the idea, turned concept, turned reality
Rob has been involved in seattle nightlife since 2015 and invested a huge amount of time, energy and resources to various projects over the years…

One night after tearing down a show, decompressing with a small group of friends. most likely standing in a kitchen in someones house. eventually returning to his own place of residence. the mind refused to be quiet and let this hard working man rest. exhausted, coming down off of who knows what and desperately wanting the peace of sleep. it wouldn’t happen. as is often experienced after a night such as these.

a lot of self reflection took place. Questioning why he’s doing this to himself. is it worth it. “am i wasting my time? i’ve dedicated years to this, do i have a future in this world? am i cut out for it? should i move one?”

All boiling down to one consistent question. “why the hell am i doing this to myself?” These nights happen from time to time. the best way rob has managed these moments is getting out of bed, putting some music on. pulling out the notebook he keeps handy for recording thoughts and ideas and started writing. getting his thoughts, feelings and worries on paper. Sometime during this process he realizes, this is his why. not the parties, not the things he’s ingesting. not the attention or spot light. the way music makes him feel. the intentional environments making him feel welcome. the people. building something that makes people feel good. the whole reason he got into this in the first place is it made him feel good. it helped him escape the pressure life places on a young adult in their early twenties.

he found moments of peace on the dance floor when he first started exploring these spaces, surrounded by strangers, wiggling and undulating to the rythyms his ears took in and his brain interpreted as music. back then He realized this doesn’t just happen… people make this happen. he started asking “how can i help?” sudden clarity and calm enveloped him as he digested just how important what he experienced at that time was. recommitting to curating and guaranteeing safe spaces exist, places for freedom to express oneself are not just there but become common. and smiling faces all come together to share in it.

this is in fact the reason why for him. before going to bed he spent some more time expanding on the aspects of events contributing to the positive impact both to him and others around him. distilling his many many experiences into pillars he could build a night around. over time he would go back to this page and continue, evolving a rough idea into a concept he could pitch. with one specific venue in mind. monkey loft. while he was a part of many nights taking place in the space he had yet to host his own within the club. from inception to fruition, por la cual sat waiting to manifest for four years.

sometimes ideas are great at first, others take time to develop. what we see every second saturday is the result of patience and trusting the time would come for this concept not only to have a chance. but for it to be the right moment. when the owner of monkey loft asked him if he had an idea for a monthly. rob couldn’t help but chuckle and respond, “i’ve been waiting for that question.” leaving the conversation at that for the time being. as he learned, the club is not the place to discuss business in depth. if you truly want it to be understood. this mattered too much to him to give the cliff notes. while he’d like to say the rest is history… its not.

every day rob spends time further developing the concept. Developing others. bringing in talented friends and colleagues to help him elevate the decor. reach more people. support the machine he knows he can’t run alone. he is incredibly thankful and humbled the reason why received huge support from those close to him. while por la cual is the current event series specifically built for monkey. Rob has plans for far more than this single event and can’t wait for the moment more doors open. allowing him to bring his mission of redefining club spaces and attendee experience to not just seattle. but wherever people are looking for more. more connection. more inspiration. more creativity. more art. the thing is, while music or a headliner will often get people into a space. it’s all the other aspects that keep them there and coming back.

Rob has no doubt his why, isn’t just his, and since launching por la cual he’s found other like minded people. the reason why spans beyond music events, into everything he does, it’s how he lives his life, how he interacts with people, how he engages with every problem, or difficulty. everyone has a why, whether they embrace it or not. it’s the thing getting them up day after day. pushing them through the hard times and bringing the most precious moments and memories into existence. elevating them to the top of their craft in whatever field they occupy.

if you’ve taken the time to read all of this… thank you. there are people like you, like us, looking for more out of life. unwilling to accept things are the way they are. compelled to make change in the world. be good to one another. while our sphere of influence can be small. choosing to make an impact within your world ripples out and effects so many more. we can only do this together and i hope to see you smiling in a space curated by the reason why very soon. -Rob-

“Music is the escape, music is the safe place. On the dance floor we forget and transcend. Let me guide the way.”
– Rob aka Unknown ?layer –