Lesson learned: the amateurs came out for Valentines Day at The Spotlight Los Angeles

DJ Harvey on Valentines Day should have been a slam dunk, instead filthy dancefloor casuals and an underpowered soundsystem muggled his magic.

DJ Harvey (right) at the beginning of the night

I can’t write 6,000 words about every dancefloor I encounter, so this is an attempt at a shorter review of our Valentines Day experience dancing to DJ Harvey at The Spotlight club in LA, where the DJ played an eclectic set from 10pm to 2:30am on Valentines Day night, 14 Feb 2025.

You’d think DJ Harvey is the perfect DJ for Valentines, and you’d be right. But the folks who showed up to party on this night weren’t there for the music or for the dancing.

I’m a big fan of DJ Harvey, and believe that on this night his excellence was undermined by a sloppily drunk Valentines Day crowd and an underpowered club soundsystem.

I should’ve known better — Valentines is one of those holidays (like New Year’s Eve) that draws casuals out of hiding and into clubs and bars. Though a good number of couples did attend and happily dance the night away (me and my girlfriend being one of those couples), we were outnumbered and outflanked by singles who mobbed the joint to get tipsy, meet other singles, and harsh the dancefloor vibes for folks who were there for the music.

These folks — I call them dancefloor muggles because they seem incapable of tapping into the magical energy that flows from DJs — spilled their drinks until the carpet squelched, caromed off dancers as they rushed from one bar to another bar, and displaced dancers from the center of the floor so that they could stand in place and yell over the (underpowered) soundsystem to each other.

Don’t get me wrong — we still danced for four and a half hours and had a great time because DJ Harvey is always a party. But compared to other venues and crowds that Harvey plays in and for, this one disappointed us.

Here’s the scorecard: