2025 Impresario
Robert Drake
For more than two decades, DJ Robert Drake turned his deep love of ’80s New Wave into communal celebration — most famously at his long-running Sex Dwarf dance party, where Depeche Mode, New Order, and Erasure reliably fill the floor. A WXPN mainstay, Drake also created the beloved 24-hour Christmas Eve broadcast “The Night Before,” co-founded Philly Loves Bowie Week, and hosts the enduring radio show Land of the Lost. At 62, he’s still spinning — always chasing that high of bringing people together through music. Read more in our Best of Philly spotlight.