#2 __ more than just music

You know that thing people do when they’re picking seats in a public space? In a restaurant, on the subway, at a park — most people will pick the spot that’s equidistant from any other person (all other factors beings equal). Part of what I love about the dance floor is that it’s a place where we actively shun that instinct. Music is so compelling that even the most awkward and antisocial among us will squeeze into a writhing mass of human beings just to fully experience the sound.

This social component of music is everything, to me. As I reflect on the parties that meant the most to me, that seared themselves into my memory, they all had strong moments of human connection. Warmth given and received on the dance floor; chance encounters with fascinating and unique people while sharing a cigarette or waiting in line for the bathroom.

My Friday night at Cipher had a few such moments. It was a small rave — a simple warehouse, two sets of track lights behind the DJ, but the music was exactly what I’d hoped for — deep, melodic, hypnotic the whole night through. There wasn’t a lot of variation, but that was okay — it was exactly what I was looking for. I had a few short but lovely interactions with regulars I’ve encountered at Bossa. Volvox was waiting behind me in the line for the bathroom and like a flatulent schoolboy I told her I loved her and thanked her for her work before immediately fleeing into the bathroom.

It’s taken me a while to understand that not all parties are fostering these moments of connection. You can still find them if you try hard enough, but it’s almost in spite of the party, rather than because of it. Which brings me to my Saturday night at Gravitational Collapse, which is part of the Alkhemy / Black Hole hard techno series. Black Hole specializes in the hardest techno — it’s the loudest and most aggressive I’ve encountered. It’s not the fastest or even the most intense, but the vibe of the music is always harsher, edgier than typical industrial music.

I’ve always been drawn to The Black Hole parties because they’re filled with great people dancing hard, and that was one of my early metrics for a good crowd. I hated seeing people standing still, staring at their phones on the dance floor. Total vibe-killer. It was a wonderful discovery, back in the beginning. I adore the music, the lights are always amazing, the organizers are wonderful and awesome people — so in theory this should surely be a winner for what I’m after.

But again and again, I find myself walking away from these parties unfulfilled. This is the sixth of these parties I’ve gone to, and five of them ended in varying degrees of dissatisfaction. Why? What’s missing? How can I love this music so much yet feel so empty afterwards?

It’s that social component. I’ve rarely had a meaningful dance floor interaction at Black Hole. Something about this party leads to a rigid structure to the dance floor. People get into formation, equally spaced, everyone facing towards the DJ. And there they stay. People don’t smile at each other, or compliment one another, or really even acknowledge each other. For the most part, people seem to be there to have their own, individual experiences.

There’s nothing wrong with that. But for me? Dancing is fundamentally performative. I dance my hardest when I know I’m being watched. I do this to see and be seen, to express myself to other people, to witness the personality and creativity others can bring into these spaces. I’ve heard some people say that this is just how techno is — but that hasn’t been my experience at many parties. Unter, Nails & Wax, The Bunker, SEQUENCE — all had excellent vibes with lots of interaction.

I don’t know whether it’s the genre, the venues, or the mixing that build this particular atmosphere at Alkhemy parties, but the experience here is too consistent to ignore. I did have some extenuating factors this night — my leg cramped up right as I hit my dance flow, I got tinnitus, and a couple drunk dudes bumbled through at inopportune moments. But these factors don’t feel as significant, in retrospect. What sticks with me is that social void.

So I’ll be trying something completely different this weekend. It’s been a while since I branched out, and it remains my goal to become acquainted with every corner of the dance scene in this city.

This appears to be a drum’n’bass party. I don’t know the organizers, the venue, the artists, the crowd, or anyone that’s going. But this goddamn venue looks fucking amazing. The downside: it’s in Manhattan and tickets are $50. It’s been a while since I dropped that much on a party, but my instincts are giving me good vibes on this.

If you haven’t heard DnB before, depending on the flavor, it can be a rather chill experience, or it can be closer to more hardcore forms of dance music, surging to 180+ beats per minute during breakdowns. I suspect this night will run the full gamut, based on what I hear from the artists.

Friday night I’ll be at Bossa. Sunday afternoon, depending on how my legs are doing, I’ll be at Mr Sunday.

A brief note on ear protection

I gave myself a righteous scare this weekend over tinnitus. I always wear ear plugs, but even the best plugs will only attenuate 20–30 dB of sound. Planting myself in front of the speaker I was probably getting blasted with 110+ dB. Ear damage starts at around 85 dB.

As soon as I got home I realized how badly my ear was ringing more than ever before, and I felt this immediate dread. Two days later it’s still ringing, which means I’ve definitely done permanent damage. It does seem to be recovering, but I feel a bit sad knowing I’ve lost some acuity because of thirty minutes I spent too close to a speaker.

So please, for the love of god, if you do this with any regularity, get ear plugs. I’ll be buying custom moulded plugs soon because mine tend to slip out over time, but thus far they’ve been really great. They don’t interfere with conversation or hinder the quality of the sound much at all. I’d also recommend this great RA article exploring the issue of ear protection and tinnitus.

Previous issues

1. art of the promo
2. launch

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