/none is an international and highly interdisciplinary music label and agency. It’s a collective of talented artists throwing underground events. They organize a party called “nonesense”, a budding transatlantic platform showcasing an eclectic landscape of electronic dance sounds and club spaces. Aimed at curating exciting collections of sound and making the most of the networks that sprawl the globe, nonesense has held in Germany and Switzerland to New York and Philadelphia.

I got the chance to sit down with /none’s cofounder, Sam Franz, in Old Kenzo @ Philadelphia Brewing Co. to talk about what /none has in store for Philly in 2023. 

A Pandemic-Inspired Origin

Back in 2019, Sam was throwing parties with the Michigan Electronic Music Collective while studying at the University of Michigan, where he met cofounder Leo Zadubkin. The two utilized the lockdown period of 2020 to begin the publishing effort under the moniker “none/such”

Among the first releases were a charity compilation of artists local to Ann Arbor as well as the debut album Post Fashion by Sam’s project called No Author. During this early period of the label, Sam moved to Philadelphia to continue his academic studies, during which he met Cameron Vickens aka Phreakwency, who has served as co-curator and collaborator since.

Emerging from lockdown with local legends

Throughout 2022, /none hosted several parties at WOW, the warehouse turned bar and venue at 923 N Watts St, lining up local legends DJ Sega and DJ Delish on bills with artists from the greater East Coast like Kyruh and Skyshaker. The combinations these names created was intentional; /none wanted to expand the reach of the powerful and innovative sounds native to Philly — such as those of DJ Sega, an early pioneer in the Philly Club sound, and up-and-coming artists like OSSX and Jewelssea — who represent a new generation in forward-thinking electronic music production hailing from the East Coast.

And now…

“Vicious” @ The Dolphin in 2023

A monthly party on South Broad. At The Dolphin, a dive one evening and a dance club the next, you can expect more long nights of irrepressible exuberance on the dance floor, soundtracked by locally tapped lineups spinning hard-hitting club soundscapes.

They also plan on hosting a quarterly party back at WOW that aims to takes advantage of the capacity offered by WOW’s two-story dual dance floors, headlining international names you will not want to miss.

Stay up to date on the movements of /none by following them on Instagram 

Check their website for more information on their events and roster

See also /none’s bandcamp and soundcloud for new music releases

/none manages Philly-based artists Jewelssea and Precolumbian