In honor of Pride Month, Atwood Magazine has invited artists to participate in a series of essays and playlists reflecting on identity, music, culture, inclusion, and more.
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Today, house DJ, producer, and PlayHaus co-founder Matt Suave shares a special Pride Month playlist of house tracks that shaped his sound, his spirit, and his journey from the club floor to “My House” for Atwood Magazine’s Pride Month series!
Matt Suave is a classically trained musician and opera singer turned global house DJ known for thundering basslines, soulful vocals, and euphoric, disco-infused energy. Rooted in the Chicago underground and driven by the transformative power of dance music, Suave has risen from gritty club floors to international stages, playing major events including EDC Las Vegas, WorldPride, NYC Pride, LA Pride, and Sydney Mardi Gras while sharing lineups with artists including Zedd, Purple Disco Machine, LP Giobbi, Kaskade, and Derrick Carter.
As the co-founder of PlayHaus, Denver’s premier queer dance collective, Suave curates sold-out events built around inclusivity, joy, and chosen family. His debut single and video “My House” distills years of dancefloor inspiration into a high-impact vocal disco house anthem celebrating individuality and resilience. Shot during an actual house party with the local drag queens, DJs, and community members who helped raise him as an artist, the video features RuPaul’s Drag Race winner and All-Star Yvie Oddly. Listen to “My House” wherever you stream music, and dive into Suave’s Pride Month playlist below!
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ROOTS THE HOUSE DOWN
by Matt Suave
If you’ve ever wondered what soundtrack is playing constantly in the back of my head, this is it.
For Pride Month, I wanted to share this selection of house music, new and old, that has inspired and shaped not only my musical journey, but my personal one. You’ll notice an overarching theme of piano, vocals, and the exact kind of sound that shapes my own music.
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“My House” – Matt Suave
My debut single. A culmination of my years in the club scene and an homage to the kind of uplifting, groovy house music that changed my life. I spent a year creating this track while teaching myself to produce from YouTube tutorials. The music video was shot inside a friend’s home and features over a dozen performers and drag queens from the Denver scene, including RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Yvie Oddly.
“Slight Work” – Honey Dijon
The legend, the icon, Miss Honey. To me, Honey is the ultimate example of someone from the underground scene finally earning their flowers. I heard her play many times in Chicago, where I had my house music awakening, and there’s nothing quite like it. This Pride weekend I have the honor of opening for her at my PlayHaus party in Denver. A genuine pinch me moment.
“Lola’s Theme” – The Shapeshifters
Hands down my favorite house track of all time. THOSE STRINGS. Nothing puts me in a better mood, and between you and me, every track I make is just trying to capture the magic of Lola’s Theme.
“Love Desire” – CASSIMM
One of my favorite tracks to play in the club, and CASSIMM is a producer who continues to inspire me. There’s nothing like watching the crowd’s reaction the moment Love Desire starts getting mixed in.
“Meet Again” – LP Giobbi
I met LP Giobbi in LA while she was DJing a 4am warehouse party. She had this ethereal energy, and then out of nowhere began playing piano while mixing. Wide eyed and newly a DJ, I asked if we could get coffee the next day. She said yes, and she’s been a constant source of creative energy ever since.
“17” – MK
The first house track that ever rewired my brain. I think it came on the radio and I literally pulled over my car and went “WHAT IS THIS?” I still play it in my sets to this day.
“At Night (Shakedown’s Galactic Getaway)” – Shakedown
My favorite groovy take on a house classic. Perfect for dropping into the last third of a sunset set.
“How Will I Know” – Kevin McKay
It’s not Pride without Whitney. I love Kevin McKay’s club banger reimagining of this iconic track, and if you’ve been to one of my sets, you already know that about 70% of it is diva classics exactly like this.
“Come Back To Me” – Chloé Caillet
My sound is deeply influenced by the ‘90s underground dance scene, and this euphoric belter from Chloé captures that feeling perfectly. I frequently close my sets with it.
“House Sensation” – CZR, J Paul Getto
This track was in every single one of my sets the year I started DJing. A jackin’, grooving, gospel tinged Chicago house record that never fails to get my whole body moving, and I think it captures the essence of my musical soul more than almost anything else.
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