- After a decade in the game, the Boston event waves goodbye with a rip-roaring finale.
- Now in its tenth and final year, Together Festival has helped put one of America's most overlooked cities on the dance music map. Along with its weekly counterpart Make It New, it turned Boston into a crucial stop for international DJs, some of whom subsequently became residents at the festival. There was a bittersweet flavour to this year's event: in the wake of cofounder Alex Maniatis's move away from Boston, Together, just like Make It New, which ends on October 10th, has come to an end (at least for now). With a lineup that welcomed back established favourites alongside a sprinkling of new names, year ten felt like a greatest hits edition, highlighting everything that makes Together such a special festival: big DJs, small clubs, great sound and an unbeatable vibe.
Here are five key performances from across the week.
Daniel Avery
Daniel Avery played the first Make It New I ever attended and now he would play the last—his last, too. He toasted to the party by laying down a sort-of greatest hits set, opening with his own "Drone Logic," which opened the floodgates for a run of melodic techno old and new (he played a number of tracks by the Dutch producer Keith Carnal). Middlesex Lounge, a 120-capacity bar that's been home to Make It New for well over a decade, was as packed as I'd ever seen it. Outside, a queue had formed down the street. There were a lot of volatile emotions mixing in that room—melancholy, joy, ecstasy, aggression—which all boiled over into sea of cheers (and jeers) when Avery rolled into his hard-edged closing stretch, ending with Marilyn Manson's 1996 classic "The Beautiful People." This was Avery at his best: techno with a shot of pop.
Dr. Rubinstein
A forgotten passport meant Dr. Rubinstein almost wasn't allowed onboard Together's second sold-out boat party. After last year's blowout with SOPHIE, the event was one of the most anticipated of the festival, though the vibe was very different this time—this was Boston's college bro culture in full bloom. Dr. Rubinstein cut right through it with an assault of acid techno that peaked with a gabber-tempo track before climbing back down and starting again. As the boat sailed out into Massachusetts Bay, it rocked back and forth precipitously, adding to the intensity of the music. Maybe it was the waves, but it's nice to imagine the 400-strong crowd caused the shaking by dancing so hard.
Peach
Peach played one of two late-night events at Lower Level, an Elks Lodge-turned-makeshift club with the fastest (and least patient) bartenders in Boston. The party was run by the local techno promoter Sure Thing, whose head, Aaron J, played one of my favourite sets at last year's festival. This year's lineup was broader, starting with a back-to-back from Aaron J and ex-Bostonian Lychee. (A friend of mine got overly excited by Aaron J playing a vocal track for once.) By the time Peach came on, the room was heaving and sweaty. I didn't recognize many of the tracks, but it was best described as diamond-hard techno delivered with a playful swing, a style that felt all her own.
Josey Rebelle
Josey Rebelle took over Lower Level for the second night, which was co-curated by the local party CSC, a newer collective I'd heard a lot about in the lead-up to Together. The room felt different—an absurdly bright disco ball sprayed light across the room, including directly into Rebelle's eyes—and the music was different, too, a mélange of mostly vintage techno that climaxed with Cybotron's 1983 proto-electro classic "Clear," which sounded particularly glittering and futuristic. Rebelle is one of the best DJs around because of the way she cuts across genres and eras, emphasising timeless dance music. As she mixed "Clear" into another early electro track from World Class Wreckin' Cru, featuring a young Dr. Dre, even some of the world's oldest dance music felt fresh and exciting in her hands.
Powder & 5ive
Powder & 5ive opened the daytime closing party at Middlesex Lounge, the last Together event for the foreseeable future. Beginning with intense drone that sounded like a low-flying airplane, the Japanese duo soon settled into a slow, steady disco groove, all you could ask for on a Sunday afternoon. This was their first time playing back-to-back, and though Powder later said they almost had an argument, their mixing was seamless, including a number of jaunty disco tunes like Cleavage's "Barah." The set felt like it was on cruise control, its smooth energy never disturbed even when the tunes got chunky or boisterous. Midland, who took over at 7 PM, switched to harder sounds. Three hours later, when the festival was due to close, the UK DJ shouted that he was willing to pay the bar to stay open a bit longer. Powder and 5ive jumped back behind the decks and the three of them took the festival into its final hour. Tiny bar, diehard fans, world-class DJs—it was exactly the kind of situation that has always made Together so special.
Photo credits /
Nick Minieri - Lead, Daniel Avery, Josey Rebelle, Powder & 5ive
Matt Modica - Peach
Dr. Rubinstein A forgotten passport meant Dr. Rubinstein almost wasn't allowed onboard Together's second sold-out boat party. After last year's blowout with SOPHIE, the event was one of the most anticipated of the festival, though the vibe was very different this time—this was Boston's college bro culture in full bloom. Dr. Rubinstein cut right through it with an assault of acid techno that peaked with a gabber-tempo track before climbing back down and starting again. As the boat sailed out into Massachusetts Bay, it rocked back and forth precipitously, adding to the intensity of the music. Maybe it was the waves, but it's nice to imagine the 400-strong crowd caused the shaking by dancing so hard.
Peach Peach played one of two late-night events at Lower Level, an Elks Lodge-turned-makeshift club with the fastest (and least patient) bartenders in Boston. The party was run by the local techno promoter Sure Thing, whose head, Aaron J, played one of my favourite sets at last year's festival. This year's lineup was broader, starting with a back-to-back from Aaron J and ex-Bostonian Lychee. (A friend of mine got overly excited by Aaron J playing a vocal track for once.) By the time Peach came on, the room was heaving and sweaty. I didn't recognize many of the tracks, but it was best described as diamond-hard techno delivered with a playful swing, a style that felt all her own.
Josey Rebelle Josey Rebelle took over Lower Level for the second night, which was co-curated by the local party CSC, a newer collective I'd heard a lot about in the lead-up to Together. The room felt different—an absurdly bright disco ball sprayed light across the room, including directly into Rebelle's eyes—and the music was different, too, a mélange of mostly vintage techno that climaxed with Cybotron's 1983 proto-electro classic "Clear," which sounded particularly glittering and futuristic. Rebelle is one of the best DJs around because of the way she cuts across genres and eras, emphasising timeless dance music. As she mixed "Clear" into another early electro track from World Class Wreckin' Cru, featuring a young Dr. Dre, even some of the world's oldest dance music felt fresh and exciting in her hands.
Powder & 5ive Powder & 5ive opened the daytime closing party at Middlesex Lounge, the last Together event for the foreseeable future. Beginning with intense drone that sounded like a low-flying airplane, the Japanese duo soon settled into a slow, steady disco groove, all you could ask for on a Sunday afternoon. This was their first time playing back-to-back, and though Powder later said they almost had an argument, their mixing was seamless, including a number of jaunty disco tunes like Cleavage's "Barah." The set felt like it was on cruise control, its smooth energy never disturbed even when the tunes got chunky or boisterous. Midland, who took over at 7 PM, switched to harder sounds. Three hours later, when the festival was due to close, the UK DJ shouted that he was willing to pay the bar to stay open a bit longer. Powder and 5ive jumped back behind the decks and the three of them took the festival into its final hour. Tiny bar, diehard fans, world-class DJs—it was exactly the kind of situation that has always made Together so special. Photo credits / Nick Minieri - Lead, Daniel Avery, Josey Rebelle, Powder & 5ive Matt Modica - Peach