- Now is a challenging time to promote underground techno parties in New York. The scene is growing rapidly and there are a lot of events using what sometimes feels like similar ideas. The audience isn't growing in tandem with the amount of parties, leaving promoters to fight for scraps. From this arises a tribalism familiar to the city but frustrating in its tendency to prevent certain larger-scale events from taking off. Established promoters and clubs, many of whom have entered a period of conservatism or commercialism, aren't helping the cause, beckoning flocks of EDM-hungry punters unfamiliar with the more artistic side of the scene.
Both The Long Count and Lost Soul Enterprises have been around for some time, but they have operated on a small, 200-capacity scale for the most part. The occasional party takes place in a loft or intimate warehouse space, but mostly they're run out of bars. Their first two collaborative Closed Circuit events didn’t stretch far beyond this, so it was exciting to see them increase their ambitions with a hefty underground lineup featuring Ekman, Svengalisghost, SSPS, new live duo Appetite and a clutch of local and resident DJs on support.
The night got off to a brisk start as resident Blacklauren opened to a rapidly-filling room, foggy with smoke. Appetite went next with a live set of brutal industrialisms and performance art. One member was tied up in bondage ropes and led back out into the crowd before violently spewing into a bowl onstage with a contact microphone in her mouth. Distorted rumblings and drum machines accompanied the pantomime. It was a good lead-in for Alex From Queens, who segued into an acid and EBM-laced set featuring cuts from Charles Manier. Not long after, the night was suddenly and frustratingly interrupted by the NYPD, who shut the party down.
Thanks to quick improvisational skills and a bit of good luck, the promoters arranged a re-do the following night at Good Room, a relatively new (and quite large) club in Greenpoint that has been building a presence for its smart programming. But partying on Sunday nights isn't a big thing in New York. Even though they were honoring pre-sales and the previous night’s paid admissions, and only charging $5 to newcomers, the makeup event got off to a slow start. Opening DJs Peter Fonda and Alex From Queens played to a room that never felt more than half-full. Things were at their best and busiest for SSPS and Svengalisghost's live sets. SSPS kept things dark, heavy and slow, intensely hunched over his guitar and racks of synthesizers and boxes. Svengalisghost was ferocious, dancing maniacally and screaming into a microphone as he assaulted the moderately-filled room with a performance that was the jagged peak of the night.
Against this intensity, Ekman seemed to struggle slightly, playing just over an hour of searing, computer-based acid and ragged techno that felt too fast for the waning, work-wary audience in front of him. By the time resident Richard Gamble came on to close, things were quickly thinning out, but it was impossible to fault the promoters for their efforts or dedication to the cause. The event vividly illustrated the various struggles underground promoters and artists face when putting on events in New York today, though venues like Good Room suggest the situation may be slowly changing. The NYPD shut down a show that was shaping up to be one of the most memorable in some time. As well-intentioned as the follow-up was, the promoters simply couldn’t recover that momentum.