to bring that to our passport,” Fernandez said. “We’re a city shaped by so many cultures between the U.S.-Mexico border. There’s so much talent and so many ideas in this city.”
Despite its deep cultural roots, nightlife can be dismissed as shallow or frivolous. Online discourse can paint club culture as a phase to be outgrown. For Fernandez, it’s a space where presence, purpose, and pleasure can all coexist together.
“Nightlife is what you get out of it. For me, the biggest thing is human connection,” Fernandez said. “It is a beautiful thing to feel this bond between people you might not know but still feel the music and that state of euphoria.”
For many marginalized communities, especially for queer, black and brown people, nightlife has never been “just for fun.” It is a space where survival, visibility and joy intersect. Fernandez reminds us that clubs have long doubled as sanctuaries from a world that polices bodies and minimizes oppression.
To construct a stronger force of inclusion and community, DJ TOUGHASSPUTA and DEATHBYNOIZE have collaborated on an official branded series called “C*NT INCORPORATED.” With only two shows so far this year, these local DJ’s have brought talent from Austin, in hopes of growing nightlife opportunities in El Paso.
“With C*NT INCORPORATED, I wanted to connect El Paso to other regions in Texas because we are so far removed from the bigger cities. C*NT INCORPORATED is about bridging the gap between these communities and really bring El Paso into the larger underground DJ and party scene in Texas,” Fernandez said.
The energy of C*NT INCORPORATED is electric— designed for locals to move together, feel seen and valued. At its core, this branded series isn’t about exclusivity; it is about access.
This is DJ culture; a global movement born from rebellion, creativity, and community. Dance floors became places to reject conformity, embrace liberation and connect without judgement.
In a city that is overlooked on the cultural map, DEATHBYNOIZE and DJ TOUGHASSPUTA continue to build toward a larger goal of fostering connection and helping the borderland thrive in creativity, visibility and sound.
