Groovy Groovy X Process Present: Groovy Playground

GROOVY GROOVY is a sexy party, cozy party, spiritual party, intentional party, friendship party and ultimately a love party. Founded by Andrew Akanbi eleven years ago in a New Jersey college off-campus basement, the party has become New York’s go-to destinations for no-nonsense body rocking boogie music curated for nourishment of the spirit. GROOVY PLAYGROUND is an extension of GROOVY GROOVY—a living experiment exploring the fusion of music magic, movement and universal wellness tools to improve our mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. Process is excited to collaborate with GROOVY GROOVY by bringing the playground to Portland—an intentional moment for the community to ease into the new year with a slow, steady rhythm, remembering that the goal is harmony. The evening opens at 7pm with a shared sound offering from the hearts of Andy Warren and Akanbi, coming together for their debut back-to-back set. Rooted in grounding and healing frequencies, the journey invites deep listening, presence, and gentle recalibration. Once we’ve settled into the playground, Sunny Love will guide us through an hour-long somatic movement workshop—OUTWARD SPIRAL. The workshop begins with inner awareness and gradually opens attention toward the space and others around you. Through guided prompts and improvisation, participants explore movement as a form of dialogue. The practice invites curiosity, connection, presence, and embodied listening. A 30-minute live harp set by DASHKA will follow after the workshop. We break for some food afterwards. More details about food to be shared soon. Veg/Vegan and GF options will be available. The food offering will be included for all who attend the 7-10pm portion of this event. Expect yummy lite bites to fuel our bodies before the final phase of the night. Around 10pm, we reset the space into a dance floor and get our boogie on until close. Shi Shi will set the dance off with a soft selection of body shaking music. As we near midnight, Captain Groovy aka Akanbi returns to the decks for a twisted 3-hour closer to properly mark the first Saturday dance of the year. VMO is tasked with aesthetically upgrading the space to support the spirit of the playground. Excitement levels are very high for this collaborative effort. Your energy is required to cook this groovy soup. Tickets are available via RA. Discounted tickets available for anyone experiencing financial hardship. Please reach out to anyone from the crew or Process DMs for the discount link. PROGRAM 7pm: Doors 7-8pm - Deep Listening w/ Akanbi & Andy Warren 8-9pm - Guided Somatic Movement w/ Sunny Love (Soundtracked by Akanbi & Andy Warren) 9-9:30pm - Amplified Harp Soundbath w/ DASHKA 9:30-10pm - Food Break 10pm-12am - Soft Dance w/ Shi Shi 12-3am - Hard Dance w/ Akanbi 3am - Close MEET THE CREW Akanbi Akanbi is a fountain of energy whose passion and enthusiasm for music & humanity is undiluted and unmatched. As a DJ he possesses an amazing level of restraint that balances his ball-of-fire spirit. He brings a focused intention to the community as an organizer, tapping into the spiritual frequencies that go beyond the surface. In 2014, he started New York City's GROOVY GROOVY party - a judgment-free atmosphere for wild dance floors, spiritual, mental & physical rejuvenation, radical politics, and a dose of undeniably rocking talent. Akanbi has made an impression with visionary sets across the globe. Andy Warren Club daddy and longtime force in Portland’s underground, Andy has spent over a decade building bridges for dancers through his collective Believe You Me and his new home base, Process PDX. His sets blur house, techno, disco, and experimental shades into layered, emotional transmissions. Sunny Love Sunny, aka Rebecca Sunshine (she/her) inspires people to feel, heal and be real. She has 30+ years of multi-disciplinary dance and movement training. Currently residing in Portland, she’s an experienced trauma-informed yoga teacher, licensed massage therapist, craniosacral therapist, founder of bliss body, community builder and fascia nerd. Community, love, balance and authenticity are the cornerstones of her dynamic healing arts practice, Sunny Love Healing. IG: sunnylovehealing | IG: blissbodyenergy | sunnylovehealing (dotcom) Shi Shi Shi Shi is a NYC based DJ and educator. She is the co-founder of the DJ workshop and skill-sharing platform We Got Next, the NYC based party THROB, and hosts the youth education program BbLeaders Radio / Frequency Society in collaboration with Building Beats. Her sets weave multiple forms of house, techno, and other dance music all while keeping things funky. Her work prioritizes a balance of education and nightlife focusing on the intersection of dancefloor happiness, youth advocacy, and sonic art. DASHKA Dasha Shleyeva (DASHKA), is a neurodivergent, queer Russian immigrant multi-instrumentalist. They weave harp, classical guitar, bass, piano, & voice in their compositions. Their work offers amplified harp sound baths, ethereal loops, gentle field recordings, sound wave dynamics, and relaxing vocals. Dasha is currently in a program studying therapeutic harp playing in clinical settings. Vmo Vicktoria is a multidisciplinary artist working in oil paint and digital media, currently focused on motion-based visuals. Her work uses color and movement to translate lived experience, exploring the tension between softness and intensity. Each piece invites the viewer to journey inward, where personal meaning can unfold. ITEMS TO BRING Eye mask, pillows, blankets Notebook / Journal Comfy Clothing