Bender | Terry Gotham

I really had no idea how it had happened. The night before Above & Beyond’s sold out Group Therapy 100 at MSG, I found myself hanging out with the producers of my favorite new production team, InDeep, in the coat room of an urban queer friendly funky house music party on the 3rd floor of Slake. We were there celebrating the arrival of InDeep Events to Gotham. After rocking events in LA & Denver, they’ve started making waves here in NYC. While dumb people were nervous about how popular the smooth, meditative vibes that Bender & Matt Lange create, I knew the night was going to be incredible. I love being right.

After making our way downstairs from the dope party happening in the Red Room, we found ourselves floating in the delightful multi-genre set by Cameron Kush, one of the resident warriors here in the NYC local scene. He, Alex English & DJ Dali are the best DJs you never notice on the fliers for shows you go to. They are the ones warming you up, keeping you going, and putting music into your face that you’d never come across. Nothing but love for these Bass Sentinels. Cameron Kush pulled in electro, progressive, jacking house, and fluidly switched into UK bass that smelled strongly of Future Garage to some of the more international listeners. A gorgeous set front to back, I could do nothing but congratulate him when he finished. After turning the decks over to Bender, my crew and I were exceptionally excited. The place had filled out nicely with Slake attendees that had shown up to other parties were slowly migrating over to the mainstage just because it sounded like a dope party. Bender’s set ensured anyone in the room that didn’t think so changed their minds immediately. There was a mastery & comfort behind the decks that I didn’t expect, but was a welcome sight. The effortless & almost hypnotic deep house vibes that he was pushing out started to attract people from the hip hop party happening in the next room, which is always a good sign.

You couldn’t see any drunk bros in the crowd, and I can’t say I’d seen any obnoxious hitting on/asshattery either. The vibe was reverent, especailly as Matt Lange took the stage. The AnjunaBeats Lieutenant gave us hope for the future. I’ve always been a particular fan of Matt Lange’s approach to deep house, as it feels very respectful of the artists & sounds that have come before him. The mix was a soulful journey that included some NYC specific tracks that some of the more seasoned vets in the crowd tipped our hats to. The bar was mobbed, the dance floor was packed, and you could see that even people on the 3rd floor had started to filter down into the space. The slow consumption of other dance floors is a hallmark of the NYC club era, with multiple floors & scenes in a single place. Sometimes however, quality is recognized and people flock. The track below is one of my favorite and the one below that is a mix that shows what the guy is capable of.

A great time was had by all. Amazing effort by InDeep Events on their first East Coast event. Here’s to hoping it’s the beginning of a beautiful friendship. (Photos by Kat Gallagher with permission from InDeep Events)

I have been waiting for something like this to happen for years. Slake is such a fantastic venue for showcasting the best in different genres of music, with Above & Beyond coming in, I know what I’m doing the night before. ANJUNABEATS HO!

Matt Lange has been one of the AnjunaBeats institutions I’ve tracked for years. The smooth complexity of his beats have a depth & lush richness that is hard to describe until you’re surrounded by it. The AnjunaBeats vibe is one I’ve been hoping would come to NYC since I discovered the label after being young and stupid and mistaking them for Armada in a YouTube search years ago. Best mistake ever. Slake has been on fire lately, bringing the best artists out before they blow up. To get my euphoric AnjunaDeep feel down at a club a couple of blocks from the Empire State building? Yes please.

The local fire that is Bender will be holding it down in support as well. There’s a playful, almost Loki-esque vibe with the house coming out of this guy. Don’t let it fool you though, there’s a deep iceberg of quality selection, mixing skills and crowd reading under the seemingly youthful exterior. Bringing a local DJ on to support Matt Lange is the right move, especially considering the terrible habit of headliners bringing their own support acts. While I’m always glad to see new talent from different places, there are piles of local DJs who deserve the spotlight and Bender is at the top of this Tri-State area list.

Cameron Kush has become synonymous with Slake, More Fridays & Tech Noir Saturdays in the same way Alex English is now a household name in households that love dubstep, electro, UK bass & future garage. The dude’s command of bass, trap, electrostep and whatever else he ‘s rocking out to that week will bring us in right. The resident is definitely a name to watch here in the city, and if you don’t believe me, check out the mix above from Slake. This looks to be a great night and a wonderful overture to Above & Beyond Group Therapy 100.

Get tickets here!