WAMPTRONICA isn’t about escaping the world for a night—it’s about reconnecting to yourself, to community, and to the healing power of rhythm.
—Zyg 808
On a WAMPTRONICA night, the room settles into a shared pulse. The music is steady, soulful, and unhurried. Dancers aren’t performing for one another; they’re listening, responding, moving with intention. It feels less like nightlife and more like a gathering, a reminder that house music has always been about connection first.
Based in New Bedford, Massachusetts, WAMPTRONICA has emerged as one of the most compelling underground dance music collectives in New England. Since its founding in 2021, the group has grown from a single experimental event into a cultural force, producing monthly dance sessions, outdoor pop-ups, radio broadcasts, original recordings, and platforms that amplify underground artists across the region and beyond.
WAMPTRONICA began as a one-time lounge session at the now-defunct Native Arts Gallery in Mashpee, MA, staged as COVID restrictions were beginning to lift. Three Mashpee Wampanoag dance music creators-Mwalim, The ZYG 808, and Asa Peters—joined forces with underground producer Futuractiv to create an intimate, intentional night centered on sound, space, and community. The response was immediate and unmistakable. What was meant to happen once became a monthly ritual known as The THUMP & SOUL SESSION.
When the gallery closed, the session found a new home at Gallery X in New Bedford, later spending a brief period at the Underground Railroad Café before returning to Gallery X, where it continues to anchor the collective’s presence. Held on third Saturdays from October through May, The THUMP & SOUL SESSION has become a cornerstone of the city’s alternative nightlife, drawing dancers, creatives, and listeners seeking something deeper than the standard club experience.
From there, WAMPTRONICA expanded outward. AHHHhhh, a lounge-oriented underground dance session typically held on second Thursdays at venues like Bento’s Bar & Grill, offers a relaxed, listening-forward environment. SOUL on the MOVE extends the collective’s reach into public space through outdoor and storefront pop-ups running June through October, with three to four sessions per month across New Bedford, Cape Cod, Boston, Brockton, and Providence. Together, these events form an ecosystem that meets people where they are, both physically and emotionally.
At the heart of WAMPTRONICA is Mwalim, whose relationship to underground dance music stretches back more than four decades. Already a fan of disco since elementary school, Mwalim was introduced to the underground side of the genre in 1982 through Tony Humphries on WRKS-FM in New York City, Mwalim was fully converted after experiencing Paradise Garage and the late, great Larry Levan on the club’s legendary sound system. Already a musician, he began producing dance music in 1990, releasing records that found success in Europe and later appearing on labels including Elephant Ride Records, MTI International, and Taylor-Boy. His 2001 EP, Jazzy-Soul Club Grooves, yielded the underground instrumental hit “Out of the Woods” after a now-legendary night promoting it at The Shelter in New York.
Alongside him is his son, The ZYG 808, an accomplished jazz drummer, vibraphonist, and alternative hip-hop artist who added DJing to his repertoire in early 2019 while still in high school. After hosting weekly radio shows on WKKL and WOMR, he expanded his reach through Twitch and live performance, bringing a new generation’s sensibility to WAMPTRONICA’s sound and vision.
Beyond events, WAMPTRONICA has built platforms that support the wider underground community. Their weekly radio show and podcast, From the Underground with WAMPTRONICA, airs Tuesdays at 8pm on WNBONE.com, Fridays at 9pm on Lemonadio.com, and releases new on-demand episodes every Saturday morning. The show actively encourages underground producers and DJs to submit music for inclusion and has spawned a weekly music chart highlighting tracks featured on the broadcasts.
In January 2024, WAMPTRONICA began releasing original productions on Poly-Groove Records and collaborating on special projects with Eightball Records, the legendary New York house music label founded in 1991. Their partnership with local singing icon Navalle “Chop” Turner has produced the regional hit “Grown Folks Party,” along with rising international dancefloor favorites including “Not Going Out (Feel The Vibe),” “Handsome,” and “Sparrow.”
Aligned with fellow New Bedford collective New Moon Dance Party, creators of the monthly BODY BODY BODY event, WAMPTRONICA is part of a broader effort to create safer, more inclusive alternatives to traditional nightlife; spaces where dancers, creatives, and music lovers can gather without pretense.
As research increasingly points to the mental and physical benefits of steady rhythmic music, WAMPTRONICA’s philosophy feels especially timely. Looking ahead, the collective is collaborating with Oversoul Theatre Collective, Inc. on an audio anthology of spoken-word artists and vocalists performing over house music compositions, slated for release in fall 2026.
