What makes a good Pride anthem? Twin Cities DJs name their top songs to spin.

Some of the top LGBTQ+ party starters in town offer their picks for all-time classics and newer or lesser-known favorites.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
June 24, 2025 at 11:30AM
DJ Larry Peace cues up music while spinning his monthly Sunday Service show at Lush in Minneapolis. (Jeff Wheeler/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

You can take the Pride parties out of the dance clubs, but it’s rare you see the dance-club spirit taken out of Pride parties.

Even now that they are happening everywhere from breweries and children’s museums to city parks and backyards, Pride events still thrive on upbeat and celebratory music. But who’s picking the playlist?

Here are what some of the Twin Cities’ most prominent or promising LGBTQ+ dance-club DJs suggest playing at your Pride party.

DJ Larry Peace cues up music while spinning his monthly Sunday Service show at Lush in Minneapolis. (Jeff Wheeler/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Larry Peace

All-time classic: Whitney Houston, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”

Said Larry, “That is a song audiences still love universally — especially during Pride. It’s almost spiritual as the energy in the room immediately elevates to 10. The audience simultaneously stops what they’re doing to dance and sing at the top of their lungs. ‘Oh, I wanna dance with somebody who loves me,’ is an impactful line and has a deeper meaning to a lot of people. To see that play out in real time, from the DJ booth, is pretty amazing.”

Newer classic: Chappell Roan, “Pink Pony Club”

“For similar reasons as Whitney. It’s another song that people lose themselves in, sing at the top of their lungs and bounce around the dance floor with their arms in the air. The energy that fills the room is infectious. If either of these songs are played at the right time during Pride, multiply everything I’ve stated by 10 and watch the people go.”

(Hear Larry in action at the Saloon’s Pride Block Party, happening Fri.-Sun., 830 Hennepin Av., Mpls., saloonmn.com)

Shannon Blowtorch was a member of the Grrrl Prty crew with Lizzo and remains a top DJ around the Twin Cities. (Monica Herndon)

Shannon Blowtorch

All-time classic: Sylvester, “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)”

“Give me Sylvester any day. Sylvester was a force that you can’t deny and stands the test of time.”

Newer favorites: Janelle Monae, “Lipstick Lover”

“I think is an underappreciated track. I don’t get to play it very often, unless it’s at the end of the night and people wanna bump and grind.”

Laura Jane Grace, “Your God (God’s Dick)”

“It’s a brand new song, and I [expletive] love it! I’ve ended the night with this song a few times.”

Chapelle Roan, “Pink Pony Club”

“Well, it’s not lesser-known, but it goes hard. Even the straight girls love it!”

(Shannon is hosting the Dive Pride party, 10 p.m. Fri. at Palmer’s Bar, 500 Cedar Av. S., Mpls., palmers-bar.com)

Chad Kampe on Crave's rooftop patio, where his Flip Phone crew is hosting drag brunches for Pride weekend along with several dance parties around town. (Antranik Tavitian)

Flip Phone’s Chad Kampe

All-time classic: Robyn, “Dancing on My Own”

“This is the classic Flip Phone anthem from when we were just starting in 2012. If the dance floor was empty, all I had to do was put this on, and it would fill up instantly after the first couple of beats. I think everyone in the queer community can relate to the lyrics, as we have all had to dance on our own at some point in our life. It still packs the dance floor to this day.”

Deeper cut: Alex Newell & Jess Glynne, “Kill the Lights”

“Although it’s almost 10 years old, this track is a lesser-known hidden gem. It just makes you want to get up and dance. There is so much optimism and fun in this song. It blends old-school disco with modern-day sound. I’m always in a good mood when I hear this song.”

(The Flip Phone crew hosts its XXL Pride party 9 p.m. Sat. at First Avenue, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls; plus drag events through the weekend at Union Rooftop, Quincy Hall, Crave and Butcher’s Tale, flipphoneevents.com)

A native of St. Paul's East Side, DJ Sci-Fi, aka Siren Isabella, was a protégé of Shannon Blowtorch who's now a favorite at hip-hop parties.

DJ Sci-Fi

All-time classic: Diana Ross, “I’m Coming Out”

“Call me corny or clichéd, but there hasn’t been a time in my life that I haven’t seen that song move people. For me, it does a lot to capture the essence of what Pride in the summertime feels like; sunshine on my skin, love in the air, hair in the wind.”

Newer classic: Trannieboi, “Sertraline Gang”

“Another song that has a very different interpretation of that summer feeling, while also touching on the reality that so many of us queers and trans folks are depressed and traumatized and often need the help of meds (like sertraline) to get us through the day.”

(Sci-Fi , aka Siren Isabella, is spinning in the Minneapolis People’s Pride festival, noon-4 p.m. Sat., Powderhorn Park, Mpls., mplspeoplespride.com; followed by the Decadance party, 10 p.m. Sat)

DJ Jen-E (Jenny Nguyen) co-helms the House Sessions parties in various clubs around the Twin Cities. (Jenny Nguyen)

Jen-E

All-time classic: Cher, “Believe”

“She wrote it as a breakup song. For the LGBTQ+ community, we related to the lyrics but in a different way. It translated to the general feelings of overcoming adversities, discrimination and accepting ourselves for who we truly are in this moment. The song is timeless, with this Europop production to it. Both interpretations — whether from a breakup point of view or a queer point of view — embody the same theme: hope for freedom.”

Deeper cut: Sylvester, “Do You Wanna Funk?”

“An incredibly danceable, singable disco track with a groovy beat, it will always have the crowd going. Disco is making its comeback from the 1970s, built and hallmarked by the Black and LGBTQ+ community. During the 1970s these spaces provided community and freedom of expression. It is a genre that has been loved throughout modern music.”

(Jen-E will be DJ-ing at both the Minneapolis People’s Pride fest and the Saloon Block Party.)

about the writer

about the writer

Chris Riemenschneider

Critic / Reporter

Chris Riemenschneider has been covering the Twin Cities music scene since 2001, long enough for Prince to shout him out during "Play That Funky Music (White Boy)." The St. Paul native authored the book "First Avenue: Minnesota's Mainroom" and previously worked as a music critic at the Austin American-Statesman in Texas.

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