PLEASURE SAVIOR: CURATING DANCEFLOOR INTIMACY AT SATURN BAR

NOLA EDM: For those meeting you for the first time — who is Pleasure Savior?
Pleasure Savior: I’m definitely a party girl first, but I’m most known for throwing and promoting parties as Pleasure Savior; I curate a weekly list of events, I make memes, write about music and nightlife culture, and put on my own parties. I’ve been in the marketing and events world for over a decade, but I’ve only run Pleasure Savior about four years, so I’m really happy I get to do my own thing and experiment with new ideas on my own terms.

NOLA EDM: Your next event, Don’t Dance Don’t Come, is coming to Saturn Bar this month. What inspired the concept and name?
Pleasure Savior: There’s been alotta talk in nightlife about how people don’t really dance anymore. It’s practically a running joke how people are more likely to be outside the club talking, than in the club, dancing. Not just here, but like everywhere. I enjoyed the irony of making a party about the main reason to go to one. All of my parties have super direct names, so DON’T DANCE DON’T COME made good sense. The instructions are clear so you know exactly what you’re in for…

NOLA EDM: How do you want people to feel when they walk into this show? Is there a certain energy, theme, or emotional thread guiding the night?
Pleasure Savior: People actually commit to spending time on the dancefloor at this one, thank god, so like most of my parties everyone’s in a good mood. I don’t like to tell DJs what to play so it’s not genre-specific; I let them interpret the theme how they want to. I’m good at curating lineups that work well together, so only rule is it’s gotta make people wanna dance.

NOLA EDM: Saturn Bar has hosted some of the city’s most iconic underground events. What makes this space the right fit for your vision?
Pleasure Savior: Saturn Bar has alot of the qualities I look for in a venue but it always starts with the staff. They’re easy to work with & that goes a long way to giving people a good time. Everyone there has always been good to me and anyone who walks in the door. Saturn’s also got really great sight-lines from the balcony, the sound is dope, the backyard is ill and it’s far enough off the main track that it still feels like a neighborhood bar even though it can get packed as hell. In the best way, of course.

NOLA EDM: You’ve always been intentional about creating community-driven, expressive events. How does Don’t Dance Don’t Come build on that legacy?
Pleasure Savior: Straight up, I think we need more opportunities to dance with strangers. I’ve had excellent moments with people during peak club hours and we never said much of anything to each other. We just danced. And it felt good. The dancefloor is one place where it’s perfectly acceptable not to talk. And there’s nothing wrong with that. We could all do a little less talking.

NOLA EDM: New Orleans’ underground is evolving fast. How do you see Pleasure Savior’s events contributing to that growth?
Pleasure Savior: I’m lucky that I’ve had a lot of time in the business to notice little changes (in the audience, in the music scene, etc) at just the right time and how I can best aid in the evolution. I see PS helping expand what we think of when we think of “going out” even if it’s just focusing on sober parties or listening parties or film screening and galleries. I think there’s a lot of different ways we can spend time we each other and I’m looking forward to helping make that happen.