WAMPTRONICA’s goals remain grounded and clear: to create safe spaces for people to dance and connect, to produce meaningful underground music, to elevate emerging artists, and to continue building a culture rooted in rhythm, care, and community. In a scene often driven by trends, WAMPTRONICA is doing something more enduring: building a home for the underground.
Based in New Bedford, Massachusetts, WAMPTRONICA has emerged as one of the most compelling underground dance music collectives in New England. Since its founding in 2021, the group has grown from a single experimental event into a cultural force, producing monthly dance sessions, outdoor pop-ups, radio broadcasts, original recordings, and platforms that amplify underground artists across the region and beyond.
WAMPTRONICA began as a one-time lounge session at the now-defunct Native Arts Gallery in Mashpee, MA, staged as COVID restrictions were beginning to lift. Three Mashpee Wampanoag dance music creators-Mwalim, The ZYG 808, and Asa Peters—joined forces with underground producer Futuractiv to create an intimate, intentional night centered on sound, space, and community. The response was immediate and unmistakable. What was meant to happen once became a monthly ritual known as The THUMP & SOUL SESSION.
When the gallery closed, the session found a new home at Gallery X in New Bedford, later spending a brief period at the Underground Railroad Café before returning to Gallery X, where it continues to anchor the collective’s presence. Held on third Saturdays from October through May, The THUMP & SOUL SESSION has become a cornerstone of the city’s alternative nightlife, drawing dancers, creatives, and listeners seeking something deeper than the standard club experience.
From there, WAMPTRONICA expanded outward. AHHHhhh, a lounge-oriented underground dance session typically held on second Thursdays at venues like Bento’s Bar & Grill, offers a relaxed, listening-forward environment. SOUL on the MOVE extends the collective’s reach into public space through outdoor and storefront pop-ups running June through October, with three to four sessions per month across New Bedford, Cape Cod, Boston, Brockton, and Providence. Together, these events form an ecosystem that meets people where they are, both physically and emotionally.
At the heart of WAMPTRONICA is Mwalim, whose relationship to underground dance music stretches back more than four decades. Already a fan of disco since elementary school, Mwalim was introduced to the underground side of the genre in 1982 through Tony Humphries on WRKS-FM in New York City, Mwalim was fully converted after experiencing Paradise Garage and the late, great Larry Levan on the club’s legendary sound system. Already a musician, he began producing dance music in 1990, releasing records that found success in Europe and later appearing on labels including Elephant Ride Records, MTI International, and Taylor-Boy. His 2001 EP, Jazzy-Soul Club Grooves, yielded the underground instrumental hit “Out of the Woods” after a now-legendary night promoting it at The Shelter in New York.
Alongside him is his son, The ZYG 808, an accomplished jazz drummer, vibraphonist, and alternative hip-hop artist who added DJing to his repertoire in early 2019 while still in high school. After hosting weekly radio shows on WKKL and WOMR, he expanded his reach through Twitch and live performance, bringing a new generation’s sensibility to WAMPTRONICA’s sound and vision.
Beyond events, WAMPTRONICA has built platforms that support the wider underground community. Their weekly radio show and podcast, From the Underground with WAMPTRONICA, airs Tuesdays at 8pm on WNBONE.com, Fridays at 9pm on Lemonadio.com, and releases new on-demand episodes every Saturday morning. The show actively encourages underground producers and DJs to submit music for inclusion and has spawned a weekly music chart highlighting tracks featured on the broadcasts.
In January 2024, WAMPTRONICA began releasing original productions on Poly-Groove Records and collaborating on special projects with Eightball Records, the legendary New York house music label founded in 1991. Their partnership with local singing icon Navalle “Chop” Turner has produced the regional hit “Grown Folks Party,” along with rising international dancefloor favorites including “Not Going Out (Feel The Vibe),” “Handsome,” and “Sparrow.”
Aligned with fellow New Bedford collective New Moon Dance Party, creators of the monthly BODY BODY BODY event, WAMPTRONICA is part of a broader effort to create safer, more inclusive alternatives to traditional nightlife; spaces where dancers, creatives, and music lovers can gather without pretense.
As research increasingly points to the mental and physical benefits of steady rhythmic music, WAMPTRONICA’s philosophy feels especially timely. Looking ahead, the collective is collaborating with Oversoul Theatre Collective, Inc. on an audio anthology of spoken-word artists and vocalists performing over house music compositions, slated for release in fall 2026.
WAMPTRONICA’s goals remain grounded and clear: to create safe spaces for people to dance and connect, to produce meaningful underground music, to elevate emerging artists, and to continue building a culture rooted in rhythm, care, and community. In a scene often driven by trends, WAMPTRONICA is doing something more enduring: building a home for the underground.
