Review by Sasha
Outside, it’s a quiet Sunday night in Williamsburg. It’s that no-man’s-land between Christmas and New Year’s that leaves the city equal parts optimistic and disoriented. Inside Output, it’s warm and Lauren Flax is onstage. You can barely see her behind her equipment — just a top knot bun and glasses that reflect the blue, star-shaped lights projected across the dance floor.
Her sound is jazzy, backed by bass-driven tracks that give way to ’90s-style piano loops and the countless female vocalists that will feature throughout her set. The crowd builds alongside the intensity of the music, getting the night off to a spirited start. As the music segues into heavier territory, Ratchett Traxxx takes over.
A cursory search of the Internet yields little background on Ratchett Traxxx, and he plays up this “man of mystery” facade by beginning his set wearing a bandana that covers his nose and mouth, plus a baseball cap that’s pulled low over his forehead. What isn’t a secret is the range of influences inspiring his set. Ratchett Traxxx cycles between rap, R&B, Motown, and more traditional EDM styles. He often uses intense drum and bass rhythms together to create mesmerizing cadences that drive each melody. It’s also this rhythm-focused vibe that informs me I’ve been standing next to an enormous subwoofer for the majority of the night. Still, I can hear the people around me getting excited about the headlining act, and at this point there’s barely room to stand, let alone dance.
At 2am, Boys Noize (DJ Alexander Ridha) begins his set. He is unrelenting. The already energetic audience freaks out and the entire room vibrates. The wall behind the stage lights up in vibrant red and everyone cheers. The night has hit peak euphoria, and Boys Noize is every bit as excited as his audience. In the beginning, he relies heavily on using rhythm to propel his set, but then transitions into more vocally-driven tracks as the set progresses. During the occasional lull between songs, the cheering begins again.
At some point in all this madness, a girl walks up to me and gives me a high five. She tells me she has something for me and pulls a crocheted pink heart on a safety pin from her bag. I thank her and attach it to my purse. As the set begins to wind down, Boys Noize samples favorites like “One More Time” by Daft Punk, “Apache (Jump On It)” by Sugarhill Gang, and The Clash’s “Rock the Casbah.”
Between the smoke machines, undulating lights, and incessant beats, it’s easy to forget the outside world exists. By the time I leave, it’s past 5am. No one I speak to after the show can believe it’s already Monday morning. We all stumble out onto the sidewalk.
Boys Noize
Ratchett Traxxx
Lauren Flax