#9 __ dead parties

If a DJ plays to an empty room, do the speakers still make noise?

Sorry. I’m awful.

To my left, there is no one. To my right, there is a a bartender talking to the sound guy. Behind me, leaning against the wall, is the promoter and another DJ that will be playing soon. The music is exquisite, but I am basically wearing the world’s most expensive headphones. Surrounded by thousands of dollars of premium sound and lighting equipment, all the sonic effort of a world-class DJ focused on…me.

Does the DJ even see me? The light from the decks are bright and it’s dark out here. Maybe she’s just playing for herself, because why should she worry what one or two people think about her set? The lighting guy seems to be pressing buttons, but damm if I can’t tell the difference because it’s been on the same oscillating red pattern for a few minutes now.

Off the dance floor, the bartender is on his phone and there’s two dudes making out in a corner. Outside, the previous DJ is downing her free drinks and a photographer hired by Red Bull (who apparently sponsored this party, I discovered after the fact) is on her phone.

It becomes a time to meditate and ponder. I let my mind wander and question all the details of this experience. I test the quality of sound in every coordinate of the space. I experiment with different styles of movements and aim to predict each transition. I try to time my movements with the lights. I think about what I might have spent my day doing otherwise.

I conclude that this is truly my sanctuary. Even on my own, I feel a sense of belonging, a warm affinity. I wish there were more people here to honor the skill on display, but I recognize this as an exception. At moments I wonder if this indicates that techno has reached the limits of its popularity, whether there are too many parties stretching the available attendees too thin. I conclude that this is an irrelevant question; there will always be dead parties. If there is not enough interest, then I should seek to change that.

This was my Saturday at Three Dollar Bill. I saw it through because the music was consistently great and I was showing my support for the people in this community I see doing excellent work. I wanted to commiserate with the promoter — what is it like to spend such a length of time in an unfulfilled space?

The answer: it is bizarre. Hours on the dance floor by myself. I gave every DJ my best effort, because I felt that none of them deserved to play for an empty room. I made it a kind of personal mission to justify their presence. I still felt absurd. I can practically feel the raw monetary cost of this experience with each passing second.

As silly as it feels to carry on in such conditions, the show must go on. The party could turn at any moment. You never know when a flood of people will materialize. So everyone waits, and hopes.

But the moment never comes. It takes a while to realize it’s not happening, because nearly every party starts out empty. That arc from empty to packed to the core group remaining at the end is a thing of beauty, one of the universal joys in throwing or attending a party. Without that narrative arc, the party is like a pleasant waiting room. That initial anticipation at the beginning morphs into nervous hope, then into a bit of bargaining (surely after midnight it’ll pick up), until finally, resignation that it’s just not going to happen.

On the upshot, it’s an opportunity to meet the people that make these events happen. I got to talk to one of my favorite DJs, Antenes, an absolute delight. I spoke to the lighting guy, who spilled salacious gossip and fun details about how the lighting rig is run. It left me feeling closer and more connected to this community I so adore.

Thank you so much for reading.

This Friday I’ll be raving with Lost Soul again. Should be a proper warehouse party. I saw Aquarian at Bossa a few weeks ago and he played some incredible industrial, so I’m expecting it to be on the heavier side of techno.

Saturday I may go back to Elsewhere for another edition of Bound. The lineup here is bonkers, but each time I go to Elsewhere, the less enthused I am about the space.

Previous issues

• energy
• the vibe
• how to enjoy dance music
• the derelict ship rave
• crowd dynamics
• the bass party
• more than just music
• art of the promo
• launch

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