We were lucky to catch up with Kseniya Sovenko Mary Wolff recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kseniya Sovenko thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Kseniya: As two girls who live and breathe electronic music, we know how intimidating it can be to step into the nightlife scene to experience it live. This is especially true in a city like NYC, where you’re unsure of where to go, who to go with (maybe your friends don’t share your love for the same music—totally normal!), or what a club or venue will be like. So, you end up not going at all. You worry about safety and whether it’s okay to go alone, which can make the idea of raving or attending an electronic music show feel like a distant dream. For guys, it’s often a non-issue—they can just show up. But it’s not the same for women. Those uncertainties create a barrier, which is so unfair because women deserve to be on the dance floor (and feel safe there!) just as much as anyone else.

When I first moved to NYC eight years ago, I had just been to my first proper rave in Kyiv, Ukraine, and I knew I wanted more—especially since I’d already been loving electronic music for a few years. But I had to dive in without a roadmap. I ended up in some sketchy situations while figuring out the scene, and it took a lot of trial and error to find the kind of experience I was after.

That’s why we want to empower women (and beyond that, any newcomers) with the knowledge they need to confidently navigate nightlife in NYC. Raving is about so much more than just “partying.” It’s a state of being—a practice that, at its best, encourages freedom of expression, community building, a profound appreciation for music and dance, and a connection to something bigger than ourselves. Raving invites us to let go of societal expectations, embrace authenticity, and celebrate the diverse mix of people and sounds that come together on the dance floor. For me, it’s been a place to truly find myself in some of my most formative years.

Beyond sharing knowledge, we also want to create familiarity, community, and safety in the scene—so women can show up, and show up as their true selves. We encourage our community to find rave buddies or form groups (we’ve had an NYC rave girls crew of 50+ roll into a party together before!) so no one has to be alone on the dance floor. It’s such a vibe to attend shows and parties now and start recognizing faces and knowing people’s names. It gives a girl peace of mind to know she’s surrounded by others who are in it together.

Ultimately, our mission is to bring women to the dancefloor and to help them feel safe on it—because every dancefloor is better with women on it.

Kseniya Sovenko, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Kseniya: We’re two girls who love to rave, dance, and listen to electronic music. NYC rave girls was born a little over a year ago as a personal creative project. There was no manifesto, no grand vision, no goals—Mary and I just wanted to start a silly little TikTok to document all the parties and shows we were going to. A living archive we could look back on and laugh about. Not only are we best friends and work wives, we’re also music soulmates.

Our first post ever was a “rave review,” just a stream of consciousness of how we felt after a party. Nothing fancy. We made it a habit to document after every show. Surprisingly, people watched them. A few months down the line, we started making recommendations on where to go and WHY (for me, this was the missing ingredient; I could name a dozen parties happening any given weekend, but how do you know which one will match your vibe?). These took off——and now, we make weekly rave recs every Tuesday, monthly roundups, and rave PSAs with tips on special parties and safety. And of course, we love to post our rave highlights and funny little things those in the scene can relate to.

It’s crazy to see that our DIY project has evolved into something that truly feels like a community. Our TikTok has grown to 23k+, we have an *incredible* Discord of 1,500+ ravers (and aspiring ravers!) to find new friends, and we had our first proper nyc rave girls meet-up a few months ago. For me, this feels like a way to give back to a scene that’s shaped me. A sort of passing of the baton of what I love so dearly—house, techno + electronic music—and parties where you can actually dance your ass off.

Frankly, we don’t believe that gatekeeping is “cool.” We truly believe we all have a right to the dancefloor. Personally, it took me a long time to figure out the rave scene in nyc, but doing so led me to the people I love most dearly now—all my very best friends. We want to help others find their people and their music, because that’s a powerful thing.

And *especially* women! Though anyone can be an nyc rave girl (it’s a state of mind), ‘girls’ is part of the name for a reason. It can be scary navigating the nightlife scene as a woman—which often feels unfair since we love the music just as much as the boys do. That’s why we want to put girls at the forefront—at the center—so they can feel empowered to show up.

Beyond building a brand and a community, we also help electronic music artists manage their social media accounts so they can grow and get their sound out there (the dream trifecta!). Since we both work in social media professionally outside of NYC rave girls, it’s a perfect way for us to apply our skill set to something we’re so passionate about—a true expression of ikigai.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Mary: Authenticity really is the breadwinner when it comes to building an audience on social media. On platforms like TikTok, people crave raw, unfiltered content that feels real and not overly polished or sales-y.

For us, sharing our love for music, dancing, and rave culture was effortless. We didn’t try to force anything—it’s just who we are. And we’re honestly so excited that people have started following along! If we had to guess why, we’d say it’s probably for a few reasons:

First, we’re genuinely passionate about the shows we recommend and attend, and it turns out, so are a lot of others. Music, especially electronic music, is a powerful unifier. It seems like there was a bit of a missing space where people could come together to talk about the parties or shows they were at. It’s really fun to see everyone’s takes in the comment section when we review an event we were just at.

Number two, rave culture is still pretty taboo. Once upon a time, raves were just myths and stories of sweaty music lovers gathered in an open, undisclosed space, dancing until the sun came up. With the rise of social media, rave culture and EDM shows have become more mainstream, but there is still so much curiosity around it. Even if people aren’t at the shows we talk about, they’re often intrigued by a behind-the-scenes look at what happens there.

And lastly, we are so lucky here in New York because it is, in our opinion, the epicenter of music in every genre imaginable, but it can be pretty overwhelming. We’ve organically (and at first, unintentionally) created a community—a safe space for people, especially women, to discover artists coming through NYC and navigate the local scene. And that will keep building because people are having positive experiences finding other nyc rave girls in the wild.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Mary: We first met while working together at our full-time marketing jobs at a digital fitness company. A few months in, Kseniya randomly invited me to a Hot Honey Sunday Boat Party, which is a legendary summer day party in NYC. I said yes, and there’s nothing like being stranded on a boat with a new friend for 5 hours to really get to know someone! We realized we a) love the same music and b) genuinely enjoy each other’s company.

But the deal was sealed on our friendship when we went to our first electronic music show a little later that summer—Lane 8 at Brooklyn Mirage—that we knew we were musical soul mates. Add in the fact that we are both former professional dancers, and it was from then on that we were each other’s Rave PIC (partner in crime). There is nothing quite like the feeling of getting lost on the dance floor, listening to your favorite tracks with your bestie and that’s why we love NYC Rave Girls so much. We want everyone to find their Rave PIC, just like we have with each other.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tiktok.com/@nyc.rave.girls
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nyc.rave.girls
• Other: https://discord.gg/TfGDrJ4bzD

Image Credits

All photos are personal, taken by Kseniya Sovenko