Chatted with Billboard about the magical vision for our wild weekend in Atlanta next month, and revealed the secret location! Check it out here via billboard.com
And here’s the unedited text from the interview, discussing warehouse party vibes and recreating the
“no expectations” approach of the early rave scene:
Tell us about the idea for this upcoming event:
=================================
My vision for our two-night Mystery Show in Atlanta is to create a special, unique, immersive experience that feels different from the norm. Throughout the process, I have given the event several nicknames such as “The Gathering” (because I envision this to feel like a gathering, not a show) and “No Expectations” (because I hope people arrive completely free of expectations, and ready for a new experience). Although it’s hard to avoid expectations, it’s all about setting an intention, and for this event, I do have a very specific intention. I want to re-create the atmosphere of an ‘old-school rave’ or warehouse party – gathering within a nondescript room, which has been transformed and repurposed into a temple for an all-night underground dance ceremony – a true celebration, not a show.
Are warehouse parties something you had a lot of experience with growing up? If so, could you tell me some of the moments and feelings you remember from those days and those kinds of parties?
=================
When I went to my first rave I had no idea where it was or what it was going to be like. A kid from school found the directions last minute (it was a secret and you needed a special code to get directions from the map point)… it was like a treasure hunt. I drove there in a car PACKED with friends, and we parked on the street outside. When we got out of the car, you could hear the bass booming in the distance… we just followed the bass until we found ourselves at the doorway to a building. Once inside there was no big amazing “stage” and the crowd was not all facing one direction, and nobody was ‘watching’ anything… everyone was lost in the music, and lost in the experience of a creative, social free-for-all. Instead of staring at a DJ up on a stage, or spending the entire night with their phones out trying to ‘capture the moment,’ they were IN THE MOMENT. And this is what I want to re-create in Atlanta by forgoing the standard music venue, and finding a building that offers nothing but four walls, a ceiling and a floor – the perfect blank canvas on which to paint our ideas.
(more…)