The Young and the Banging

My friend Heron has been working on this project for a long time. The Young and the Banging is a yearbook of the young and creative people of interest in NYC; the party is next week. Nike is providing the space for the reception at their very own 255 Elizabeth.

Once you start living downtown, it can begin to feel like a big kids high school. It’s like never never land, a place where one can stay young forever. The taxis begin to feel like the school buses. The restaurants are like our cafeterias. The bars and clubs are like our school dances and the streets are like our high school hallways!

But if downtown NYC were really a high school, what would it look like and who would the school body be?

Inspired by both the traditional American high school yearbook and Ezra Petronio’s book "Bold and Beautiful" of Self Service, 15 girls were invited to partner as co-creators to make a downtown NYC yearbook through artistic collaboration. They were asked to highlight the young and creative people around them through Polaroid photography to act as their class photo and given spreads in the book to design in a way that best represented the lifestyle and creativity of those people. Extended beyond the actual yearbook is a month long gallery show in support of its idea. THE YOUNG AND THE BANGING provides a playful look into downtown NYC as if it were really a high school through elements that made those four years a unique, terrifying and memorable experience for all of us.

See you there xx

DJs vs. Socialites as the center of attention

I let the fact that the Daft Punk /Rapture show was sold out dissuade me from trying to go anyway. That was dumb. I could have easily gotten a ticket. There is no point in regretting this now because it's over, so I rode my bike to Studio B for the after party. Luckily I had RSVP'd before the list closed, so I didn't have to pay the twelve dollars. At least I did something right.

By midnight or one in the morning, it got crazy. Ed Banger and Throne of Blood were the main attractions of the party, and the "special guests" advertised on the flyer ended up being Sebastian & Kavinsky, who had come over from the show. A lot of Justice crept into the sets, so I was happy.

Something I wasn't used to was how much energy was concentrated and focused towards the DJs, who were elevated high above the crowd. The DJs at the parties I go to obviously play a seminal role in things, but they are always off to the side while people fill the dance floor and socialites stand around and get photographed and or adored. Here, everyone was cheering at the DJs and throwing up their arms towards them. (Yes I do understand that these are semi-celebrity-level DJs instead of just the New-York-dance-nightlife micro scene. But is that all? Maybe these people just know how to let go of their BS more and just have fun.) It was cool to see. There was so much fire coming from the crowd that I thought the venue might explode. Sort of.

I didn't feel so badly about missing the show when I left this party at 3.15am (people still dancing their faces off). Dino, I wish you had been there!

[photos by thecobrasnake and gin&juice]

EDIT | Just found this video posted of a Dafterparty clip... captures the energy really well. [from mas-forever]