Jigga What? Jigga Who? In fairness I think the Louis Vuitton Millionaire sunglasses launched in 2005 but I still beat Jay-Z to the punch! And now these things can be found at every cheap sunglasses table in NYC. If anyone wants to buy me a pair of the real thing, they are modestly priced at $1,250 on eBay.
Two of my dear friends - Jane and Eugene - got married last weekend in a beautiful upstate location. So many great friends were there for an amazing, happy day filled with dancing, drinking (vodka!) and absolutely delicious food. Couldn't have been better. Congrats guys!
I also got to spend some time with my nephews for their big birthdays - Aidan (2) and Anderson (5). Lots of fun was had in the bouncy castle and playing with dinosaurs (-:
New York party people had been anxiously awaiting Minitek, New York's first electronic music and innovation festival, since promoter Jenny Tan made a dramatic announcement at one of her underground loft parties earlier in the summer. By all accounts the festival organizers were ill-equipped for the event which led to a lot of outspoken complaints and extremely mixed reviews. If you're interested in the minutia, I'll let you read the links below and decide for yourself. In my opinion, the Minitek peeps screwed up almost everything they possibly could but I still had a blast at the day sessions in Coney Island. All told I heard Insideout, Camea, Afternoon Coffee Boys, Exercise One, Jeremy P. Caulfield, Steven LeTigre, Heidi, Audiofly, Tiefschwarz vs. M.A.N.D.Y., Bill Patrick, Butane, Fase Music Sender, Konrad Black, Guide Schneider, David Squillace, Guy Gerber, Richie Hawtin and Francois K. Pretty damn incredible for $40 (I got in on the EARLY pre-sales). Musical highlights were definitely Audiofly, Tiefschwarz vs. M.A.N.D.Y., Bill Patrick, Guy Gerber and Francois K.
The Book of Bad Ideas was out in full force on Saturday and has since gone global with it's own Group on Facebook. The typical shenanigans were abound during the day but it was the D-train ride home that night that was most entertaining as we had an entire subway car full of locos. We read aloud from The Book, did the Macarena, put the rainbow umbrella hat on a random, old Chinese man, gave out lap dances, doused people with a squirt gun and then later solicited bad ideas from a bunch of innocent bystanders on another train. Only ONE person actually offered up an idea and it just so happened to be Ronnie from Bravo's "Make Me a Super Model". No, I'm not kidding. Zollie still owes me her pictures otherwise I'd have one of me and Ronnie posted here.
Sunday was even more eventful as I busted out the full Proptainer and set up camp as soon as I arrived. Bill Patrick of Robots fame was getting the day off to a great start musically with some awesome tech-house. I did a full booth re-design with a blow up doll, marionette, chicken head and chalk scribbles among other things. I'm to DJ booths what Xzibit is to shitty cars. Next up on MTV: "Prop my Booth"! After the early after hours sets, the crew stole a couch and decided to officially set up our own Prop HQ. Our cool factor hit a new level when a VIP section was actually created around us... yup, the ropes went up around us and we took over from there! The rest of the night was filled with wicked tunes and coochie dusting - what more can a girl ask for?! On a sad note, I do need to have a moment of silence for my fallen blow-up doll, Peter North, who apparently met his demise while crowd surfing during Audion's set Sunday evening (see picture above). (-) Minitek Review for PESSIMISTS
The party that originated at Downtown Miami's Pawn Shop during Winter Music Conference (2005) finally made it's way north. The NYC edition featured three back-to-back parties that spanned 30 hours, 2 boroughs and a few bodies of water. I didn't get totally nutragous and do the whole thing but I did at least manage to hit up all 3 parties.
Part I:OVERBOARD BOAT PARTY on the Paddlewheel Queen with Steve Bug + Adultnapper. Steve Bug and a boat is definitely a lethal combination...especially after dark. He dropped some seriously dirty, booty-grabbing bass lines all night long. Delicious! The gays got me into some trouble (as usual). Damn you, Jim!
Part II:SUNDAY SCHOOL FOR DEGENERATES @ Rebel with Dan Berkson & James What live + Kate Simko live + Mr. C + Martin Landsky + Three + Taimur Agha + Crazy Larry + Francis Harris. I made an appearance on the early side to catch the end of Taimur & Larry's set and all of Dan Berkson @ James What's live set. No 30hrs straight for me... this weekend I need some sleep!
Part III:AFTERSCHOOL SPECIAL @ The Yard with Cassy + Joel Mull + Nikola Baytala + Matt Dear + Steve Bug. The party started at 10am but I spent my morning warming up at home with some Guitar Hero. By time I got there at 2pm, Matt Dear was playing some good tunes for the mostly sedentary crew that had partied straight through from the boat and Rebel. Joel Mull came on after Matt and played some hardish techno that got people off their a$$ss and movin and then handed things off to Cassy (a resident at Berlin's Panorama Bar and one of my new favorites!). She definitely lived up to the hype with her impeccable taste in music and an indescribable 'x' factor. Her set was amazing and I REALLY appreciated the way she smiled and made eye contact with the crew of dancing fewls in the front. Steve Bug closed the night out with a set full of smooth and sexy house jams and a smattering of dirty bombs. It was much different than his work on the boat, but equally awesome.
I loved this party for so many reasons but what made it extra enjoyable for me was the fact that I was flying semi-solo (not many of my usual partners in crime were there) so I spent a lot of time meeting new people and connecting with party pilgrims I had met previously in passing. There were a lot of familiar faces from The Old Miami (who recognized the Book of Bad Ideas!) which helped bring that *special* vibe to the party. It was so nice to feel that great energy that only happens when everything - music, crowd, venue, puppets, etc. all come together (and seems to be so elusive in NYC lately).
I have friends that throw parties. I have friends that DJ parties. I have friends that convince alcohol companies to sponsor parties. I have friends that curate art exhibits. I have friends that like to Make Party.™ I have a wild streak. I have a marshmallow blaster. I have party puppets. I have an affinity for dressing up and acting like a fool in public. I have friends that take pictures...
