The Concourse Project Cultivates Austin’s Dance Music Culture
Kelly Gray and Andrew Parsons’ top-rated venue puts the city on the EDM map
Once only found in the underground, electronic dance music now sells out mainstream stages at Coachella. For some, throwing successful parties is serious work—and a serious time commitment. Kelly Gray and Andrew Parsons started out in 2005, promoting events for 800-square-feet dance floors in Austin, Texas. Today, their venue, The Concourse Project, is ranked 39th in DJ Mag’s Top 100 Clubs global list, competing against venues in Ibiza, New York, Berlin, Las Vegas and more.
The Concourse Project sits on the edge of Austin’s city limits, creating a different flavor for the live music capitol of the world. Their programming put Austin on the EDM map and facilitates the Texas nightlife industries.
“I think Austin has become a place to come and write music and be an artist. Not just your LAs and New Yorks, right?” Parsons said. “Dance music-wise, more and more people are making [Austin] their home and creating here.”
The city is home to Live Nation-C3 presents, PBS’s Austin City Limits and of course The Concourse Project, but other big Texas cities have also made a name for themselves in the EDM space. Houston’s ART Club blends big names with home-grown Southern culture. Ice House Radio creates offline third spaces that connect community. Dallas’ It’ll Do Club brings dance music legends to a tucked-away neighborhood. SILO Dallas transformed a historic grain silo into a 3,200-capacity club that also landed them on DJ Mag’s top venues list.
“This is such a community-based industry,” Gray says, and “Austin is an incubator for dance music professionals. It’s becoming a hub. We take pride in having strong local DJS and being able to give [them] opportunities.”
Grey and Parsons also produce their annual house and techno festival, Seismic Dance Event. This year, headliners Four Tet, Mochakk and The Blessed Madonna shared the bill with curated emerging talent. Over 500 underground DJs came across Grey’s desk to potentially play for the festival.
Texas DJ XOY opened for Berlin-based artist HorsegiirL and curated opening acts for Ru Paul, while Houston-based DJ Amarji King supported Zack Fox’s show.
“It was a big opportunity for me to represent Houston girls, trans girls, black girls, indigenous girls in electronic music,” XOY says.
On Seismic Dance Event’s final festival night, The Blessed Madonna stepped up to The Concourse Project’s main stage, first adorning a keffiyeh in support of Palestine. She’s outspoken on her social media platforms about the power of dance music and its political roots.
“We’re part of the resistance—and turning a blind eye to it just for preserving business matters is not who we are as people.” Gray says, who also uses social media to mobilize action in Texas politics.
The Concourse Project has evolved into a stage for international exchange of talent, ideas and culture. As the EDM scene expands, Gray and Parsons aim to grow the venue together with the Austin community.
“There’s so much more that can be done to involve many more local DJs,” Gray says. “It feels special to find more people that you weren’t aware of and give them opportunities.”
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