Come be yourself

click to enlarge PHOTO BY RUDY FABRE From left, DJ Duppyy and DJ Allan. Nightlife duo DJ Allan and DJ Duppyy projects a simple motto that says a lot about the parties they throw, whether it’s “R&B Night” or the more uptempo “Sultry Sounds” — on every promo is the phrase, “Come be yourself.” They embodied this ethos as they sat together in the second-floor seating area of Happy Gut Sanctuary in the High Falls neighborhood. The pair was good natured and relaxed as they explained the reasoning behind their mantra. “People come with a front — this tough-guy front, or ‘I’m cool’ front, ‘I’m the most beautiful in here’ front,’” Duppyy explained. “We want to deter that.” Duppyy, whose real name is J.J. Inthavong, recalled a night in 2016 when he walked out of a club to stray bullets flying after a celebration of life for a friend who was killed in an act of gun violence. No one was injured or killed that night, but it stuck in his mind as an example of the behavior he doesn’t want partygoers to bring to shows. DJ Allan, whose full name is Allan Johnson, agreed. “We don’t need people to...