November 14th was a special day, not just because the day had finally arrived for MATTE’s BLACK music and arts event featuring the unrivaled lineup of Jon Hopkins, Virgil Abloh, GENER8ION, and Gesaffelstein – but also because it was my 31st time seeing the dark prince of techno. Yes, you read that correctly, 31 times I’ve seen the mysterious suited Frenchman cast his dark spells over a musically impressionable and highly appreciative crowd. Every time I see Gesaffelstein, I have feelings of overwhelming joy and overwhelming anxiety. I assume that’s what true love does to people.
If you’re not familiar with MATTE, they are an underground music and arts collective based in Brooklyn, New York, that cohesively and uniquely combines the two mediums for their one-night-only BLACK event. They better describe it as a “multifaceted experience to express music, design, and art — all seen through the prism and aesthetic of black.”
As soon as the Uber pulled up to the Brooklyn Hangar, I saw a mass of people standing outside in the 45 degree weather waiting to get in. Now, this was not like any other underground event or warehouse show I had been to, not only because everybody – AND I MEAN EVERYBODY – was dressed head-to-toe in black clothing, but because the vibe was on point. By “on point”, I mean that each attendee was fashionable, friendly, and ready to get down to some heavy techno – the Brooklyn trifecta, if you will.
After my press pass was acquired and my name was checked off the guestlist, my friends and I proceeded into the massive warehouse through a tunnel of bright white neon lights placed vertically from floor to ceiling. The aesthetic was impressive from the very start.
Proceeding into the open, high ceiling-ed warehouse and amassing myself into the crowds of people, I felt a sudden rush of musical euphoria come over me – Jon Hopkins must be on. The UK producer delivered an unbelievably uplifting set, complete with atmospheric techno and utopian electronica. Flashes of penetratingly bright multicolored lights felt like they were entering my soul as Hopkins continued to bless us with his atmospherically beautiful beats.
After chugging two Red Bulls, I wandered downstairs to check out the art installations. Blanketed in a thick cloud of smoke and fog, the art installations were not optimal for taking pictures on my $10 disposable camera, but I can assure you they were some of the most unique and individualistic artistic expressions I’ve seen in my life. Everything from mixed media performance art to neon light installations added to the overall experience, courtesy of artists Cara Stricker, Jesper Just, Nate Brown, Toki Series, Virgil Abloh, and Zach Walker. My words probably won’t do each visual artist the justice they truly deserve so I will leave it up to you to digitally explore their work through the provided links.
Wandering back upstairs into the immensely sized main room, the crowd was patiently waiting for Gesaffelstein to begin. The lights went out and the warehouse became pitch black as he took the stage. Opening with an orchestral arrangement from the Gesa-produced Maryland soundtrack, the crowd started gravitating closer and closer to the stage as they were increasingly more drawn to the aphotic and dystopian sounds coming from the speakers. The track played through the end, then an eery silence filled the room – we collectively interpreted the absence of sound as an homage to the victims of the Paris terrorist attacks which occurred the day before.
Once our respects were silently paid, powerful emotions continued to fuel the dancing room as Gesa hit play on his iconic Aleph track, “Pursuit”. A supreme darkness and unparalleled energy compelled and connected the room as classic Gesa tracks like “OPR”, “Hellifornia”, and “Control Movement” invaded our ears like a welcomed toxic virus. Musical intensity grew exponentially as his remixes of Justice’s “Helix”, Zombie Zombie’s “Rocket Number Nine”, and The Hacker’s “Shockwave” fueled our internal flames and kept the crowd moving.
Gesaffelstein powered through techno weapons like the fresh Alden Tyrell remix of Geeman’s “Wanna Go Bang” and the percussive MF edit of Das Model’s “909” but everyone’s jaw was on the floor when he played Aphex Twin’s “Elephant Song” and Kraftwerk’s “Numbers”. Closing with Public Energy’s 1993 heavy-hitter, “Three O’ Three” was probably the most mentally-perplexing track of the night – a perfect way to end his hour-and-a-half long set.
(I’m sure some of you will find it absurd that I know just about every song he played but that’s what attending 31 Gesaffelstein shows does for a person.)
Bromance Record’s newer addition to their roster and Surkin’s alter-ego, GENER8ION, took the stage shortly after, giving the people the kind of high-power techno they want at 4:00 am. Brodinski’s Club Mix of “Gimme Back The Night”, Madame’s “Perc99”, and Para One & Myd’s “Brooklyn” were undeniable crowd favorites in addition to Daft Punk’s “Revolution 909” and “Da Funk”. GENER8ION’s stage presence was wild and sprightly as he grooved and bounced to pounding techno tracks like Monsieur Monsieur’s remix of Zebra Katz’s “Tear The House Up” and the Raito edit of Barnt’s drum-driven “Chappell”.
The techno wonder endured through GENER8ION’s set and into the early hours of morning, but my feet finally gave up around 6:30 am when the house DJ came on to close the night, providing a shadowy tech-ed out soundtrack as people began to filter out.
In all, the event boasted an unequivocally unique aesthetic and was the perfect embodiment of the underground techno scene – a scene that we previously thought was just for Europe – but has now, officially, spread to Brooklyn.
(all photos taken by author)
The post Disposables: Gesaffelstein, Jon Hopkins, and GENER8ION Dominate At MATTE’s BLACK Music & Arts Event in Brooklyn appeared first on Nest HQ.