In a sea of red, blue and green headphones inside Johnson Center, students raved to seemingly inaudible sound and sang aloud to songs no onlooker could hear. Strobe lights pulsed to silent beats and a panel of DJs, all within feet of each other, spun records through the airwaves.
The event, put on by the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico and aptly named “Silent Lights,” drew hundreds to the campus recreation center on Nov. 5 for the unique take on a homecoming dance.
Control of the party was put in the hands of the partygoers, armed with wireless headphones featuring volume control and the ability to choose between three different music stations at a time. DJs on the different stages battled for audience attention as the crowd tuned in to various music genres, from hip-hop to EDM to grunge to classics like “Come on Eileen.”
The soundless disco’s comeback is yet another return of a keystone student event that was canceled last year during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Held indoors this year due to weather concerns, the dance featured masked patrons and was exclusively for UNM students to ensure a vaccinated crowd.
Liam DeBonis is the copy chief at the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at copychief@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @LiamDebonis
