The first of anything is always memorable. Whether it’s good, bad, life-changing, even utterly dismal, there is only one first. For this LA-born and bred journalist, The Carl Cox set at The Brooklyn Mirage this past Saturday, October 9, was a whole series of firsts smacked into one epic evening.
Before all, it was my first time in the city of New York. Los Angeles is surely a massive city in its own right, but New York is like THE city. Terms like “concrete jungle” and “metropolis” stem from New York’s congested, manufactured atmosphere of metal, asphalt, and people.
Millions of people stacked on top of each other, melding their minds, and birthing some of the most important cultural contrivances in history. One of those contrivances is dance music culture which may not have first come to fruition in New York, but certainly found a home there. Decades later, dance music culture still has a home there and The Brooklyn Mirage is a testament to that truth.
As it was my first time in New York it was also my first time at The Brooklyn Mirage. For years I’ve seen the castle-like structure through the lens of social media, hosting the world’s biggest DJs for all-night affairs, and social media could not prepare me for witnessing it in person.
The Mirage is such a venue that must be experienced to be understood. Most impressive of all is the ability to experience the performances from so many different angles.
Watch at a bird’s eye view from the crow’s nest perched on the south east corner. Enjoy an elevated angle of the main space under low light from the rafters placed in an alcove in the back. Of course, shredding the enormous dance floor is an option, but it was difficult this night given the surfeit of bodies packed in there to see Carl Cox. Not surprising for a season closing set from the king of techno, but it was all good because the rest areas were playing his set through the speakers which I absolutely love.
What made the rest areas even more pleasant was the NYC crowd. A quality commonly associated with citizens of the city that never sleeps is an unfiltered curtness. I did experience some of that walking the streets of Manhattan on a workday afternoon, but at techno party everyone was so kind.
The gratitude of being able to gather to amplified music remains palpable in New York, and more than a few natives (or longterm transplants) were thrilled to hear of my experiences as a first-timer. I will be excited to share those experiences with my loved ones upon my return to Los Angeles, and one of the best parts of the trip will undoubtedly be my evening with Carl Cox at The Brooklyn Mirage.
For those who couldn’t make the set, Beatport recorded a video of the entire event. Watch it below.
Featured image by Alive Coverage
