Hickey Machine Guarantees LGBTQ+ Music and Fashion at the Nightclub Process

One-half NelSon keeps a note on their phone of odd word combinations. They rarely understand what the words mean at the time inspiration strikes, only knowing that the phrases trigger a reaction within them to make something bigger and bolder. One example is “hot mayonnaise,” which became a character in their recently wrapped burlesque drag show Odditease. Another, “hickey machine,” is now Portland’s newest after-hours queer dance party.

“When I was putting this all together, it just seemed like the perfect vibe,” NelSon says.

Hickey Machine is a semi-regular dance party at Process, the late-night club running out of the DIY art space Watershed. Pulling from their quarter-century of nightlife experiences at clubs in New York and Los Angeles, NelSon wants to keep the party going for Portland’s late-night-loving LGBTQ+ community. Since Process can stay open as late as 6 am, Hickey Machine could revitalize the after-hours party scene. The first one kicked off the weekend following Election Day, with the next one coming near New Year’s Eve on Saturday, Dec. 28.

“I think there is going to be a need for a space like this, where people can come into a controlled environment and feel safe and let loose,” NelSon says. “Knowing the administration we’re pummeling into and just what’s on the horizon, I think it’s even more important to me that this kind of thing exists.”

While some parties like Blow Pony offer a blend of dancing and drag performances, NelSon says there will be no pop-up performances at Hickey Machine. Instead, drag looks turned on the dance floor will be wearable visual art by and for the community, with some personalities hired by NelSon to set the party’s tone with their fashion. Local performers Destiny Smokez, Tomboy and Jocelyn Knobs are just some of Hickey Machine’s first resident fashionistas.

“The characters and the looks and the costumes are the décor,” NelSon says. “They’re just people whose existence I consider art.”

Process founders Andy Warren and Peter Giese invited NelSon to host Hickey Machine. While the club attracts music fans of all experiences, the club’s proprietors wanted the LGBTQ+ community to know there will be at least one night guaranteed to appeal to their tastes. With patio party Twirl headed indoors and long-running party Opal Underground wrapping up, Hickey Machine fills a growing need within queer nightlife, especially for young people who didn’t go to clubs during the pandemic’s lockdown era.

“I grew up in clubs, I started going when I was 15, and I got to see the end of the megaclubs from the ’90s,” NelSon says. “It’s just me taking all my years as a club kid and trying to carry on that culture. I think it’s magical to create a space where queer people get dressed up for the sake of getting dressed up and make community around music.”

GO: Hickey Machine at Process, 5040 SE Milwaukie Ave., processpdx.club. 10 pm–4 am Saturday, Dec. 28. $10–$15.