Mr. Kool-Aid

Stephen Hauptfuhr, an LA native, was still in his early teens when he began DJing and promoting as Mr. Kool-Aid in the early 1990s, becoming, in the words of fellow promoter Carlos Gdubbs, "one of the creators of rave culture in Los Angeles." He was among the first to bring outside guest DJs into the LA scene, introducing Vancouver's Markem X and helping bring Doc Martin into the fold, and hosted parties including Apocalypse, Mickey's Holy Water Adventure, and 808 State, often at unconventional venues like water parks and shopping malls.

He continued throwing occasional parties after the rave scene wound down, and in 2000 launched Radio, a weekly electro-meets-rock night at Star Shoes that helped give rise to what became known as the Hollywood hipster scene. Known for an offbeat, arty sensibility, he later produced events at venues including Citizen Smith and the Mountain Bar, worked on LA Fashion Week shows at the Los Angeles Theatre, and returned to his roots with the invite-only warehouse party series Tik Tok.