Are there any underground parties left in Bushwick? Sure there are! Crème de la crème of NYC electronic music may be hidden from the all seeing eyes of the Internets but it is thriving! Promoters, DJs and collectives are throwing parties, access to some of which may require patience on the side of a newbie but it is totally worth it. Trust us. Here’s what’s going regularly down.
#1 Let’s Play House @ Various Venues (Monthly)
Good vibes, dapper patrons, and euphoric smiles on pleased faces. The party is exuberant house music and fun forward. Nik Mercer and Jacques Renault established their reign over the house genre in the heyday of 285 Kent and have progressively become an international staple due to consistently pushing carefully curated house music. Their parties rome around the city between a multitude of venues – most rencently at Slake in Manhattan (but also at Bossa Nova or Rough Trade). Big things are coming up for the Let’s Play House camp – specifically a collaboration with another Bushwick friendly promoter, Rinsed. Check their website for updates and follow them on Facebook for an influx of great music posted daily.
#2 Beef Kuts @ Secret Location
Members only private parties bridge the gap between Bushwick and Berlin – A party for the true heads of progressive house and techno. The crowd sports high style and indistinguishable accents – everyone there seems to be from a far away land where progressive techno rules the land. For the sake being invited back, the location is not disclosed. I can say these parties happen at strange hours, and the music selection, for me, is hot sex on fresh toast. They even sometimes go from early morning to mid evening. A remedy for the unfortunate mistakes of the Giuliani administration. Get in the know and you may find yourself dancing the into the morning. Wear leather – vegan leather accepted too for the non beef consumers.
#3 The Wig, Local Exposure and GCR Music @ Greene Roome (monthly)
Yet another word of mouth party, but this one’s a bit more accessible. It “brings dance music love and experience back down to it’s roots….a basement.” The tiny basement venue called Green Roome hosts international artists and curious passerbys in the depths of Bushwick. To the uninformed it’s a cacophony of beats stemming from an unknown source, but to those in the know his underground venue is stacked with underground talent (and everyone there is freakishly warm). The tiny venue doubles as the pre club practice for big names and the after hours spot for the restless. Parties at Greene Room happen on a monthly basis and are packed with industry heads. Like them on social media for updates.
#4 The Long Count @ Bossa Nova Civic Club, 1271 Myrtle Ave, Bushwick (monthly)
“It’s about an interconnectedness with nature that you don’t necessarily understand, but you understand intrinsically. And getting in touch with that and then using dance music to further (expand upon) that connection.” The Long Count aptly descibes the embodiment of of what it is to exist at their parties. You can find them typically on a monthly basis at the Bushwick staple Bossa Nova Civic Club. But The Long Count has each of their fingers in a little bit of everything – outdoor festivals, loft parties and any other obscure gettogehter. Catch The Long Count at Bossa Nova on October 11th and the following Friday at a private loft with Detroit legend DJ Bone.
#5 Carbon Based Beats @ Leftfield NYC, 87 Ludlow St, LES (monthly, $free)
Not giving credit to drum ‘n’ bass would be blasphemy. The drum ‘n’ bass community will forever live on in New York City. Carbon Based Beats is the party that’s pushing the new sound at the moment. Promoters and DJs Tank Top, throw this monthly party to counterbalance the popular opinion that dnb heads are this “weird/culty ‘that’s all they listen to’” group. On the contrary, it’s a group of laidback people driven by quality music. ”They just want to come in and sit at the bar, drink some beer and listen to music that they like – so that’s kind of what our event is focused on. Good vibes.” Their parties happen monthly at the Lower East Side’s venue Leftfield. If you’re in need of an eccentric night with friends you never knew you had – this is the spot. Carbon Based Beats is, and always will be, totally free.
#6 Pretty Much Anything @ Body Actualized Center, 143 Troutman St, Bushwick
Yoga studio meets dance party. Their parties typically happen on Fridays and Saturdays. Join the hippest (and most flexible) dancefloor in Bushwick that is covered in pink lights and foliage. Enjoy a conversation under the Swiss Family Robinson esche treehouse in the back yard. Ain’t no party like a plantlife party.