It must be said: we're music geeks. And for this we feel no shame. For us, there's nothing more exciting than that perfect new song. You know, that one with the sunshine in the chorus, that one with the cowbell, that one with the bit of Motown hidden in it, that one with the beat that forces us out of thumbing through our playlists and onto the floor to dance for a while. We're band members, critics, bloggers and bedroom dancers. For us, the music comes first.

It's been called indie, alternative, electro pop, college rock, new wave, brit pop, no wave, punk rock, northern soul, shoegaze, riot grrrl, and, well, we could go on but it's hard not to get a little exhausted with these fleeting taxonomies. But back to indie for a moment. We've found ourselves scratching our heads as to what this is supposed to mean in 2006. Does it mean music that's released only on non-corporate labels? Does it include Franz Ferdinand? Does it include Kraftwerk? What about Stereolab? Will Pitchfork tell us? Should we care?

Whether or not we should care, we do. Sort of. The music we love is like a neighborhood that's slowly developed into something so miraculously full of charm and character that we at once want to protect it and share it with everyone we know. Lately, though, the idea of "indie" has been diluted into a marketing tool, a pretentious pose, an ugly new high rise condo where our favorite record store once stood. So yes, we're still going to use the term "indie" for lack of a better one, but know that we take it with all of its nebulousness, baggage and less fortunate significations. Perhaps you can help us give the word new shape and meaning as we dig into the nightlife trenches.

With that said, Mondo is an indie dance party. To wit: we don't care about your haircut (even though we like cute ones), which member of Interpol you fucked, or that you‚ve done blow with Lindsay Lohan. We care about the music and we care about making you dance. We love Saint Etienne and Bowie and the Pixies and Outhud. We give props to the big guns that matter, but there is no band too small or too obscure for us to play. If it sounds good, it has a place with us. Come for the music and make some new friends, make out with someone to a B-side you never thought you‚d hear played out in public, or (we hope) have your idea of what's possible at a New York City dance party challenged.

So, we invite you show goers, thrift shop combers, Godardians, diarists, designers, expats, situationists, outlaw revelers, mix tape makers, Soulseekers, import single buyers, zinesters, deviants, café denizens, gourmands, protesters, daydreaming 9 to 5ers and all kindred dancers from Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queen, the boogie down Bronx, the UK, Montreal, the Midwest, Middle East and any other spot not mentioned here. We invite you to Mondo.