- My last visit to Crobar turned out to be a less than pleasant one. I never thought that I would go back as it really left a bad taste in my mouth. However, the more I thought it over, I came to the realization that it really only was one guy that ruined my experience. Sure, he did a fantastic job of it, but I decided that over the past couple of years the staff at Crobar have been nothing but professional. So, last Friday I had a few friends in from out of town and I decided that it was time to give it another go. Sasha was ending this year’s abbreviated edition of his Fundacion residency, and Satoshi Tomiie was making a rare NYC appearance.
Without detailing all of the back story, I am certainly glad that I went to back to W. 28th street. Although the guy that burned me last time was still working the door, the gentleman I encountered was really a nice fellow. My friends and I got in rather quickly and found our place for the night. The main room was heaving with people when we got there and the punters were certainly ready to party. Satoshi had the room rocking and although it was still rather early on in the evening, everyone was dancing and the hands were firmly up in the air. With everyone seeming to be “too cool to have fun” these days, it really turned out to be a refreshing sight. Satoshi did not necessarily play a warm-up, but he never let things get too out of control. He kept the tempo at a good pace and let the residents of New York know why he is in such demand around the globe.
Sasha came on for his first set (more on that in a bit) around 2:30. He always seems to bring out his best in New York and he did not disappoint during his first hour. It is readily apparent that he is fully in command of the software and his Maven controller (although word is that the next edition is soon to be out). The Welshman really had the audience rolling, the only problem occurred when he stopped and let the untalented half of U.N.K.L.E. take over, James Lavelle. I suppose he keeps getting booked because he’s mates with Sasha, but he really wrecks the night for me. First, he cannot mix. Second, he has no structure to his sets. Third, he smokes too much. Admittedly, that is not usually a problem, but he is always lighting a new cigarette, which has to take away from concentrating on (his attempt at) DJing! It just really wrecks the night when a DJ that you do not like is playing most of the peak time slot. The rest of the crowd seemed to be of a like mind as the attendance thinned considerably during his 90 minutes at the helm.
However, Sasha did return around 5 am with a mash-up of some of his Airdrawndagger tunes. He was definitely feeling it, however some of the people I was with were not. The extended Lavelle “set” added to the general weariness of travel brought our night to an end. Although, I must say Sasha was winding up for some dance floor mayhem!
I am glad that I returned to Crobar. My faith in the club has been restored and I did enjoy myself- not even Lavelle could ruin my good time (although it did dim it a bit). It is a shame that Sasha will not be back until next year!