Meet Ian Schutt | Co-Founder of HotBed

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ian Schutt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ian, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
At Hotbed, we’re not just filling a gap in the dance music scene—we’re responding to a deep need for more authentic spaces in a landscape that’s often overshadowed by commercial interests. With overseas dance culture booming we aim to bridge the overseas communities to San Diego and the U.S.

The U.S. has managed to commercialize dance genres, pushing a select few into the mainstream while the deeper, more underground sounds often remain in the shadows. This commercialization can sometimes dilute the essence of what makes dance music special, turning what began as a revolutionary, community-driven movement into something more accessible to all.

That’s where Hotbed comes in. We aim to create a space in San Diego where diverse genres can truly thrive in their purest forms while continuing to push boundaries. Our mission is simple: to build a community that is looking to connect on the dance floor and behind the decks. We’re proud to be part of a growing movement in this city, alongside other collectives who have been nurturing these roots for years. Our goal is to support the collaboration between collectives versus seeing other collectives as competition. Together, we’re not just filling a gap—we’re cultivating a scene that has the power to change the cultural landscape of our city and beyond.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
We collectively aim to bring the underground sounds and essence to the forefront of club culture that is not typically seen here in the US and is what makes us stand out. We’re proud to lead this charge, and we have been able to foster a community that has been an integral part of maintaining consistency and community.

We understand that we are underdogs being a smaller independently-run collective, However, we know that deeper pockets and/or power don’t mean better shows, and that’s where we come in. We know that the space we create is filled by people who genuinely love our curated sounds. We want the environment we create to match the quality of the curated artists on our lineups.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
All of us have spots all around the city we love! Hard to choose, but this is what we would do: visiting bars like Part Time Lover, Gilly’s or Whistle Stop (shout out to Messy Era) . Stopping to eat at Bica for some AM bites, The Friendly for some burgers, or Oscars for some fish tacos, and then starting the night by hitting a warehouse show or EQ (formerly The Merrow) for some great dance music and ending probably at an afters mixing with friends to end the night. During the day we all love the beaches or visiting local parks. We are all also avid visitors at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla as well for their Jazz Nights with Future is Color or exploring the museum in the daytime!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We wanted to make sure everything who makes HotBed possible gets an answer to this, here’s our individual input:

Anna Zeltins:
I would not be where I am today without the support from my community and the people in my life. When I started playing more in 2017 the electronic music landscape in San Diego looked very different and techno and harder genres had not hit the mainstream yet. Kava Lounge was an extremely special place to me as that was the first full sound system I played and they allowed me to experiment with my sound and helped me discover myself as a DJ. Also, the few techno collectives that were doing it back in the day that had faith in me and helped me grow like Acid Varsity, VAA, Nocturne, Minority Xplosive, Archetype and more.

Ian Schutt:
Moving to San Diego just over a year ago makes me a newer face in town, and I couldn’t be more grateful to the community for welcoming me with open arms. Getting my start in concert photography back in Colorado is what drew me closer to the dance music scene, and is what prompted me to get my own set of decks. In listening to some of my favorite artists like Kettama, DJ Heartstring, and CRTB formed my love for genres and sounds akin to trance, Eurodance, techno, and hardgroove. However, I wouldn’t be here if my current roommate who I met through concert photography didn’t ask me to move San Diego with him. So, thanks Reid!

Matt Ciccarelli:
My journey in music started in college with our weekly parties trying to make them as professional and fun as possible. I always took it upon myself with the help of my friends to ensure that the music was the staple of whatever gathering we were attending/throwing. I had no idea that it would blossom into something that I would want to center my life around. There are two people in particular that have changed the trajectory of those goals and been amazing role models for me, Tyler Hazard and Trevor Drake. These two individuals have given me countless opportunities to expand my network, grow my knowledge, and pushed me to achieve feats I didn’t really know were possible. I am incredibly grateful for the people I have around me and that share the same passion and goals for music. The future is unknown but that gives me comfort in an ever-changing industry. I look forward to continuing to build connections and garner life-long friendships who have the ability to enact real tangible change in this field.

Website: https://www.hotbedus.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hotbed.us/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hotbedus/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561474829281

Image Credits
Maya Tomasik, HotBed