Tag Archives: Treetops

Broke On Holiday: Independence Day 2015

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To-broke-for-a-vacation-ill-drink Another big ass American holiday has arrived, with you & I rocking thrift shop money in our pockets and a couple of days off. Instead of selling some plasma to hang out at a day club or sniping free drinks in the Hamptons, here are my quick picks that will leave you with scratch to buy lunch come Monday.

 July 2

EVOLVE has quietly become a force in the city. The consistent door busting Thursday night bar parties (and recent arrival at Cielo) are quality options, and I’ve sent many a confused/bored New Yorker to their events when they came to me, looking for a Thursday night. REsy & PONY are two of my favorite DJs, and watching them succeed from a comfy perch on the interwebs has been an absolute privilege. Bringing in Body Talk & Stephanie Blanding this week to give you even more firepower while you sip & nibble. Macao is a great spot downtown and it’s a free party just waiting for you.

July 3

Jay Hill is one of those DJs you really need to check out, but you’ve probably put off. If you’re still in the city this weekend, don’t. Wander over to the party, which is on West 14th, so you’ve got no lame train excuses either. The cosmopolitan, soulful vibes make for an amazing night. Trust, I’ve definitely lost track of the hours during one of her signature sets. Sheik & Beik know what they’re doing, especially when it comes to free parties.For fans of the heavier stuff, Slake has you covered. Drum & Bass has quietly crept back into the party universe, and on the 3rd, Seba of Secret Operations, Amit from Metalheadz & Ben Soundscape will be showing up. Throw in some local flavor from Matos + Lovelace & more, and you’ve got a proper evening of fast slow. It’s $15 before midnight, so get tickets or arrive early to keep it on the cheap side.
If you’ve got a couple more bucks in your pocket and you are looking for something even faster, Cielo’s got you. I can’t remember the last time psytrance was dropped in Cielo, so this might be a really special night. The Israeli psytrance group Coming Soon (yea, I know, I was confused too) does trippy, wonderful work, and on Cielo’s sound system, it’s going to be crazypants. It’s $25, but of course, it’s Cielo.

July 4 – Independence Day


This is my jam right here. It’s a little more pricey than anything on this list, but it’s all 2 parties in one. On days that are charging $80-120 for 4hrs of party, you’re getting 12hrs of party! One of the best nights this year so far, they’re back, in a new venue & bringing in some of my favorite music. PONY, the Donald of Deep House (only DJ on here twice), Dopeshoes, a local favorite, Teddy Roosevelt (best DJ name evar) are supporting a Eelke Kleijn & pair of Berlin starlets named Dan. I’m serious, Daniel Steinberg & Dan Caster are going to give you a shuffling, deep night to remember. This is my personal pick for the weekend.

July 5

If you’ve still got some life in you after the banging weekend there are a couple of day parties on the 5th for your review. Just tell them Terry Gotham sent you. Lucca Mentone & Raffel De Luca are two NYC based DJs that you’ve definitely heard if you’ve partied in SoHo, Meatpacking or the West Village. They inject global vibes into deep house and progressive in ways that I haven’t heard anywhere else in the world. Even the deep house in Prague was a less cosmopolitan. It’s free all day, with cheap mimosas, so get moving and put some brunch in your face.

What Lies Beneath: Treetops Shoots Through The Canopy.

