Spin Nightclub has been a cornerstone of San Diego’s nightlife scene for 18 years. It’s where genres collide, communities thrive, and music pounds through the early hours. But now, under the ownership of nightlife industry vets Brandon Colt and Brandon Garva, who bought the club last August, it’s entering a bold new era.
These two didn’t just inherit a legacy—they’ve lived it.
Colt has been Spin’s general manager for over a decade and has 20 years of nightlife experience, previously working at iconic Gaslamp Quarter venues, including Olé Madrid, Belō, The Ivy Hotel, and Voyeur. Garva is a DJ who runs United By Bass Recordings and United By Bass Talent Agency and is the co-founder of United By Bass, which runs SD Union, San Diego’s longest-running Drum n’ Bass music night. Together, they bring decades of nightlife expertise and community ties along with loudspeaker designer and sound engineer, Chris Regalado.
Spin’s transition into their hands is significant because it puts the club back in the care of people who know its history, understand its culture, and have big plans for its future. It’s not just a venue takeover; it’s a reclamation of Spin’s underground roots, committed to revitalizing its iconic after-hours vibe, elevating its production, and preserving its place as a haven for San Diego’s diverse dance music scene.
Though the club has been open and bumping since the duo purchased it last August, they’re having a celebratory weekend beginning January 16, called “Spin: Remixed,” which revelers can think of as a grand re-opening party. Four nights of special DJ sets will run into early Monday morning through the entire weekend. We caught up with Colt and Garva to learn more about Spin’s exciting changes.
What’s the history of Spin Nightclub, why does it matter to San Diego, and why is it a big deal that it’s still open?
Brandon Colt (BC): The building that now holds Spin Nightclub was built in 1991 and is one of the only clubs explicitly created to be a club. It drew inspiration from venues in New York and Miami. It has changed names a few times, but before it became Spin in 2007, it was Montage, one of the best gay clubs in the country. If only these walls could talk—a lot of nightlife history has happened here.
One of Montage’s owners partnered with a new team to start Spin, and they promoted Giant Fridays, which brought in the biggest DJs San Diego had ever seen at the time, including Armin van Buuren. At the time, there wasn’t any underground electronic music downtown, only Top 40. Things were going well, but like in any business, things shifted. The original owners went their separate ways, and the person left running the club was new to owning a nightclub.
I joined the team soon after in 2014. I saw the club didn’t have any real direction, so I asked the owners if I could run it and started creating what I thought would be a cool club. I saw an opportunity to make a space for the people who were putting their hearts into dance music culture in San Diego.
Spin grew into this hub where promoters and crews could grow, including SD Union, Desert Hearts, House 2 Ourselves, Ego Trip, Overdrive, Kino Village, Dangle Zone, and Soul Work. Production became essential to what we did, and we saw everyone’s visions come to life. To host those nights and see all the genres that came through reminded me of the underground warehouse raves I used to go to in the ’90s, and it just felt right.
We’ve always wanted everyone to be represented here—all genres, including the LGBTQ+ community, goth night, hip hop, Brazilian, Burning Man camps, and more. Spin Nightclub has long been a space where people want to experience dance music culture, and it has a reputation as a place for after-hours.
We were on a pretty awesome trajectory, and then Covid-19 hit. We were closed for 15 months, and once we reopened, things were back like before until we lost our after-hours license in 2023. We were as successful as possible closing at 2 a.m., but it wasn’t the same. In August 2024, Garva and I officially took ownership of Spin, and we are all in on a shared vision to bring Spin to the level it should be.
Brandon Garva (BG): What makes this change so exciting is the merger of passion and experience we’re bringing to the table. For the first time at Spin, you’ve got a team with two decades of experience in event production and promotion and a clear vision for what Spin can be. We’re fully dedicated to helping the scene thrive, and it’s the perfect storm—knowing how to properly curate events, deliver solid production, run the club right, and most importantly, give people what they want: a safe place to experience music, create bonds and make memories.
Especially with the shifts happening in the industry, Spin is carving out something totally unique. Colt and I started as ravers back in high school, and we’ve never lost that passion. That underground vibe is rare these days, but having a venue like Spin that cultivates and provides that for the city is something really special. We’re returning to the roots—giving people raw, authentic dance culture in a safe environment.
I’ve heard nightlife is dead. Secretly, I’ve hoped that’s not true, but what’s the vibe these days? What has changed, what’s on the horizon?
BC: Nightlife just needs creativity, passion, value, and most importantly, community. When venues struggle, it’s often because they’re missing those things. We’re focused on creating something more than just a place to see an artist. We offer multiple headliners, multiple rooms, and a community that values the freedom of self expression and an alternative to the mainstream.
