Houston’s hottest party is a secret disco with only one rule

Saturday, Dec. 17, was PHYSICAL THERAPY’s last event of 2022 and most well-attended, with over 500 people in attendance and drinks sponsored by Crown Royal. The party’s founder and CEO is Amarie Gipson, a Houston native who goes by DJ “DOUBLEDUTCH” and began spinning while studying art history and philosophy at St. Edwards University in Austin.

While working in Austin as a writer, Gipson fell in love with the turntable and quickly learned she wanted to spin differently than other DJs she knew. 

Guest DJ Teej spinning at the PHYSICAL THERAPY party in Houston, Texas on Dec. 17, 2022.

“Most of the guys who were on the team with me they DJed, and they would usually play music for themselves, and I wanted to be able to have fun with my friends,” she said. “Me and my friends want to dance; we don’t want to hear trap music all day. This isn’t a frat party.” 

Thus Gipson’s style was born: a mix of genres ranging from house, hip-hop and disco to soul, bounce and R&B. This blend now serves as the special sauce and foundation of PT, where making people dance is the only focus. 

“Dancing is therapeutic,” Gipson said. “Dance is a form of catharsis. The feeling of nostalgia, reaching back into time and kind of activating your core memory from someone, it’s really powerful if you can do it sonically.” 

After college, Gipson lived in Chicago and New York City for a few years before returning to Houston. Eventually, Boondocks Bar in Montrose invited her to spin, and PT was born. Here, she crafted an unapologetic atmosphere contrasting with run-of-the-mill Houston nightlife, which she says tends to be dominated by club culture—expensive cover fees, sectioned seats and sometimes unwanted drama. 

Houston party attendees dancing at a PHYSICAL THERAPY party on Dec. 17, 2022

“The ethos of PT from the start was very, very clear,” Gipson said. “There’s no sections, there’s no plex, it’s just good music and community, and I really think that’s what we built. Nobody should pay more than $20 to go anywhere.” 

PT’s social media following has grown rapidly since its first Boondocks session in June 2021. The party now hops from venue to venue and takes place every few months. Moving forward, Gipson’s top priority for PT’s second phase is hosting all her friends and supporters in a welcoming environment that embraces their vibe. 

“I’m one of very few Black women doing what I’m doing at the scale I’m doing it at,” Gipson said. “And you got to respect it; if you can’t, I will happily take my ass somewhere else.” 

In November, Gipson and PT marked a milestone with a collaborative event sponsored by Spotify at Sanman Studios in downtown Houston.

Given sole creative freedom for the event, she curated the proceedings with the goal of throwing a once-in-a-lifetime party. 

“It was like my Beychella; I really pushed myself to the limit,” she said. 

For 2023, Gipson is looking to grow PT in other locations, including New Orleans and New York City. Partygoers at December’s event said they hoped Gipson’s vision of a new kind of nightlife catches on in other places.

Dancers at a PHYSICAL THERAPY party in Houston, Texas on Dec.17, 2022.

“I think this is the next place for the Black Renaissance. It’s the beginning of a movement people don’t know how big it is until it’s too late,” said Houston resident Reece Richardson.”

“It’s a very intentional vibe, and I just love it,” said Emahn Collins, a military physical therapist from San Antonio who traveled three hours with his best friend Calissa Duke to attend December’s party. “Curating this event is like an art.”