With summer creeping up on us, event producers have begun to come out of hibernation, yawning & flexing their dope party muscles. The Day-into-Night party is one of those things NYC club kids & burners look forward to all year. I managed to find a day-into-night event for you Saturday, showcasing a new Bushwick space that includes a big backyard and cavernous dance floors, for under 70 bucks.
I was lucky enough to speak to some emerging talent by the name of The New Tarot recently. Always a fan of lady-fronted acts, this one took me by surprise. There’s a bit of melancholy, a bit of indie, a bit of alternative and a whole lot of rock here. Take a listen, you might be surprised when you see them on the lineup at Gov Ball 2017. If you can’t wait for that, head to Le Poisson Rouge on March 26th to catch them live. )
1. How is Brooklyn treating you? Are the reports of the death of the borough greatly exaggerated?
Brooklyn is awash with the prickly pine cactus leaves of February’s desert – chewed up pine needles, sticking like burrs to the bottom of bored, lavished tongues lashing out
2. Now that you’ve got a supporting cast of musicians, do you ever mix up performing/production duties, or are your roles pretty fixed from tune to tune?
Our roles are pretty snug, but there’s plenty of room to grow. I hope we’re a great production team one day; right now recording the shit we hear in our heads is our music school and every time we walk in the studio or into a gig, we’re there to grow and to learn. Maybe that’s why we haven’t released a full length yet; we’ve been focused on the quizzes, and, yeah it’s about time to take the test.
.gif by Daniel Montuoro
“Oh yea, Troutman is right over there,” a young, slick gentleman told me, who was walking the same direction. I’d gotten turned around, and as the mind goes when you get older, he directed me in the right way to Lot 45. There was a tech house party for me to get to, and with the ambient explosions, I didn’t want to end up lost and get blown away by an errant Roman candle. The magistrate of massive bass himself, DJ Pony, was in the final moments of his set as I slid through the doors, so instead of making the rounds & saying hi to people, I ducked into a dark corner and jammed out to the precious last minutes of the deep dopeness. Deep dopeness isn’t a thing, but we can pretend. It’s one of those freedoms guaranteed to us by the founding father somethings. This also gave me the freedom to gawk at the utterly gorgeous visual art by Levitation Theory. This kind of projection was fantastic. If you don’t believe me, just check this out.
.gif by Daniel Montuoro
Yes, it was that bonkers all night. And it didn’t just stay looking like psychedelic eye candy, there was a significant amount of imagery that gave the mind something to play with as well. Watching a DJ from Berlin drop dope tech house while seeing plastic army men rotate on an American Flag backdrop was enough. Even the biggest partier probably took a seat and thought about the meaning of freedom at least once in the night. Even if it was waiting on line for the bar, the modern unisex WC bathrooms or the food truck! That’s right. I got a delicious burger and hand cut fries while I listened to Dan Caster tear shit up. Lot 45 was unique in that it had a decently sized dance floor, a bunch of couches AND a chill space outside with more seating, food and a separate smoking area. While all of this seems a little extravagant, it had this very understated feel to it. The couches were comfortable and 2nd hand while the music was minimal, but utterly perfect for the venue. The population was dense but never packed or oppressive. I didn’t see a single instance of groping, grinding, bro stupidity, pretentious Berghain refrencing, or overdone costumes. There were people dressed in Freedom (take that however you’d like, what you’re imagining was probably there) for the event, but there was also an Owl mascot costume. I’m not kidding, here’s proof.
While we all enjoyed the spectacle and the dance floor, we all knew why we were here. Treetops had brought over some of the best talent out there and Eelke Kleijn had people tittering 5 minutes in. I haven’t seen people titter in years. There were girls skipping onto the dance floor holding streamers, while fireworks went off in the background. How’s that for a Freedom set? 
Eelke Kleijn had been given room to work. Freedom to stretch his wings & walk around. His hard-hitting fusion of progressive, techno & house elements was staggering. The room was throbbing with energy and the set was way, way better than I had any right to experience., Treetops gave him an extended set so his mastery of the medium really came through. If you were somewhere boring like the Hamptons or the Jersey Shore (for shame) and didn’t hear this, I am sad for your ears & serotonin receptors. They would’ve liked this quite a bit. To get a taste of it, check out his podcast, Outside the Box. He just finished his 100th episode, so now you’ve got taste & round numbers to motivate you to listen to it.
I had to be up the next day so I missed the closing act, Teddy Roosevelt. I know, that makes me sound like a terrible American. Which, for missing this guy’s set, I totally am. Here’s just a taste of this dude’s power (don’t worry, he’s nowhere near his final form) and get excited for the next Treetops event after the burn.
This is Terry Gotham, see you on the American dance floor.
