- No Future is a new series of New York-based events run by a few of the DJs previously responsible for nights like Remedy and Divingstation.fm. An alliance between the two crews felt natural, and the launch party, fronted by Claude Young and The Bunker's Nihal Ramchandani, promised to be fun. Things didn't get going until around 3AM, when DJ Slip stepped up half-an-hour before schedule. He's a forgotten but storied figure from the city's hard techno and rave days with highly-rated releases on Kanzleramt, Music Man, Missile Records and more. And then sometime in the mid-00s, he all but disappeared from the scene.
With the party only slowly filling up, Slip's heavy, Storm Rave-like set felt out of place, but he still didn't deserve to be pulled after just 45 minutes. It was an unexpected move, and you could see Slip was as confused as anyone. Remedy resident Maroje T took over, opting for more palatable modern techno selections (which you could argue weren't a much better fit). Not yet 4 AM, most of the crowd was still yet to arrive, and though the resident slowly picked up the pace in anticipation of Claude Young, the changeover still felt abrupt.
Young is one of the world's most capable, and at times showy, DJs, whose style can veer from deep house to modern techno with ease. He was given a long set on the night, moving with purpose from a slew of Detroit classics into darker, harder fare. He showed reserve in his mixing befitting of the dark afterhours atmosphere, the uncommonly powerful system giving each of his selections the extra definition they deserved. Ramchandani, an acute young selector whose tastes surpass his age, had little trouble following up, pushing the party further into the abyss with acid until it was time to leave.
While there was plenty of brilliant music over the course of the night, it's difficult to ignore the DJ Slip issue. It's up to the promoters to consider what their artists might play, and curate the lineup accordingly. Had he been given the set after Young, there's no doubt his style would have gone down well with the lively, dedicated crowd. As is, it was an awkward moment during an otherwise well-run and enjoyable night.