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Treetops BannerI arrived as the rain began to fall on Grand Street. The not quite summer evening tried to bluster against my DanceSafe hoodie as I stood in line for Treetops. This blossom of an event looked healthy enough from the outside, so after being processed through Paper Box security, I grabbed a Tecate and said made my way through the thickening crowd. This was to be a different kind of party. Something with less pressure & pretentiousness. It had the feel of a throwback or anniversary event, even though it was the first of its kind. As I watched friends catch up on things without using Facebook, Pony’s deep house oozed through the main room.
Pony’s achieved the status where it doesn’t actually matter when he’s performing. Opening, closing, not a problem, there will be a dance floor. Even at bewitching hour between 11:45 & 1 AM, when every party in NYC somehow goes from empty to full. The Herald of House kept the crowd grooving, guiding their Friday night. The two room structure worked well, with DirtyDecibels pushing out some compelling dirty house while people still had room to move. After running into some more old friends and giving the dance floors a whirl, the open air space called to me.
The sets worked off each other and you could kind of still hear the main room, so going out to grab a smoke never represented too much of a threat to your groove.  I wanted to take a minute to give special kudos to Duane Harriott for his incredible set. Honestly, the side room from 1-3 was going off. I don’t ever hear competent fusion between hip hop, techno & tech house, but he was making it seem effortless. The room got down to it like this was a genre of music they listened to every weekend, like brolectro or top 40. The nuance associated with this sound isn’t basic, to say the least. I spent far too much time bobbing between his & the main room where Christian Martin was reminding everyone why they need to get their dirtybird BBQ tickets. This guy is known the world over for his techy but soulful signature house, and the crowd definitely agreed. DSC00976 The hour was upon us. Mat.Joe in the side room with The ScumFrog laying down main room muscle. I’m not going to get into the technical mastery Scumfrog brought, or how Mat.Joe kept the other room jumping until after last call. That’s something that should be self-evident if you’ve read this far. Hit up their various social medias to review their dopeness if you need a refresher. The skill emanating from both rooms was plain to see and people were hanging around later than you could most places that evening.  That’s right, because the L train was busted, The Paper Box was open until 5 just to keep the kids safe until the trains started running again.DSC00773 As I made my way to the door, I gave the room a once over and saw one of the producers doing what the best producers do. Crosschecking, roving, making sure everyone had a great time. We sure did man, can’t wait for the next one. In case you need further proof, check out this video shot by Jane Says Photography. That FOMO kick in yet? This is Terry Gotham, see you on the dance floor.

(Photos care of Jane Says Photography)

New Hotness: Treetops ft. The ScumFrog, Mat.Joe, PONY & More!

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(While my Attend feature is still your best place for the events you just can’t miss, I wanted to take a moment to showcase people starting something new. Starting a new party or dropping a new concept on Gotham is always difficult. So, a new column focused on the events taking their first steps. Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you, the New Hotness.)Treetops BannerTreetops is good for NYC. In a wholesome, quenching kind of way. The kind of relaxed vibe that these producers are going for is exact opposite of the mega-plumage that litters NYC scene. Run by two savvy luminaries, they’re bringing some whimsy & relaxed appreciation to the dance music scene here in NYC. To that end, they’re bringing a pile of talent, and telling you to wear your comfy shoes. Comfy everything in fact, as it’s about enjoying yourself with cool people & not popping bottlez while Instagramming your clubbe, bro. The Scumfrog has earned a reputation for excellence in the NYC House music community. I think I’ve seen him at 4, maybe 5 different venues? Each time it’s dope. This guy is a master at work, and I’ve listened to sets of his in Brooklyn, Baltimore, and flying over Bratislava. His April mix is a fantastic example of the smooth perfection of The Scumfrog. The dirtybird BBQ is a legend in its own right, and we were blessed to have one last summer. Christian Martin‘s posse showed up properly and the tech house, techno, dirty bass & minimal, almost acid vibe kicked off like you’d expect for a day party in Brooklyn with this level of talent. Listen to that set if you need a little more persuasion.  You know the tech house, deep house & techno is serious when there’s talent in from Berlin. They’re bringing Mat.Joe out from Deutcheland to add their soulful stylings to the roster. I’m a big fan of the sound Mat.Joe works in, a fusion of techno & hip hop essentially. There’s a lot of hit or miss work involving progressive & future bass melding with hip hop. This stuff definitely hits the mark. There’s a nice groove to the dance floor that I can’t wait to see when these two take control. PONY, what more can I say about the man. The Caliph of Crushing It is making this thing happen so I have a feeling his set is going to be quite interesting. If you’re a fan of his sets at I Feel or Evolve Thursdays @ Macao, definitely show up and compare. I bet he’ll save a couple of musical inside jokes just for you.  I am really digging this progressive tech house & hip hop vibe that Treetops is bringing to Brooklyn and showcasing Duane Harriott is a great choice. Dirty Decibels provides additional deep house related support, with some catchy, butt-shaking that still manages to stay surprisingly synthy at times. Bryan Cosgrove‘s grooves were a touch tough to find, but I found an eclectic set from a couple of years ago that I’m throwing in for free because I love you people.

With visuals by Levitation Theory and a Paper Box location, I think this event has all ticked all the right boxes. #Treetops has wings & you’re gonna want in on the ground floor. Get tickets here and show up on Facebook here. This is going to be a good night, and you’ll see me on the dance floor. Maybe I’ll see you.