2016: Epic warehouse parties ruled New York nightlife

Take the Berlin-based HYTE, who know a thing or two about throwing absurdly enormous warehouse events. Over 2016’s Independence Day weekend, the team joined forces with RPM to host HYTE NYC, and presented Ben Klock, Chris Liebing, Danny Tenaglia, Dubfire, Kyle Hall, Loco Dice, Pan-Pot, Mike Servito and more over two days and three stages in the depths of a secretive Sunset Park storehouse. The production and lighting was something straight from Dante’s Inferno, with hellish visuals and a dancefloor so vast, from the DJ booth it seemed to span toward the horizon infinitely.

And there isn’t discussion of the rise of New York’s warehouse scene without mention of Teksupport. The promoter famously brought Germany’s Time Warp to Brooklyn back in 2014, then seemingly disappeared for the next year and a half. Truth be told, they must have been doing push-ups on the sidelines because their 2016 return was absolutely staggering.

Within the last three months of the season, Teksupport brought the biggest warehouse events of the year. Ibiza’s infamous Circoloco collaborated with the brand for Halloween, offering Black Coffee, Cassy, Konstantin, DeWalta, Davide Squillace and The Martinez Brothers for a fully sold-out show. Then, Luciano and Kölsch headlined a one-off celebration in mid-November to another packed house. Lastly, the company announced a 10 Years Of Diynamic party with label masters Solomun, Adriatique, Stimming, Karmon, Magdelena, Kollektiv and Turmstrasse.

But despite the size, the volume, the sheer overblown magnificence of these events, there is an unmistaken reservation for the spirit of the warehouse. And this is what calls for real celebration. We asked for bigger rooms, louder sounds and more extraordinary line-ups, but held on tight to the sanctity of the underground.

These parties scream, “New York City! Fuck the rules, we’re here to party!” Some people are naked, some adorned in leather harnesses, others in chic all-black and a new fur coat or maybe just a white tee and jeans. But here’s the real treasure: they’re all losing their minds, going absolutely bat shit for the same music, the same atmosphere, the same feeling. It’s the evolution of a community of music lovers; the kingdom of the NYC warehouse.

Sydney Jow is Mixmag's Digital Content Editor. Find her by the front left speaker