An executive producer of one of the most popular reality shows in recent memory and longtime prolific New York nightlifer, James Barker aka DJ Chaotic returns to his popping party “Poppers” this week. [Cover photo: David Arenas]
Thotyssey: DJ Chaotic, hello! Thanks for chatting with us today! How is 2026 treating you so far?
Chaotic: Thanks for having me! 2026 has been amazing so far. We had a “Poppers” New Years Eve party at C’mon Everybody. I went to Robyn at the Brooklyn Paramount, and now just prepping for Bentley Robles and Frankie Grande’s single release party. Gay blessed.
Amazing! How was Robyn? I’ve heard mixed reviews from the gays regarding her new album.
Mixed?!? Look, it’s not the pure pop of Body Talk. But it’s fresh and infectious, and makes me excited the way I wish more pop artists did. She was amazing, but she’s also the first cassette I ever bought for myself… so we roll deep. (Yes, I’m old enough to have bought cassettes).
Those were the days!
Where are you from, and what other music did you grow up loving? And have you also been creating or producing music for a long time?
I was born in Southern California, to punk rock parents. So I grew up loving The Ramones, Green Day, Siouxsie and the Banshees and of course, No Doubt. I’m an MTV / TRL kid, so the biggest influences come from the music video era. Britney is the icon. Spice Girls. Backstreet Boys. I’m a weird sucker for Jessica Simpson. And Ashlee (but mostly Jessica).
We moved to Colorado in high school, and then I started DJing at a gay club (that was literally a double wide trailer) when I was 18. So I’ve been doing this 22 years! Producing only started during Covid, but I’ve been testing remixes and originals (both solo and in collaboration with artists like Chew Fu, Ljuba, and Senerio) in a gear up to release some joy into the world, cuz let’s be real… we need it.
How and when did you join the NYC nightlife scene, exactly?
Honey Davenport. When I first moved to NYC, I ended up at Barracuda for “Star Search.” She performed “Commander” by Kelly Rowland and David Guetta, and I fawned over her performance and star power. She was nothing but kind, and after she ended up winning “So You Think You Can Drag” she asked me to DJ her show “Honey Makes The World Go Round” at New World Stages.
From there, I just followed the people I loved into the best queer spots: Emily Hall at Hot Rabbit, Matty Glitterati at “Femme,” Eric Sosa at… anything.
Classic names and nights! Your own monthly party “Poppers,” which returns to C’mon Everybody this Saturday, is a Brooklyn institution. How and when did it start, and what makes it so unique in your opinion?
Poppers is something cooked up by [C’mon’s co-owner] Eric Sosa and myself, with epic artwork by Junior Mendez. Basically, I played a livestreamed set from C’mon Everybody with Chew Fu in March 2021 during that lovely second lockdown. I wanted to call her Chromatica, but she’s clearly worse than that.
Eric hadn’t really heard me spin, but loved the amount of pop vocals I played and said that he always wanted to throw a party called “Poppers.” And in full gay enthusiasm, I basically screamed in his face “OMG same!”
It took a couple months to get it off the ground because I spend my summers producing Love Island USA, but we did it… and it’s been a monthly vibe ever since, whenever young hot people aren’t making out in a villa on Peacock.
What makes “Poppers” unique? I think it’s the perfect balance of gay dance floor beats with those big sing along pop moments that I feel aren’t as common anymore. I like to take people on a journey of styles. I love house, hip hop, trap, dubstep. I love a dirty beat, I love new styles of dance music. But at the end of the day, I always come back to a pop hook.
Also, outside of my friend Matt Bailer in DC, I don’t know anyone who will drop “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” at peak times.
I did want to take a moment to highlight those “Poppers” flyers, which light up my IG feed with beautifully sketched drawings of pop divas snorting on the titular keyboard cleaner! Do you know what the artist’s process is of selecting the subjects each month, how long it takes them to finish the images, etc.?
Ugh! Aren’t they amazing? Junior Mendez is an absolute genius. Queer art is so special, and I love that Eric and C’mon Everybody have prioritized the art as the branding for the party.
It’s always a convo of who we want on any given month between Eric and I. Sometimes we make wild suggestions, but most of the time it’s just who feels like they’re in the social conversation at the moment. I love the dialogue, and I love that we know Junior can literally do anyone. I mean, my partner had him do a version of me (which we’ll be using for my 40th birthday party on February 7th). He’s a genius, and he’s also so great about promoting the party as well, because we all just want people to commune and have a good time.
It takes a couple weeks I believe, because he’s [usually portraying] three artists each flyer. I know sometimes we’re ahead of the game and we’re doing the new girl who is about to break, so he’s starting completely from scratch. What he can turn out so quickly is incredible. He also sells merch, and I must own 15 different pop diva “Poppers” shirts.
Looking forward to his visual take on Zara Larsson… I’m just starting to absorb what she looks like!
What can you tell us about your work with Love Island USA? What do you do there exactly, and how do you process that it has become such a pop culture phenomenon?
I’ve been with Love Island USA since Season 2, and became an executive producer in Season 6. I oversee the post production. We air six nights a week in real time, so what we shoot on a Monday airs on a Tuesday. There’s a lot that goes into editing a show in that time, and we have a huge crew that makes it happen in such a short amount of time. My favorite part though, obviously, is we get to work with pop music and actually sync songs by artists like Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter and even… Zara Larsson.
How do I process it’s such a phenomenon? Great question. All I can say is… welcome to the party. We love it here.
You mentioned Bentley Robles earlier— I consider myself an early fan and interviewer! Tell us more about the release party at The Sultan Room for his new single with Frankie Grande’s release party on Wednesday.
Bentley is an icon already (and I don’t use that term lightly). He’s so unapologetic, and is paving a path that feels so authentic and unique to him. Even better, the songs are so catchy! I’m thrilled to get to play some tunes before and after this night full of queer art and excellence. The single with Frankie, “Phantom Feelings,” is so fucking good… and it’s even cooler to see two queer artists come together. Then we’ve got Zee Machine performing, who I’m a huge fan of… plus drag queens and other queer artists. It’s a dream night for me.
What else is coming up for you that you can share?
Coming up is my 40th birthday bash at C’mon Everybody with Bentley Robles, DJ Matt Bailer and Prada G. Major on February 7th. And I’ll say, look out for new music coming later this year and “Poppers” every month.
Okay, lastly: the state of the entertainment industry is going through either a transition period at best, or entirely off the rails at worst (the streaming wars, AI, content overabundance, etc.) As an insider, are you optimistic / hopeful regarding where we might ultimately land?
I’m constantly optimistic about entertainment as a whole. I think the internet, our phones and just the onslaught of content has made it a Choose Your Own Adventure. So there’s definitely big changes in the way we consume content, and therefore the way companies make content. I think, overall, that excites me. We’re heading to uncharted territory, but with more tools in our arsenal than ever before.
It’s similar to music and the nightlife scene, right? Bars and clubs constantly change, and the hot nights out aren’t what they were when I first moved to NYC. And that has kept it fresh. In the time I’ve been a DJ, we’ve gone through the Thunderpuss era, the hip hop meets pop era, synth pop, moombahton, dubstep, EDM… it’s always evolving.
Luckily, as long as there’s a queer community, I think there will be tastemakers… and we’ll have media and entertainment, and I’m excited to see what the new hot sounds and shows look like. I just hope they always respect “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” by Celine Dion.
Moments of gold and flashes of light! Thanks, Chaotic!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for DJ Chaotic’s upcoming appearances, and follow him on Facebook, Instagram and SoundCloud.
Thotyssey 