What Music Sees

What Music Sees: Music Lover's Lounge of Fort Wayne, Indiana

"It's truly music lovers. If you love music...that's all that matters." 

15 years ago, Tray Brookshire (DJ Barrage) asked his friend and music collaborator Ghani Zahir (DJ Polaris) to deejay together. That request ignited what became Music Lover's Lounge (MLL), a monthly get down (with dueling deejays) out of Fort Wayne, Indiana, the second largest city in the state and a hotbed of its own music history. MLL's a house party, a family reunion, a successful black-owned business story, and a safe space. 

We’ve turned the photography camera around to document what music sees at a house party: joy and memory expressed in movement and stories.

The following pics were assembled from Filmmaker and Creative Director William Bryant Rozier’s tenure as MLL’s photographer from 2013 to 2017. The audio interviews were recorded the summer of 2026.

DJ Polaris: We'd get 10,000 views on pictures in eight hours.

DJ Polaris: Nightlife has elements in it that can be dangerous, and that's any nightlife. Our biggest thing in that second five years was to be a safe haven.

Ashlynn Peggins: I pin in it for like my best experiences being in some of their earlier days: late 20s, working, still going out on a regular.

Imogene Bibbs: I never have to worry about anything happening. I don't have to worry about getting shot up. It's always good vibes, good people, and good energy.

DJ Barrage: You're an MC, just use that. That's how you're going to control the crowd, be an MC. That's what got me talking on the microphone.