It is often said that knowledge is power. And if that's true, then in times like ours, knowing might be our most radical act of resistance. ISSUE 03 seeks to build collective strength through knowing more about a city whose truth and significance has always been self-evidenced: Philadelphia.
To know Philadelphia is to first reconcile its impact with its lack of recognition: the foundations too often forgotten, the unsung legends endlessly sampled, the grassroots that upend, and the undeniable influence of the underfunded and underrepresented.
Knowing Philly is also recognizing the liberation strategy it pioneered:
1. Challenge the mind.
In 1964, Philadelphia's own Drum became the most widely circulated gay magazine in the U.S., fusing news, erotica, and satire to push queer visibility into the mainstream.
2. Move the body.
Well before Stonewall, in 1965, queer and trans Philadelphians staged one of the first organized protests for LGBTQIA+ rights in the U.S.: Dewey's sit-ins.
3. Touch the soul.
Philadelphia soul soundtracked the world with lush strings, deep grooves, and extended mixes, becoming source material for early house music. Earl Young, session drummer for MFSB, The Trammps, and other bands, pioneered the four-on-the-floor kick that moved from 1970s Philly studios into disco, then house and techno.
4. Keep it going.
30 years of Ballroom, with icons like Kevin Jz Prodigy, Robbie Tronco, VJtheDJ, and DJ Delish defining its sound. Renegade parties. DIY spaces. Mutual aid. Block parties. Lumberyard raves. Protests. Crowdfunds. Takeovers. Warehouses. You name it.
Philly has always had “something for your mind, your body, and your soul.”
In the third issue of No One Magazine, we hope to make visible the people behind this city's well of knowledge: elders who laid the path and continue to build it, new generations constructing different scenes, organizers reclaiming public space, trans performers who turn heads then turn tables, historians, dancers, and beatmakers.
Through all these conversations, one thing becomes crystal clear: this city gives far more than it ever asks in return. So, humbly, No One asks on its behalf: Know the history. Know the people. Know the sounds. Know Philadelphia.
ABOUT ISSUE 03
No One in Philadelphia opens with a question disguised as a premise: What does it mean to know a city? Not to visit it, sample it, or pass through, but to truly reckon with its weight, its contradictions, and the generosity of its queer scene.
The issue moves through time as much as it moves across the city. “The Queer Sounds of Philadelphia” outlines the sonic lineage of the scene through DJ Delish's selection of ten tracks; a playlist that doubles as a history lesson. “Philly Ballroom and Black Queer Nightlife,” by madison moore, traces the living genealogy of a Ballroom scene that has shaped global culture for over 30 years.
Unexpected turns into enveloping worlds are inevitable. “Underground Cuir Perreo” by Cynthia J. Román Cabrera maps where Spanglish, desire, and the politics of carving out joy collide on the dance floor. “Philly's Go-To 'Hole'“ drops you into a different format entirely: a comic based on many true stories, blending fiction with anecdote to tell an after-hours folklore.
The issue then asks harder questions about what keeps a scene alive, and at what cost. “Playing to Survive” by Eden Alison and “Raving, Refreshed” by Alice Siyuan Zhao look at the labor and economics underneath the party: who foots the bill, who builds to remember, and who keeps going anyway. “Capitalism Is Dead. The Party Can Save Us.” by AIVO takes that tension further, asking how nightlife might play a more prominent role in political revolution.
Identity is examined both tenderly and soberly. “Becoming Icon Ebony-Fierce” gives 14 years of queer and drag nightlife a voice and a face. “Is Music the Answer?” by Kyle Firestone reflects on five years of organizing the party Polari, measuring what music can, and cannot hold. “It's On the House” by Việt Raider-Hoàng turns to the collective Bounce House, and the notion of hospitality as a refreshing ethos in nightlife space-making.
The issue closes outside, at the edge: concrète’s infamous pier-rave. “A Slab of Reality” by Arien Wilkerson and Yōsuke Araki takes raving to the city’s periphery, where the marginalized unite for musical joy and personal change.
While no publication can hold everything a city carries, we hope this one holds enough. To make you feel Philly. And to make you want to know more.
No One Core Team
Việt Raider-Hoàng, Jeremy Raider-Hoàng
Editorial Design
Hanna Karraby, Việt Raider-Hoàng, Jeremy Raider-Hoàng
Proofreader
Tom Biddulph
Local Advisors
Mars Edwards (ONEELEVEN), Kyle Firestone, Patito M., Icon Ebony-Fierce, DJ Delish, Bob Skiba, John Anderies, Jonas Raider, David Sleasman
Contributors
Bread Tarleton, DJ Delish, madison moore, Cynthia J. Román Cabrera, Eden Alison, Alice Siyuan Zhao, Icon Ebony-Fierce, AIVO, Kyle Firestone, Arien Wilkerson, Yōsuke Araki
Cover Stickers Courtesy of
THE “HOLE,” PUMPDABEAT, DAWTA, SAZÓN, Against The Grain, Refresh, CURFEW, Snatcherella 3000, SUB ZERO, Polari, Bounce House, concrète
No One Magazine