Dazed100
Hi, we're Subculture, a musical & nightlife duo consisting of Tyler Shepherd & Gannon Baxter, and we're nominating ourselves for DAZED100's individuals who are shaping youth culture globally.
From our humble beginnings in the streets of downtown Santa Ana in Orange County, to our monthly 3-stage festivals in Los Angeles of 1300+ attendees, all the way to the neon-lit streets of Tokyo, Subculture has been on a relentless mission to unite, inspire, and empower a generation of young people looking for more than just a night out—they seek connection, community, and authentic celebration. We are not just event curators; we are striving to create a worldwide network of safe spaces where underground culture and youth identity intersect.
During the pandemic, my boyfriend of 9 years and I held online raves, release parties, and musical gatherings from the safety of our home, during a very uncertain time where neither of us had employment, income, or any knowledge of what might be to come after the world opened again.
But every weekend, more & more people showed up, and so many people poured their hearts to us letting us know how important these weekends were for their sanity & expression during one of the world’s most challenging times.
When we got the okay from local authorities, it was time to venture back into the real world, and we had no idea what to expect. We took a leap of faith organizing our first returning events to the IRL world to create the fantasy realms we envisioned for people to gather, connect, and feel free.
Our community embraced us, and helped us create one of the most welcoming, friendly, and open-minded spaces for expression of fashion, new & emerging sounds, drag, & more.
As the community began to grow, so did our concepts & ideas. We had a clear image of what we believed nightlife & the perfect night out could look like. We attempted to bridge generations of pop culture by blending iconic acts from the past with rising stars shaping today’s music and queer art scenes.
By curating events where artists like DEV, Kreayshawn, Heidi Montag, and Cobra Starship share stages with avant-garde and new-wave icons like ARCA, Alice Longyu Gao, Chase Icon, and 6arelyhuman, Subculture creates a one-of-a-kind experience that resonates across age groups and identities. In these spaces, young audiences dive into the nostalgia of early 2000s pop energy while embracing the radical and boundary-pushing sounds of today’s icons, allowing them to discover, connect, and celebrate music and culture with fresh perspectives—ultimately reimagining nightlife as a place where all generations of artists and fans unite.
Our first out of USA events so far, have actually been in Tokyo, Japan. Thanks to the internet & social media, we were able to connect with a young nightlife & event creative Naoka (N2) who had begun throwing events in Tokyo with a similar dream to ours, to bring this new wave of music & culture to the forefront.
With our combined brains, we birthed a new Tokyo club-kid event titled “KYUNCULT” (a combination of her event KyunDesu, and our event Subculture)
On a Wednesday night, the youth of Shabuya came to rage. From 9PM to 4AM, the back alley of the shopping mall that housed our venue for the evening ‘Studio Freedom’ was the an explosion of fashion & emerging musical talent.
The crowd consisting of a mixture of local Tokyo youth, travelers that happened to be in the right place & the right time, and even a couple of LA fans, danced the night away.
As we celebrate our 6 year anniversary of creating Subculture & it’s endless fantasy realms, we hope that the sky is the limit. We’re so proud of the community & people that show up & call Subculture their home every month, and we can’t wait to unveil new ways of creating the perfect space for discovery & expression.
Here are just a couple of highlights from the anniversary event, the theme was “The Depths of The Underworld”.
From zombie models, slasher ravers, to undead icons, 1700 + people came to celebrate in how they interpreted the fantasy realm that month.
All photographs depicted in this submission were captured by Nick Haymes & The Cobra Snake. 🩷