- Believe it or not, warehouse raves in Brooklyn are actually hard to come by these days. While New York continues to book a variety of international talent that surrounding cities in the Northeast might not be able to afford, they're often housed in conventional venues such as Studio B, Public Assembly or Webster Hall. The community element that comes with warehouse territory is often spoken about in past tense. Enter Hell & Heaven—the 19th installment of ReSolute's reputable parties—which turned out to be a rebirth for many and a revelation for all.
In an event that lasted well over ten hours, the dichotomy of Darkness and Light were brought under one roof. Set in a true warehouse in the most industrial section of Bushwick, the building was divided into two main rooms. Heaven featured Mobilee owner Anja Schneider, one of the most hardworking women in techno, accompanied by Jeremy P. Caulfied (Dumb Unit) and ReSolute residents Elon and Connie. In the other room, Darkness was represented by New York's own John Selway, Gigolo's Peter Kruder and, finally, DJ Hell—the one and only Dominator—himself.
So how does one describe the greatest rave they've ever been to? In a city that has been needing a breath of fresh late night debauchery and electronic music mastery, Helmut Geier turned a lifeless building in the middle of nowhere into magic. While advertised as a costume party, there was a fair share of angels, demons and darkly-clad dancers and the visuals were a mixture of Tron and abstract art. Taking the stage around 5 AM after a spotless set by Kruder, Hell embraced the visuals, fire twirlers and interactive fans in the front, ending the crowd full-throttle into an undefeatable atmosphere of dark, hard techno. Though he's spent the last ten years at the forefront of the come-and-gone electroclash movement—wearing the international crown while Larry T kept it up in New York—Saturday was a return to the form that once again thrives in the Berlin concrete underbelly.
DJing for thirty years, Hell brought the dark side that he is loved for—tracks that reflect the feel of his new album, Teufelswerk, and his love for Chicago and Detroit-style house music. It was during these drops that the crowd went wild. Carl Craig's remix of "Drifting" by Glimpse sounded perfect against the cold concrete walls, and the Deetron remix of Chymera's "Sumatra" put everyone in an unrecognizable moment of time. With hands raised to the air in celebration, he carried on through the entire sunrise until we were all basking in light. The music took a lighter turn and the entirety of "Trompeta" marched us into the new day. It's likely that he would have kept going—how long had it been since he'd gripped a crowd like that? There was a religious unity in the air, and heads were still buzzing for more when Jeremy Caulfield and Elon took to the decks.
Hell is prepping for the release of his fourth album, Teufelswerk, which translates from German as "Devil's Work," and personally regards it as his greatest work yet. Much like Heaven & Hell's thematic aspirations, the record is divided into "Night" and "Day." The latter is an homage to the avant-garde Krautrock sound that Hell grew up with, while the darker disc is comprised of eight tracks that will mark a triumphant return for the Dominator. His headlining set at ReSolute's Hell & Heaven was, as you might expect, reflective of the "Night" collection: His collaboration with P. Diddy, "The DJ," was played after sunrise—an homage to the Afterhours (with a capital A) disciples that keep dancing past the 24 hour mark. Overall, the set was a taste of what is to come. The event and album are evidence of a man that plans to sustain his legendary status as one of the world's most famous DJ/producers.