In 1999, friends and colleagues Jsun Paul and Sequoia had a collective vision to create an event for like-minded individuals to experience the love of vinyl records and house music. Out of that vision came Deep Groove Society (DGS), but what grew out of that was much more than a singular gathering of music lovers, but rather over 15 years of events, and a strong community that will forever hold a place in the history of the Northern California electronic music scene. Welcome to Deep Groove Society!
The DGS Story
Deep Groove Society (DGS), simply put, could be described as a community of music lovers in Northern California that formed out of the necessity to play house music and to make people dance and lose themselves in the music. In 1999 DGS Co-founders Jsun Paul and DJ Sequoia linked up to produce Sundaze, an outdoor daytime event that encompassed a bit of the 1960’s and Humboldt County’s peace and love vibe combined with the renegade outdoor undergrounds of the early 1990’s. This daytime event brought all types of music, dancers, and DJs, each of which told their own stories that would eventually be responsible for what would become Deep Groove Society.
The seeds of Sundaze continued to grow and between 2000 to 2005 DGS took shape. First came the day time Sunday Socials, which became the voice of the DGS movement. Sundaze became the playground of new sounds and new friends like DJ Boogie, Paul Madiera, DJ Red, Robin Weber, and more. More DJ’s meant the need for more parties, and at that time Humboldt was a melting pot of people all wanting to contribute to create a collective sound. With a solid scene starting to take shape, DGS started putting on night parties at a little coffee shop in Arcata called Muddy Waters. During these parties, DGS would pack 200+ people in a tiny coffee shop meant for 50 - music banging, people dancing, and the walls sweating with emotion. This place was the heartbeat of Humboldt for a while. DGS had formed a true following of music lovers and passionate dancers. The photos during this time capture the true essence of the community DGS was forming, and it was beautiful. As time progressed, new faces emerged, most of which are featured on this site, many are not, but were so fundamental in this movement, to DGS and Humboldt’s electronic music scene, that DGS would not exist if it was not for them and their dedication to the music.
From the Beach to the Mountains and the Redwoods, Full Moon parties became a staple of the scene. DGS and other like minded electronic music community members joined forces to light up the sky with lasers and play music to the Heavens. These gatherings were sacred and the music gave a pathway for people to find themselves as well as to feel as if they were a part of something bigger. With these events, the community continued to grow, and in 2004 Deep Groove Society threw its first outdoor party at the beautiful and infamous Area 74. Funky Autumn, the first of many outdoor festivals at Area 74 and the precurser to what would become Fire Fall, was Humboldt’s unofficial Decompression and it was perfect. Southern California had Moontribe and Humboldt County had DGS and Fire Fall. This party would echo well into the future, eventually growing to encompass a Springtime spinoff party called Spring Soul.
In 2005, DGS had the opportunity to expand its dancefloors to Humbrews in Arcata. DGS took over Sunday nights and transformed Sundaze into the longest running weekly in Northern California. Humbrews had its own energy, rooted like the redwood floorboards in the building, it would shake when people started to groove. During the Humbrews era (2005-2008), DGS opened up the decks and found new family, the House music community grew, and DGS was able to bring up even more people from out of town who shared a similar love and vision for the music. Humboldt had replicated the vibe of the early 90’s rave scene, where music was at the center of the experience and that music would eventually set everyone free.
Time didn’t slow down, and while the music never died, some close friends did, and left this planet for other adventures. The way we kept those friends alive was by continuing to play the music that we all loved. In 2008 DGS moved Sundaze to the Jambalaya, now known as the Jam. For the last 7 years DGS has continued the tradition of Sundaze, keeping House music alive in Humboldt County.
Much love and respect to everyone out there who has been involved since the beginning and for those who continue to support us to this day. None of this would have been possible if it wasn't for you. We thank you.