Mark E in New York

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  • The Mister Saturday Night duo of Eamon Harkin and Justin Carter have been successfully hosting club events in New York for a number of years now. Their parties eschew normal clubs, fancy visuals, and appealing to trendy crowds, and instead put on reputable DJs in welcoming spaces with great sound and a loyal following of reassuringly normal punters. This is exactly what happened at the most recent event Mister Sunday one frigid December evening in Brooklyn. The setting was 12 Turn 13, an unmarked loft in Brooklyn's Clinton Hill neighborhood that retains a cozy feel despite its large open plan layout and adjacent roof deck. House-N-Home, a sorely missed party, used to occupy this hidden gem on Classon Avenue, and thankfully the Mister Saturday Night duo has continued to bring quality DJs to play under its sprawling beams. The venue's sound system is adequately reinforced, drinks are affordable and the crowd is of the typical Mister Saturday Night down-to-earth breed. As such, it provided a perfect backdrop for the laidback looping grooves and disco-tinged house of Birmingham producer, DJ and label owner, Mark E. The first thing I heard from resident Justin Carter upon entering was Maurice Donovan's highly addictive Chicago house drum plonks being mixed into uplifting Salsoul-style disco. After a solid fifteen minutes of loft-inspired cuts, Mark E came on to a loud reception and, after a two-second pause, shifted gears straight into peak-time with high energy house music. JohNick's conga and string-infused "Play the World" was soon rinsed, with Mark E continuing on this party tip for the rest of the set while looking absolutely delighted to be doing so. The relaxed warmth of his track selection permeated the entire venue—everyone seemed to be imbibing and thoroughly enjoying themselves while staying on the jolly side of messy. Throughout the next two hours Mark E played to his audience by expertly mixing mostly '90s jams from the likes of Roy Davis Jr, Crime and Thee Maddkatt Courtship alongside some occasional offerings from the past few years. The combination of the friendly crowd, unpretentious loft space and classic tunes meant the atmosphere was more like a house party than a typical night club. As Mark E smiled and graciously moved aside to another chorus of handclaps upon the close of his set, Eamon Harkin firmly stated the party wasn't over yet via Cerrone's anthem and guiltless guilty pleasure, "Supernature." Moments later Late Nite Tuff Guy's "I Get Deeper" dictated the direction of the rest of his closing set and the room remained solidly half-filled until we stumbled out into the Brooklyn winter shortly before sunrise.
RA