Back in my college days at CU Boulder, a big night out meant watered-down pineapple tequila at the now-defunct Absinthe House, someone crying in the Uber ride home, and maybe a round of Settlers of Catan in someone’s basement if we were feeling wild.

For the team behind Coat Check, a student-led music collective originating from the University of Colorado Boulder, a big night out means coordinating artist lineups, handling venue logistics, spinning vinyl and building immersive sound systems — with the ultimate goal of creating space for people to dance.

While most students are focused on passing finals or not losing their fake ID, this crew has been building a full-on dance music enterprise that now spans beyond Boulder into Denver, New York, Los Angeles and even Barcelona.

There’s a good reason these parties and music have caught on.

Since launching the first event in 2022, Coat Check has built a name by transforming unexpected spaces into fully produced dance experiences. Every detail, from the venue layout to the lineup selection, is carefully curated into something that feels open, intentional and free of pretense.

“This music is made for movement,” said Will Levy, CEO and co-founder of Coat Check. “We’re trying to create spaces where it’s not about standing around or watching the DJ. It’s about being in the music with the people around you and really letting go. That’s something we think has been missing, especially in a lot of shows geared toward younger people. We want to give that back to the dance floor.”

That spirit continues at Coat Check’s next pop-up event, from 4-9 p.m. April 26. The celebration takes place inside Little Horse Vintage, 2250 Pearl St., Boulder, a local shop known for its records, antiques and retro charm. Coat Check will transform the space into a one-day-only dance floor, complete with full sound production and performances from in-house artists. Attendees can explore the vintage shop, enjoy the music and snack on free grilled skewers with a ticket.

What is Coat Check?

Calling Coat Check a group of DJs would be technically true, but it doesn’t quite capture the full picture. What started as a few friends throwing shows has morphed into a full creative engine. The team includes not just performers, but designers, producers, event coordinators and visual artists. They book shows, design posters, build lighting rigs, run their own radio stream and curate playlists, all under one roof.

“We kind of treat it like a label, but it’s more collective-oriented,” Levy said. “A lot of us are DJs, but everyone brings something different to the table.”

Levy, who grew up in Alabama, didn’t discover electronic music until he moved to Colorado for college. Boulder’s proximity to Denver’s club scene, and eventually a trip to London, changed everything.

“It was such a new experience,” he said. “Everyone there was really just there for the music. Not to party. Not to be seen. Just to dance. I wanted to bring that feeling back to Boulder.”

His first show at Denver’s Club Vinyl left a lasting impression, and before long, he was DJing parties of his own. The idea for Coat Check came after throwing a one-off event with friends. It sold out. People showed up for the music but stayed for the energy, and the team knew they had something worth building.

Still, they didn’t have a name.

“We were sitting around after that first show, trying to figure out what to call ourselves,” Levy said. “We were trying to think of something universal. We were talking about clubs and venues, and someone said, ‘Well, you always check your coat before you hit the dance floor.’ The phrase stuck.

“We loved that it felt familiar. A little anonymous. Like we’re just the people checking your coat —nobody special. We’re just here to make sure the party happens.”

Coat Check includes 10 members, all current or former CU Boulder students. Several are in-house artists, regularly spinning at Denver venues like Larimer Lounge, Temple Nightclub and The Church. Others help organize events in cities like Chicago, Amsterdam and beyond.

“We’ve thrown shows in a lot of different places, and people have been really into it,” Levy said. “But the cool part is how it’s still very much built around our community. It’s friends helping friends, and everyone’s involved creatively in some way.”

Blake Bair, one of those in-house artists, helps manage much of the behind-the-scenes work.

“I don’t really have a title,” he said, “but I’m super present in the logistical planning, the web design, and I DJ most of the shows. We all kind of do everything.”

Coat Check gets around

The collective’s media presence has become just as important as its live shows. Its SoundCloud series, “Coat Check Radio,” features guest mixes from artists around the world. Its Spotify playlist, “The Guest List,” serves as a curated entry point for longtime fans of electronic music and new listeners alike. Coat Check has also launched an editorial series that spotlights up-and-coming artists in the scene.

“We’ve always said there are a lot of people who just don’t know about the music we love,” Levy said. “So we wanted to create a space that’s also educational. The editorial stuff lets us go deeper and tell stories.”

One recent feature focused on rising trance producer Gusted, aka CU Boulder student Danny Dickmann, whose song “Jet Plane” — a remix of “Big Jet Plane” by Angus & Julia Stone — racked up millions of streams.

