With the clocks changing, and with them the official end of winter, it seems Jesus isn’t the only thing rising this weekend. Chats have been buzzing, terraces filling up, and the city has been channeling its newfound energy into what it does best: partying.

Early in the week, a comment landed on our PSA that stuck with us. It read: “Easter or ADE?” And honestly, fair point. So, as per instinct, we went scouring for how to fill this long weekend. Among the sea of colossal productions and annual staples we know all too well, one party stood out from the bunch.

Maricas, self-described “flint* queer, techno, pervy and loving party” collective, is making its way from Barcelona to join forces with Minor AM, the Amsterdam-based label behind some of our most beloved names in electronic music. This Saturday, right before Easter, they’re taking over Studio Wieman for a sexy little Easter event with a cute little line-up that is anything but. Local baddies, Maricas hotties, and a few must-see DJs sprinkled in between.

The Maricas crew is no stranger to Amsterdam. Eloisa Blitzer, ISAbella and Gina Guasch have already left their mark on some of the city’s most notable venues, RAUM and DeSchool among them.

As they gear up for yet another FLINTA latina Amsterdam takeover, we sat down with Eloisa to get a closer look into her world, what they’re building with Maricas, and – crucially – picked her brain on some very important party-related questions.

Hi Eloisa! How are you feeling today? 

I’m feeling tired, with a lot of work, but really excited about going to Amsterdam for the weekend.

Can you tell me a bit about yourself, beyond MARICAS? How did your path shape your relationship with your craft?

I’m non-binary, lesbian, with a deep love for experimental and electronic music. I’m originally from Uruguay, Latin America, but I’ve also lived in Madrid and London, before moving to Barcelona, I think 11 years ago, where I co-founded MARICAS, MARICAS Records, Sentimental (my booking agency) and work as project manager at GGT. 

Uruguay developed my deep love for electronic music and helped shape my taste a lot – the scene there is quite nerdy and vinyl-only which influenced my way of loving and being in touch with music. But, it also made me realize how music was dominated mainly by cis white males. That’s the reason why everything I do now is to create and shape a scene where other minorities are at the front, not only by booking artists, but also by building a workforce in the music industry that puts us there.

When and how did you, Gina, and ISAbella first meet? 

I met Gina through Tinder, we went on a date, ended up dancing at a rave and became best friends. Then we used to go see ISAbella DJ at her night on Wednesdays called Mistress, and me and ISAbella had a big crush on each other. Classic lesbian story if you ask me.

Who does what in the collective? Are your roles rigidly defined or are your contributions fluid? 

We are all mainly involved in everything. ISAbella works more on the curation of the music, even though we all brainstorm and work together. Gina is the boss of the art and creative direction behind MARICAS, does all the artworks as well. And I am kind of the producer and creative copywriter, and do everything else.

How was Maricas born? Was there a gap you were looking to fill? 

It was born very innocently, we just wanted to create a party where we felt safe and played the music we loved. There wasn’t much going on aside from mainstream stuff for queer folks back then. We also didn’t have many queer friends, and MARICAS gave us the family we needed to find ourselves and not feel alone anymore.

You’ve been in the game for 8 years — how has the industry changed since you first started throwing parties? 

It changed quite a lot, from venues, festivals and straight promoters being the most important thing in the scene, to a flourishing flood of queer and marginalized collectives being the ones throwing big parties. This has kind of created a scene that at least tries to create more safe spaces, even now, places that didn’t used to have any policies are changing and trying to have some. I would love to see more changes in the people working as bookers, producers, etc., but I think we are all trying to get there.

What’s your favorite MARICAS party to-date? 

Oh, definitely CSD at Oxi, the one we did for 27 hours. It was so beautiful.

Has a party ever gone so wrong it went right? 

HAHAHAHA — I mean, those experiences only help you try and make it better the next time. Since it’s all a work in progress, we all learn from situations that don’t go the way we wanted them to.

^{Photos by Xula}

Is this the first time you’re teaming up with Minor AM? Why did it feel like the right match? 

We’ve been friends with Ilyas for quite a while, feels like such a good fit ♡

What’s one thing about the Amsterdam scene that surprised you, and one thing that felt exactly like home? 

How no one sleeps there, and how at home that makes us feel. Club, another club, another club!

Is there a spot you always revisit when in Amsterdam? BRET, the Sheraton hotel at the airport, and specially the Amsterdam (prancing) clog at the airport too.

If the last supper was a MARICAS party, who would be at the table? Gina, Isa and myself, and the 10 people who can last longest at the afters. You know who you are.

Easter is historically about resurrection. What is one thing you would bring back from the dead — a venue, a DJ, an era, a night? 

For sure my best friend (our) Perla Zúñiga ♡ Especially the night we had at De School for my birthday, where all my best friends were there and she played her first set there.

Let’s do a round of quickfire questions now! 

My first club night was… Phonotheque

Day parties or club nights? 24-hour parties

The Maricas party-goer in three words: Hot twisted prancers

Your last words for everyone coming on Saturday: Get ready to not sleep and try to speak in Spanish.

Last few tickets for Maricas x Minor AM can be purchased through this link – Nos vemos allí 😉