Inside Mostly Cloudy, SF’s Most Eclectic Electronic Music Party
Brain-rattling bass pumps through the speakers of the Foundry on Folsom Street on a Friday night in June. The smoke machine hisses and psychedelic blobs swirl on the projector, illuminating the dark warehouse. The dance floor fills up with people as DJs QUEENIE, Martyn Bootyspoon and Bae Bae blend electronic music from all corners of the world.
The DJs blend R&B songs with raunchy lyrics, like Jodeci’s “Freek’n You,” with fast drums that get everyone moving their feet until they sweat. The dancers two-step, jerk and jump to the music as if they’ve been transported.
Julia Avila, a.k.a QUEENIE, presides over the room from behind the decks, dressed in all black with boot-cut jeans, platform boots and long, curly hair. For the past three years, Avila has been bringing people together with her Mostly Cloudy party series, which celebrates Black electronic music, including ghetto tech from Detroit, Miami bass, Brazilian baile funk and Chicago house.
Mostly Cloudy began in 2024 as a party in Avila’s backyard. Over the past two years, it’s attracted a loyal following, both through events and social media. On TikTok and Instagram as @cafeconpostre, Avila has a combined total of over 70,000 followers. At a time when major publications still think Gen Z only connects with the world through their screens, Mostly Cloudy brings hundreds of young party-goers to San Francisco venues like basement club Monarch and wine bar Arcana.
“ I found a lot of success on TikTok with the promoting, and in September, I was able to quit my full-time job,” Avila said. “At first it was kind of just about female beginner DJs and having a space to throw shows. … And it turned into me inviting a lot of mainly Latin America’s emerging electronic music artists to come over here.”
Avila is a third generation San Franciscan who grew up around music. Her dad was a rapper who went by Young AZ. “I slept in the living room and it was kind of like a studio. He had a microphone in there. He had all the walls padded, so it was soundproof,” Avila said. “And I just got to be a kid in that type of environment. And I think that was inspiring.”
She fell in love with dance music as a Fulbright fellow in Brazil. During her time in the city of Araraquara, she got out of her homebody habits and found herself at parties, enjoying music beyond just listening in her headphones. Brazil opened her ears to funk paulista and other genres that aren’t mainstream in the U.S.
“I knew that when I went home I wanted to show off baile funk music in some way, but I didn’t think I would get booked for anything,” she said. “I felt it out when I came back to see if there were any events like the ones in Brazil, and there just weren’t.”
She created that space for herself and other DJs. “Even though the type of electronic music differs, it’s always music that you feel the need to dance to, music that naturally will make your body want to move,” she said.
People appreciate Mostly Cloudy parties for the diversity, not only in the music but among the attendees. At the party I went to last month, people from everywhere filled the dance floor in all black, tie-dye, big chunky boots and short skirts. Zade, an attendee, came out that night to celebrate Juneteenth after taking time off from partying. Looking through the Resident Advisor guide, they saw the event and wanted to push themself out of their comfort zone.
“ I knew tonight was kind of like more experimental and like had a lot of different types of music playing, so that’s kind of the reason why I chose this show, and also because it’s accessible,” Zade said.
Avila often gets comments on social media from people who want to come to a Mostly Cloudy party but are scared to go alone. She encourages them anyway. “It’s the type of party where you walk in by yourself and you leave with friends,” she said.
As Mostly Cloudy grows, Avila hopes it can continue to be a place of comfort for people who don’t traditionally see themselves represented in Bay Area nightlife. She wants to take the Mostly Cloudy name and create a talent agency, which would allow her to represent other DJs that play similar music.
“I have a particular kind of determination to get San Francisco to be a place where it is a destination for electronic music,” she said. “It is a destination for partying.”
Mostly Cloudy’s next party is at Monarch (101 6th Street, San Francisco) on July 25, with DJs Leonce, mymy, Syd, Casamiento, Afakasi Papi, cm3rn and QUEENIE.