Photo credit: Treether on Flickr
My friend Tyler and I enjoyed a dinner at Uva on Thursday night, then raided his closet for his evening outfit that could only be described as most Berlin-esque what with a neon yellow t-shirt with some sort of assymetrical hem, black military pants with a green stripe down the lengths, pointed toe sneaker boots, hooded sweatshirt and tote. I always have fun with this type of comical, human paper doll theater since my routine is fairly simple: dirty vs. clean. Plus, there's the added benefit of getting to watch a male specimen undress sans the sexual tension!
We popped into his art studio for a bit which happened to be on the same block as one of the many MTV VMA afterparties taking place that night, so we were immediately approached by security and had to request permission to access the entrance of the building. Slightly absurd to assume we were party crashers amongst all the hooker heels and bling, but I guess anything's possible on an awards night. Inside, we lost track of time to spraypaint fumes, coffee and futon chatter before making it to Hiro across the street a little before 1AM. The line was tolerable, a few drunk and obnoxious people who I could only assume were VMA afterparty rejects and us attempting to purge our tickets at $15 a piece once I figured out how to get in for free. Just drop the name of any Cheeky Bastard party host!
We made it in right on time, just as Ellen Allien and Apparat went on, but I was too distracted by how massive the crowd was. My initial naive reaction, "I can't believe how many fans they have here"! But as we made our way through to secure ourselves a spot not too far from the stage, I realized most of the people behind us weren't dancing, nor were they really paying attention to what was going on. A few head bobs and raised glasses here and there, no doubt, but the response felt more Pavlovian, a learned behavior to move to the ooonst-ooonst beat.
I'm not one for handpicked crowds but it just seemed like the wrong venue, the wrong night, the wrong timing (I couldn't help but wonder what was going on at the Ed Banger showcase downtown). We danced anyway, sometimes with eyes closed and oblivious to those around, and didn't stop moving until the set ended somewhat prematurely, a good 40 minutes later perhaps. There were some prize moments nonetheless, mainly when Ellen grabbed the mic for "Magma" and "Way Out". Still, there was just something missing. This electronically charged atmosphere I was anticipating turned out to be smokey, dank and languid at best.
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Sounds like something special ellen doing magma live i will be seeing her in oct for ilovetechno which i cant wait for ,sounds like it should have been in a smaller more intamate venue to really get the full effect of the wonderfull electronic music they produce
dunno what show you were at but from where i was... the crowd was jumping up and down and singing along.
i was standing about 12 rows of people back from everyone. the people closest to the stage that were dancing and singing don't constitute the entire crowd. so i beg to differ. big deal.
actually i was standing in the middle about 10 feet in front of the bathroom entrance in the back.
people were standing on those little tables and "couches"
also the place was packed so i guess it was difficult to dance in some areas.
should have been at Open Air NYC 2001. 150 people rammed Ellen & Sascha's first performance in NYC.
insane.
yeah, i noticed that too. but it seemed as though everyone i was in line with outside had no idea what was going on inside. granted everyone was dancing, but.. i guess i was just expecting something more. i'm totally spoiled by having gone to crazed techno parties abroad. the vibe just feels different to me. but you know, can't expect much. nyc is not berlin afterall.