So many people have amazing memories here, and we want to keep that alive. Spin has always been a place where people feel comfortable and safe, a spot they want to spend what precious free time they have on weekend nights. The culture has always been here—it’s just been overshadowed by a lack of vision and commitment under previous ownership.
Now, we’re making things right by upgrading lighting, sound, and facilities—bringing it all up to a level Spin has never seen before. It’s not about creating a new culture; it’s about honoring the one that’s been here all along. The community has stuck with us through a lot. We’re doing this out of respect for that dedication, to give back to a community we care so deeply about so they want to return and make more memories.
Who are the new owners? Tell me about this popular drum and bass crew, SD Union?
BG: I threw multi-genre events in North San Diego County from 2005 to 2010 under the name Schedule One Media and then partnered with Tyler Rosier right after the formation of SD Union in 2010. In 2014, we had an issue pop up with a venue where we were scheduled to throw an event, and a friend linked us up with Spin, who offered to help by hosting the event. The day of the event, I met Colt, who was working behind the bar, and we all hit it off. Since then, we have hosted most of our SD Union events at Spin.
Throwing our shows at Spin was a turning point for SD Union. Spin was a much larger venue than we’d previously had, and we had the creative freedom to expand our productions tenfold. From there, our brand grew on all fronts. This December, we celebrated 14 years of SD Union, and we’re so grateful to Spin for giving us the platform to grow, as well as everyone who has supported us over the years and helped make SD Union what it is today.
BC: Garva and I are in the community. We’re not just making this a club for dance music people; we are the dance music people. The owners and the whole team we have attracted care so much about this business. Everybody on our team loves this industry and the club, and it’s really cool to be working with people passionate about the vision and goal.
Tell me more about these afters. What are the parameters?
BG: Spin has long been the go-to destination for after-hours in San Diego, legendary for its 4 a.m. dance floor and unforgettable weekend-long marathons during Pride. In 2023, we could not host after-hours anymore, but this November, we proudly brought back our first 4 a.m. show. The response has been incredible. The excitement and support from the community have been overwhelming, and we’re thrilled to announce that more late-night events are on the horizon for 2025.
Tell us about the sound.
BC: We’re completely revamping our sound system, working with an in-house, world-class audio engineer to create a custom setup that is as satisfying as it is immersive.
Chris Regalado (CR): In the main room, we’re creating a new system and have added support speakers around the dancefloor, VIP areas, and mezzanine, which have allowed us to provide a much better and more immersive experience to guests and we have plans to add even more to make it more dynamic.
We have new subwoofers designed from scratch with help from several engineers who have created a new hybrid bass reflex/transmission line. The goal is to achieve low bass and accurate mid-bass. Woofers share one cabinet but are powered and processed separately. This allows for the summation of the best attributes and proper delays to be set. We’re also upgrading the rooftop and side room, which we’re excited about.
Tell us about the Spin: Remixed, the big celebration weekend: What can we expect and how can people get involved?
BG: This is our declaration to the world that Spin is under new leadership, management, and ownership. We’re setting the tone for what you can expect: a community-focused space with a renewed commitment to dance music and culture.
To mark this new chapter, we’re hosting Spin: Remixed four days in one weekend to celebrate the change in leadership and highlight the ongoing improvements, including to the venue and introducing two new event series: Spin Thursdays and Spindustry.
For Spin Thursdays, we will highlight a different genre of electronic music each week. The intention behind this night is to allow the up-and-comers to play and to bring more music variety to San Diego. There are a lot of cookie-cutter clubs and events playing the same tracks over and over. This is about supporting the whole culture and giving new sounds and styles space. On Thursday, January 16, we will focus on techno with a lineup of ZESTi, JAQ.XS, Luna Michelle and A.Knives.
On Friday, January 17, we’ll celebrate with the next installment of SD Union, San Diego’s longest-running drum and bass night, with a triple headliner lineup: Document One, T & Sugah and Whiney. This night will be extra special because SD Union has considered Spin our home for the past decade, and we really found momentum when we started working with Colt to host our shows at Spin Nightclub.
On Saturday, January 18, we’re hosting a huge family affair. This will be the main event where we pay homage to the individuals and promoters who have grown alongside Spin. We’ll be going until 4 a.m. with a lineup of local legends playing back-to-back sets, including Memo Rex and Sprout, Oren and Techno Tupac, Mitch Dodge and Susio, Nik Thrine and H2H, and Cole Vassallo and Layerz, among others.
Last, Sunday is special to us because we’re introducing Spin’s first industry night, Spindustry, a monthly Sunday event. We want to create a night for the people who work their asses off and help give others a good time. This is where they can let loose and be shown appreciation through attractive ticket and drink prices. Our first show on Sunday, January 19, will feature Tara Brooks, Porky, DJ Ideal, and Evlo.
