Being my first House of Yes and Caravan Gitane party, I was pleasantly surprised with how this past Saturday night turned out. I usually don't stay out past 3:30am in my old age, and I was still moving at 5am.
I was prepped with the fact that it'd be in a massive warehouse (awesome) with a bunch of audio/video performances and interesting experiential activations (awesome), but I really had no idea what to expect… and it was so much more.
When you walked in there was a shrine of sorts, and some really cool decorations making it feel less like you walked into a club space, but more of a artist's playground. Dead center there were live performances going on all the way up to the top of the massive ceiling in 99 Scott Ave. People crowded around giving the performers space and gazing at the their flexibility and obvious lack of fear.
After I got comfortable and started to explore I noticed the sound system was exceptionally good for such a big place, and the space wasn't overpacked at all. It was a more mature crowd from what seemed like, bringing together free spirits from all walks of life. The best part of my night was that I was greeted with smiles, handshakes and just joy to be there for the art & music which seems to be a rarity these days in New York.
Down on the lower level, the space was transformed into what looked like a galactic trip with art by Gazoo ToTheMoon, and Leafar Legov spinning tunes after his opening live set in the main room.
In the main room each artist made their mark on stage in a seamless and cohesive mix of beats that kept the crowd moving late into the night. Miss Melera kicked it up a notch right before the headliner for the night came on to play his closing set.
At this point it's getting early into morning, around 3am, and honestly time has become a blur. The artists have taken me and the rest of the crowd on a journey. If anything, it's just heating up as anticipation builds for Max Cooper to take the stage and debut his audio/visual show.
Max takes the stage with an uplifting intro and insanely cool visuals playing behind him. Geometric shapes and abstract visuals flowing in and out of each other, it was hard not to stare, completely mesmerized by it. I'm not used to seeing visuals as a big and complimentary part of a DJ's set so this was a treat for me, and it really worked well as Max's music and visuals created one story together.
One thing is for sure, House of Yes and Caravan Gitane certainly know how to throw a party. On top of that, the music from these artists was absolutely amazing, the visuals were intense, new and refreshing, and the crowd was welcoming. I'll be looking forward to seeing more events from both of these event creators.
All photos by Dave Costantini
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