Photos by the Irrepressible Daniel Montuoro
You don’t hear this kind of sound too often outside of Who’s Afraid Of 138 & BlkMarket Membership events. This ethereal, almost psychedelic remix of Ayesha Adamo‘s new single Midnight Elite. This is a totally indie, underground producer here in Brooklyn who spent some time in China before triumphantly returning. I’ve had the privilege of booking her to perform a couple of times where she’s repeatedly a crowd favorite. You know you’ve made the right decision when dozens of people ask for her booking information 15min into the set. She managed to tape this video herself, showing that in today’s economy, you have to wear a thousand different hats. Getting back to the tune, the production value is solid, as is the heavy, drawn out remix ambiance. If you’re into it, check out the whole remix package on Beatport. And, because she’s so dope, here’s a DJ mix she did for Winter Music Conference a couple of months back, giving you another facet of her competence. Enjoy!
I posted a Facebook status about this a little bit ago, but I wanted to make sure to go on the record noting this has happened. This is a dance remix of a track specifically mentioning Bed Stuy, or Bedford Stuyvesant, one of the battlegrounds of gentrification in BK these days. So, I really like the progressive remix that’s going on here, and it, like the lyrics feel very new and 21st century. It, in my opinion is far superior to the original. The pop track that was remixed has a cool music video, I only have one problem with it being associated with the song. It’s shot entirely in a place with palm trees & empty pools for skateboarding in. That would be LA, not NYC. Guys, I’m all for name dropping the dope parties you’ve been to, but can we at least get a little accuracy in out shoots? The original video is below. Do you think I’m just ranting? Tell me off in the comments if so.
Miss Sabado is incredible. That’s as simple as I can put it. I’ve never really experienced someone like her, whether behind the decks, in casual conversation, or when she’s feeding a room full of people she cares about. A model by day & DJ by night, this best coast transplant is one of those success stories NYC is known for throughout the world. She threw her own series of parties a little while back, a relaxed affair at a few of the more obscure bars & basements in the city. There were a couple of really good nights there, with fashion forward people dancing to exotic & skillfully arranged beats, while sipping on good wine until late in the evening. I’ve been at a party of hers that was standing room only, and when I was one of a dozen on the floor early in the night. Much respect for this lady DJ, and Resident Advisor agrees with me.
I’ve highlighted two of her most recent mixes to give you over 2hrs of ear time with Miss Sabado. Her global yet understated take on deep & tech house is something that we’re only just starting to hear more of in Brooklyn over the last 6 months. Guess who has been on that tip for longer than tropical house has been a genre? I highly encourage signing up for her newsletter as well because if you do, then when you get the new mixes & gig information, it also comes with what’s below. You’re welcome. Check her out and you’ll be as captivated by her work as I was.
After a month off, my companion & I hugged the door lady, a delightful lightworker & old friend of mine. The bass leaked through the space as we exchanged coats for drinks, taking it all in. I FEEL has come into its own, as my previous notes on them reflect, and it was nice to see the space/community & execution becoming mature so much that it’s commonplace and the people running the show are smiling, enjoying themselves and mingling with their attendees. Everyone knew what they were there for and they were getting it in spades. Sexy, sexy spades.
This was the month where the I FEEL community really cut loose. The theme ensured a dance floor filled with leather, lace, masks, tight pants, tighter corsets & an entire wardrobe of inappropriate clothing. This would’ve made for a delightful event in and of itself, but then the music. Oh my stars, the wonderful music. After consuming our drinks, making the rounds and being only slightly disappointed the X-frame & the St. Andrew’s Cross weren’t getting active use (hey, those parties are out there, don’t judge), we nestled into the dance floor with our people. The musicvibe swirled around as Holosound‘s set crescendo’d. Holosound had been building the energy ever so subtly since we arrived and the dance floor was so excited to see where the night headed. Especially the last half of his set seemed to be one huge song, and 55min in, the serotonin was hard to refuse, as we all lifted with him.
Music, laughter and fun, spontaneously. Without profit, started by someone playful and childish. Williamsburg glimmers with hope perhaps, and kudos for people dancing to the Grateful Dead. I’m not the biggest Deadhead, but jam band stuff works on a subway. The kid certainly didn’t need to be told what to do.
If you missed my Glitch Mob, Chrome Sparks & M Machine review, here’s a little taste of what the kids from Brooklyn that make up Chrome Sparks are capable of. This is off of a neat little EP they dropped called Goddess, onthe future classic label. The indietronica vibes are strong on this one, while they keep it delightfully ethereal. I think this kind of feeling will find a great home in a more cinematic setting, especially as film continues to incorporate Brooklyn sounds into (hopefully) the burgeoning Brooklyn film industry. 4min 20 sec in the vibe fattens out and provides some interesting synth that borders on psy without getting too crazy. A great little tune start to finish, and makes me even more excited for them to get back to doing shows along the L line.
1. How is 2014 ending out for you? Any crazy summer stories or projects started early on that are coming along nicely? I don’t even know where I could possibly begin. There’s so much going on right now, I have so much music about to come out. I have a television show in development with Red Bull, a lot of things.
Terry Gotham 