REVIEW: Box of Kittens Sunday Afternoon Social 01/12/2014 by Nusrat Kamal

I have heard nothing but good things about Harvest Festival and the events organized by Box of Kittens (BoK). On Sunday January 12, 2014, I was lucky enough to attend one of their events. It was a daytime party (1pm-10.30pm) at LOFT 404, inspired by the afternoon loft party scene of New York City, and the never-ending parties of Berlin. Just that alone had me super excited because I have never experienced such an event before! It is to my understanding that the event was not advertised, but tickets were sold out in advance. It was definitely an honour to be a part of the amazing event!

Located in a fresh and beautifully decorated 1920’s style loft, that spans the top floor of a turn-of-the-century downtown textile building, with three fabulously-furnished, interconnecting spaces to roam and explore…LOFT 404 was quite the unique venue, and fit perfectly for the inspiration of the event.

Due to transit delays, I had arrived at the venue around 3:30 pm, and unfortunately missed the first DJ, Karolina. But my fellow EDM TOR friend and photographer Stephanie Canarte was present and she described Karolina’s performance as “surreal and delightfully eclectic and chalk full of amazing techno.” I felt rather upset missing out on a performance by a female DJ.

 

After Karolina, a duo called Nature of Music took over the decks. The duo consists of Maziar Egoless and Kian Mas. Their relationship can be best described as “a tall ship with two individual vessels in human form, that together sail across the infinite waters of sound.” They are probably one of the best examples of synchronicity. They played a mix of deep house and some techno, and kept the crowd heavily entertained till the end of their set at 5:30 pm. On the north wing of the loft, DJ Takin was finishing up his new age/chill out set. I managed to catch a bit of his set, and the music was very different, yet soothing. After him, T-Minus took the decks. He was spinning new age and chill out music as well, but with a hint of deep house and tech house in between.

I was mostly in the main room, the south wing, talking to people and enjoying the music. Yes, talking! Unlike most club events, the audio levels were low enough to have a conversation. I was able to chat with Miss Charlotte about her thoughts on the event. She said she “was really enjoying the crowd, the music, and was in touch with the organizers. The daytime party gave me a chance to experience a different kind of setting than the usual night club scene. It seemed like almost everyone there felt the same way.” The crowd had a cheerful vibe, just grooving and socializing the afternoon away. For me, it was a very refreshing and different atmosphere. Everything seemed to blend in so well – the music, the crowd, the sunlight peeking through the windows. I was really enjoying my time there. Sean, another guest I had the pleasure of speaking to, told me how he “wishes this event would be every Sunday!” In fact, the day following the event, almost everyone said the same thing on the Facebook event page, myself included!

Around 5pm and onwards, Box of Kittens resident DJs Fabio Palermo, Hali Gali and Jamie Kidd took the decks, although not B2B. Fabio went on the decks first, followed by Hali and Jamie Kidd, as a duo tearing up the decks, keeping the crowd dancing non- stop to a perfect mix of funky, deep house, deep tech and tech house. Two of the most notable songs played were the classic Lazy by X-Press 2 Ft. David Byrne and Mr Man by Dusky. By then, T-Minus’ set was finished at the north wing of the loft, and the next DJ had switched to a completely different genre – hip hop and reggae.

I was dancing away to the hot set by the BoK DJs, along with the crowd, becoming one with the music. The sets were flawless and very well mixed! Between 7.30 and 8, Mike Gibbs took to the decks. Unfortunately, I had to leave shortly after but I really enjoyed watching him mix. He exuded passion and expertise. Nothing was going to stop him from entertaining the crowd with his talents on the deck! He played a minimal remix of the famous track Better than Prince by Green Velvet, sending the crowd on a musical journey.

Overall, I absolutely LOVED the event. From the moment I walked in, till the moment I walked out. Along with all the guests at the party, I really wish they would organize such an event more often. Everything flowed very nicely, everyone was very friendly, the uniqueness of the venue was a sight for sore eyes and the music was pleasure to the ears. I will definitely be checking out more events by the organizers, and highly suggest anyone reading this to do so as well. Special thanks to EDM TOR and Mike Gibbs for the opportunity to cover one of the most unique events I’ve ever been to.

Before you leave, check out the photos by Stephanie Canarte right over on Facebook, and follow the artists below on their social media pages.

LINKS:

HALI GALI
Facebook Page

JAMIE KIDD
Soundcloud
Facebook Page

MIKE GIBBS
Soundcloud

FABIO PALERMO
Facebook Page

NATURE OF MUSIC
Twitter
Facebook Page
Soundcloud

BIG TOES HI FI
Facebook Group
Soundcloud

FRIENDLYNESS & ISAX
Twitter

SPYNE
Facebook Page

TAKIN
Soundcloud
Facebook Page

T-MINUS
Facebook Page

Nusrat Kamal – EDM TOR