Luke Howard of Horse Meat Disco during a World Pride 2025 event – Photo: Masc Diva
“We, as human beings, need to dance,” says Luke Howard. “All cultures have dancing and music. Wherever you go in the world, there will be some type of music that will have some kind of dancing to it.
“And DJing is just a contemporary version of that,” he continues, “because back in the day, people would’ve played fiddles or guitars and drums. And they would’ve got together, and they would’ve sang songs and they would’ve danced around in all cultures. So, basically, all we’re doing is continuing that need that we have as human beings to move our body to music that often has a beat to it.”
Howard is one of four world-renowned DJs behind Horse Meat Disco, the Sunday night dance party at The Eagle in London’s Vauxhall neighborhood that has grown into a global phenomenon. On Saturday, April 18, Horse Meat Disco takes over AI Warehouse in D.C. for a high-energy spring party presented by the queer collective Masc Diva.
During a recent Zoom call from the U.K., Howard notes that “something magical happens when we dance, when we listen to music, when we connect to music. Music is magic, in a way.”
He points to children as proof. “Look at a child. If you put music on, a child will start dancing. Why is a child doing that? It’s something that’s fundamental in our psyche, in our brain, that we respond to it by moving.”
He adds that dancing is “really good for you. It’s really good for your health and your mental health. And it brings you together with other people to just let go of yourself and not feel self-conscious.”
Howard, a lean, bearded, and handsome 56, appreciates that he’s spent decades keeping people — gay and straight — moving.
“The only reason I became a DJ is because I love to dance and I love music,” he says. “The world of clubs was where I found my safe space — that’s where I found my people. I first went to a nightclub when I was 14, and that was it. I was just like, ‘This is my world.’
“So I feel really happy that I’ve been able to have this job. It’s actually a nice thing when you’re in a room, and you’re playing music, and people are dancing to it, and you’re dancing to it as well. Because I’m not just going to stand there — I’m listening to the music, too. I’m experiencing it, so I’m going to have a dance to it. And so, we’re all dancing to it. And it’s a real privilege to do that. It’s really, really beautiful. It’s really fun as well.”
He marvels at the rise of the DJ over the years. “When I first began DJing, people were not looking at the DJ,” he says. “You didn’t even really know where the DJ was. You just were in a club dancing. And now, people really want to know where the DJ is, and they want to look at the DJ. But I prefer the old days, when no one was looking at me and I was just in the corner playing records, watching the dance floor and seeing people connect.”
When it’s suggested he could don one of those oversized “heads” employed by several of his well-known contemporaries, he smiles broadly and laughs.
“I see these people that do that and I sort of think, yeah, it must be quite nice to have no one know who you are,” he says. “I mean, Daft Punk, that’s what they did. But it’s a little bit late for that for me now, I think.”
Miss International Queen USA, one of the nation’s largest competitions for transgender women, is bringing its national finals to Atlantic City later this month. The two-night event, set for March 26 and 27 at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City, blends glamour and advocacy with a focus on visibility in the historic pageant town.
Among the contestants is Veronica Sibal, a registered nurse representing the DMV area. A mental health advocate within the transgender community, she sees the pageant as an important platform.
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