This is a cross-published piece with KCPR, more information can be found here.
Disclaimer: KCPR is a part of Mustang Media Group, the umbrella organization for Mustang News. The reporter who wrote this story is not involved with the planning or promotion for Club 91.
The year was 2004. The sound of electronic dance music (EDM) spilled down the stairway of Building 26. Graphic communications student Ryan Rosario followed the rhythm and found Velanche Stewart playing his DJ show, Urban Landscapes, in the KCPR studio. The two quickly bonded over their shared passion for EDM and decided to create a live-mixing show together for KCPR. In that moment, Club 91 was born.
After a five-year lull sparked by COVID-19, the electronic DJ collective returned last spring through an effort by the KCPR production team. Club 91’s revival was orchestrated by environmental management and protection senior Madeleine Colbert, who served as KCPR’s production co-director last year.
Today, the collective is a team of DJs overseen by Club 91 manager Cobalt Strahle, who works with local businesses to book live shows.
“One thing that we’re really working on with KCPR is creating this timeless feeling with the music, with the vibes we’re curating,” Strahle said. “So kind of taking motifs from throughout the history of electronic music, dating back to the ’80s.”
Club 91 has evolved since its founding, now with a renewed focus on supporting student DJs in the local San Luis Obispo music scene.
As part of its resurgence, Club 91 recorded live sessions with DJs on YouTube, similar to KCPR’s “Burnt Dog Sessions,” which feature intimate, live in-studio performances. The revived collective already dropped two “Club 91 Sessions” featuring student DJs Feline and Benj. It also launched a weekly modular synth show that aired on Monday nights on 91.3-FM last spring.
“The goal is to become a dominant force in the SLO music scene,” Strahle said. “We’re hoping to put our name back out there.”
Art and design senior Elena Vaughan, also known by her DJ name “Feline,” started DJing in May 2023. Her passion was first sparked in childhood, listening to EDM in the car with her dad. After joining the collective last spring, she was among the first to record a Club 91 live session.
“Club 91 definitely helped kickstart everything here, 100%, because it allowed me to make connections and establish myself in the scene,” Vaughan said.
This fall, Club 91 has been busy booking local shows, providing Vaughan and other DJs with the opportunity to play in the community. Recently, Feline opened for tech house DJ Westend at the Fremont Theatre — a milestone that she credits to her growing presence in the San Luis Obispo music scene.
Club 91 plans to expand to more venues and host regular events, offering students and community members live techno and house music — a slight shift from the pre-revival focus on radio waves.
“It’s definitely changed… now it’s more like a booking agency and event planning. But I think the same values are still there,” said KCPR Production Director Evan Cork.
The best way to support the new wave of Club 91 is simple: come to events, hit the dance floor and show local venues you want to hear Club 91 DJs.