DEL releases mixes from WKDU’s Thrifty Disco to benefit Qunify

Long-running Philly DJ Robert Del Femine — better known as simply Del — is a recurring character on WKDU’s annual Electronic Music Marathon fundraiser, as well as its Thrifty Disco events in partnership with South 5th Street’s beloved Philly AIDS Thrift.

This week, WKDU released two recordings of Del in action for Del’s Thrifty Disco Experience, a 90 minute set of beats, bass, and boogie.

The first set (“Side A,” as though it’s a bootleg circulated via 90-minute TDK cassette) is an off-the-board recording from 2019, and features what Del describes on KDU’s Bandcamp as “warm-up jams that set-up the mood and get bodies fluid” — funky and fun music like “Hypnotize” by Notorious B.I.G. and “Jungle Boogie” by Kool and the Gang.

Side B is more of a peak hour mix, Del writes “when the dance floor was packed, sweaty, and joyous” — in other words, it’s when the selection has moved away from the hits, and concentrates on the deep jams and deep rhythms. This one’s an audience recording from February of 2020, and the chatter of the audience and their cheers for each beat drop lend it a visceral, frenetic feel.

The set is for sale on KDU’s Bandcamp, with proceeds benefiting Qunify, a Philly nonprofit surrounding the point where nightlife and community building intersect, with a focus on Black and Brown LGBTQ+ folks.

Listen below, and dance if (when) the spirit moves you.