Chop Suey's Flammable Sundays Foster Community with House Music

On September 8, 2024, I parked across the street from Chop Suey, a nightclub in Capitol Hill. In glowing neon, the word “flammable” lit up the window. It was nearly 11pm, and from a block away, I could hear the heavy base and steady pulse of house music. For the past 20 minutes, I had been sitting in my car, nervous to go inside. I was there by myself, and hadn’t seen too many people go into the venue yet. I thought because it was a Sunday night that maybe the event would be dead. 

But once I walked through the door, I quickly saw the opposite—Flammable Sunday was in full swing. DJ Jason Tokita was headlining the stage, supported by openers B Lyons and Pavone. The dance floor was brimming with people grooving to the beat, but making sure to give each other enough space to move around easily. As Tokita shifted smoothly between lilting, airy disco and harder, grittier techno, people in the crowd took turns coming up on stage to swing a red lamp that hung above the DJ table in what appeared to be a longstanding tradition. People’s faces were lit up in the red glow of the stage lights. A glittering disco ball swung overhead. Beyond these details, there was minimal decoration. The emphasis was on the music. 

Claiming the title of the longest running weekly house music night in the country, Flammable Sundays are currently in their 31st year. This longstanding Seattle tradition began at the now-extinct Re-bar in 1994, where it ran weekly until the venue closed in 2020; it then relaunched at Cherry—part of the Kremwerk complex—in 2022. Flammable Sundays’ new home is at Chop Suey. The weekly house dance parties highlight both international and local DJ talent and are centered around community.

Upon the event’s relaunch in 2022, the Flammable Sundays Facebook page posted the following statement:

Flammable provides an inclusive environment for all, & especially LGBTQIA+, QPOC, POC, and other traditionally underserved or marginalized members of our community... Our focus is solidly anchored in bringing artists, musicians, and our guests all under one roof, creating a welcoming space to safely present & express one's self in any way.

House music has its origins in the early 1980s in Chicago’s Black and gay underground clubs, where it was pioneered by DJs and producers such as Frankie Knuckles, Ron Hardy, and Marshall Jefferson. Since then, the genre has spread and evolved, and by the mid-nineties, when Flammable Sundays launched, it was already thriving on the West Coast. House dance, the accompanying dance style which grew up around the music, fuses elements from hip-hop, Latin styles, tap, and more. The dancing often includes quick footwork and an emphasis on freestyling. Seattle has an active house dance scene, led by innovators such as Orb and STEPZ. 

DJ Jason Tokita spinning House music at Flammable Sundays / The Evergreen Echo

I joined the dance floor, practicing some of the basic steps I had learned in house classes back in New York. I was hesitant to go for it at first, being new to the city and there by myself, but as I moved to the beat, I noticed these nerves dissolving. Around me, people were smiling and cheering each other on. No one was doing the same thing, either. Because house music relies on such a simple, steady beat, there is a lot of room for self-expression in how people can choose to groove to it. Some were jumping up and down, pumping their fists and headbanging, others were bouncing smoothly from one foot to the other, and still others were doing twirling salsa steps with dance partners.

No matter how each individual was moving, the underlying emotions in the crowd were joy and respect. Many people appeared to be there by themselves, and several had their eyes closed as they danced. It was delightful to see Seattleites up at 1am on a Monday morning showing no signs of being ready to leave yet. 

When I started making my way towards the door around 1:20am, I passed someone I had seen earlier on the dance floor, standing several inches taller than me in an all-black outfit and chunky platform boots. They tapped me lightly on the shoulder and said, “I just wanted you to know that you have really good energy.” I broke into a smile. We hugged, and I said I had noticed their dance moves earlier too. After wishing each other a good night, I walked out. Before I got back to my car, I knew that I would be coming back sometime soon. Flammable Sundays are a time for self-expression, for making friends if you want to, or just dancing by yourself...and for letting yourself get lost in the music for a few blissful hours. 

Flammable Sundays run every Sunday at 10pm at Chop Suey on Capitol Hill.