I’d not been out to an I Feel Party in a couple of months, but there I was, in the middle of a packed dancefloor, significantly earlier in the evening than I thought I would be, dressed in some of my better Middle Eastern finery. Their rotating concept/theme wheel had landed on “Magic Carpet Ride” an amalagam of various Middle Eastern & Arabic motifs. Any concern I had that this was going to be the Arabic equivalent of blonde chicks at Coachella in War Bonnets, was swept away the moment I entered. The music pulled me towards the depths of the floor, in front of their increasingly impressive LED & lighting work. The raw Brooklyn space had been wrought into a moderately decorated floor & hallway, which led to an outdoor hookah lounge/chill space and a massive outdoor area for smoking and hanging around. This is probably one of the greatest things I’ve seen in Brooklyn parties all year. The cafeteria like space had additional space for hookahs, and bathrooms as far away from the dance floor as possible. This kept the lines away from the enclosed space in addition to forcing ou to run into cool people you knew & hot people you didn’t. I really liked this venue for exactly this reason. There was light so super fucked up people were seen as such, forcing a more lucid/active interaction that I was really enjoying. Real conversation, at conversation volume level speaking, who’da thunk it. As I hung out with people I’d not seen in months, the hypnotic nature of the bass slowly drew me back in to the space for good or for ill. The floor throbbed all night. The music was fantastic, and I have to say, I’ve been digging the sound Pony has been curating over the months at I Feel events. It takes time, taste & refinement to cultivate a sound you become known for. They definitely have here.
They’ve come a long way from throwing things at the now-closed Tammany Hall. This spot had a soundscape for hours. It didn’t quit, it didn’t drop and it kept the fashionably costumed attendees moving. Nothing too frenetic, lots of depth, sexiness and a cosmopolitan vibe. Elements from a dozen cultures were pulled into the mix over the hours I stayed. Just in case the music couldn’t get sexier, or deeper, there was a sexy sax accompanying Pony. A real life, on the stage next to the booth sexy sax. This was at 5 AM, that’s right folks, this thing went late. And we were all better for it. I could go on, but really, you just had to be there. There’s another one coming around soon, who knows you might even see me there failing at doing The Robot in celebration of their Living Toy theme.

(Photos by Daniel Montuoro)