“He talked about trying to be a full-time artist while still in college,” Levy said. “That kind of story really resonates with a lot of people.”

While many collectives chase bigger stages, this crew stays focused on the floor. Coat Check events encourage people to put away their phones, look out for one another and move with intention. They’ve partnered with End Overdose to offer harm reduction resources at shows and regularly remind attendees to take care of each other.

A Coat Check party is designed for dancing, not standing in a circle with a vodka soda, not scrolling through Instagram, not watching someone onstage like it’s a concert.

“We really pride ourselves on throwing parties in unexpected places,” said Bair, one of Coat Check’s members and in-house DJs. “We’ve done barn parties, junkyards, secret shows in the mountains. We like doing stuff that feels a little off the map, and we’re always thinking about how to make it special without it being flashy. We want it to feel different.”

The venues might be unconventional, but the sound is always dialed. One of the collective’s biggest priorities is providing high-quality audio, even if the dance floor is in a creaky shop or an empty warehouse.

Bair said an inspiration for Coat Check’s atmosphere came in part from studying abroad.

“When I studied abroad in Italy, it was totally normal to go out and dance for the sake of dancing,” Bair said. “Not to socialize, not to party, not to see some famous name, but to appreciate the music. That culture doesn’t really exist in the U.S. in the same way. In a

lot of places here, dancing almost feels weird or performative.”

He continued, “At Coat Check, we’re trying to offer something different. This music was made for movement. So we’re trying to create spaces where it’s not about standing around or watching the DJ on a pedestal, but instead, being in the music with the people around you.”

That philosophy shapes everything from how the rooms are set up to where the DJ booth is located.

“We’ve talked about doing events where the DJ isn’t even in the same room as the dance floor,” Bair said. “Because our events aren’t about people coming to watch someone twist knobs. We want them to be centered around being in the sound and encouraging people to move however you want.”

Phones are discouraged. Outfits don’t matter. The energy leans less toward spectacle and more toward immersion.

“It’s about creating a space where people feel comfortable enough to actually let go,” Bair said.

Coat Check’s sound lives on the funkier side of house music, sometimes veering into fast-paced techno, always anchored by rhythm and movement. Bair describes his style as groovy and bass-heavy, often featuring soulful vocal samples. He also DJs on vinyl, something he says helps him stand out in a digital-heavy scene.

Most members of the collective perform, and they rotate sets at each event, playing alongside one another or taking turns throughout the night.

The upcoming event at Little Horse Vintage was originally slated for Boulder’s Junkyard Social Club, the same indoor-outdoor venue where Coat Check has hosted its spring festival for the past two years. But venue plans shifted unexpectedly, and the collective had to pivot — something it’s gotten good at.

That ability to adapt has become one of the group’s defining traits. Last spring, when a snowstorm hit on the day of the festival, the team spent the night gutting the original layout and rebuilding the entire event indoors. They brought in lighting, rewired the sound system and reimagined every corner of the space. What could have been a cancellation became one of Coat Check’s most memorable nights.

“We were like, alright, we’re not canceling this,” Levy said. “We stayed up all night, tore everything out, rebuilt the layout, brought in the gear and just made it happen. And honestly, it turned out even better than we imagined. That’s kind of the Coat Check energy. If something goes wrong, we figure it out and keep the party going.”

Levy is moving to New York after graduation, a move that aligns with Coat Check’s growing presence in larger markets. The collective also has members in Los Angeles who have been building an audience there over the past year.

Still, Boulder remains at the core.

For a group of college friends, Coat Check has evolved into something deeper than a shared hobby. Bair said the dynamic feels more like a brotherhood than a business.

“We just love this so much, and we want to share it,” he said. “We’ve all become best friends through it. We’ve got a group chat that never stops, whether it’s about music or just sending each other dumb memes. Even now, as we’re living in different places, it still feels like a family.”

Bair said a web of fans has formed across the country, and it’s only getting bigger. Even as the group expands, no one’s leaving Boulder behind.

“This is where it all started,” Bair said. “Boulder gave us the space to try something new, to figure out who we are as artists, and to build something that felt like ours. Even as we grow and move into other cities, this will always be the place that shaped us. It’s home base.”

Catch Coat Check on April 19 at Little Horse. Tickets are available at posh.vip/e/pop-up-8. To check out Coat Check, visit coatcheckus.net.