What’s up, my lil weirdos? Lyndsay Simon here, your 30…something raver and DJ. I just got back from Miami after Art Basel week with a full heart and no phone. 🥲 It either got stolen or disappeared in a stampede of sweaty Mestiza circuit gays while I was getting tossed around in the pit during one of the best sets I’ve ever heard. Losing my phone was low-key a blessing though. I needed a break, and being off my screen for a bit felt good after a 7 day bender!

People love to talk smack about Basel, but it blows my mind how many people with serious money actually care about supporting art. Yeah, it’s flashy, but there are actually people who want to invest in things that make the world better and more beautiful— and this is where they go to find and fund the creators of the world. Its truly a week that will change you.

One of my favorite moments was at the Long Feng Art Car for Blondish’s set. I met a girl who helped build and design a part of the car. She told me this huge installation started as sketches from artists and ended up backed by tech money, turning into a full-blown moving stage with lights, pyro, and thousands of people losing their minds. Standing there, it hit me: art isn’t gone. People still care enough to fund it. This thing took close to $5m to bring to life, purely to bring magic to the people who attend Burning Man each year.

Another reason Basel hits different: early in the week, the music events aren’t packed. You actually get TONS of space to dance because there is so much else going on around the city.

Wednesday at the Longfeng Art Car for Gordo’s set, the crowd thinned out to like ten people. I was the only one still dancing, and if you know me, as a dancer all my life, I sent it with my hardest moves. Gordo locked in with me for the last hour and we out on a show As a DJ, I can tell when someone on stage is reading one person, and he was matching every move. It felt like he played the whole last hour just for me. I will never forget that. ❤️

Basel gives you these small magic moments you don’t always get at Miami Music Week. Go. It’s worth it.

And speaking of inspiration… of course we threw an after-party at our house. We flew to Miami with my DJ decks, which ended up being the best call. We had this sweet outdoor garden for friends came through, and when I wasn’t playing it was a rotating open decks and the music never stopped. One morning after we rolled in post Factory Town, I recorded a set right there for a crowd of two: my boyfriend and one of my close friends. (If you signed in to my life that morning you could see the vibes) They said it was my best set yet, and honestly, I felt that too. It’s an hour and a half of pure love, fun, and Miami heat. Go listen and tell me what you think!

So here’s my message this week: 🎨share your art! Your ideas aren’t random. If something shows up in your head, it’s there for a reason. Your brain will try to pull you back to what’s safe, but if you don’t move on your idea, someone else will. Every time I’ve followed a spark, something good came from it. You don’t need to know the full plan or where the money or time is coming from. Start anyway. Things line up once you take the first step.

I missed Boston a lot last week, and I’m ready to bring some Miami energy back home this weekend.

Simon Says… let’s make the world more beautiful.

XOXO Lyndsay Simon 👽

My next big show of the year is coming up at The Grand, and the way it came together still cracks me up.

I’ve been obsessed with Olivia Mansuco’s videos on Tik Tok and IG, so I went to her Chicago Music Nexus DJ conference a few weeks back. While I was there, I met her brother… who turned out to be Proppa. I already knew his music, but I had no clue they were siblings. One random connection later, and he personally recommended me to open for him at The Grand. Wild.

It’s a reminder that things really can line up when you speak your dreams out loud and stay plugged into your community. You can be great at what you do, but you’re even stronger with people around you who see you and want to help you win.

People ask me how all this is happening. This is the truth: show up, make friends, support your scene, and stay open. Anything can happen from there. December 27. The Grand. Let’s go.