No Sleep Til Brooklyn: The Borough's Best Underground Parties

September 30, 2013 - 3:51 pm by Orestes Benitez

The world has taken notice of what New Yorkers have known for years: from Sunset Park to Bushwick to Williamsburg, the Mecca of the deep, dark, and dangerous underground scene lives and thrives in the County of Kings a.k.a. Crooklyn a.k.a. Brooklyn. Peppered with clubs like SRB, Cameo, Glassland, TBA and of course Output, Brooklyn has experienced a night life renaissance unseen since Peter Gatien took over Manhattan with Club USA and Limelight, however the underground has always been there. After the sun sets (or in some cases begins to rise) all roads eventually lead to Brooklyn.

Brooklynites have never been known to embrace mainstream culture. The borough has collectively chosen to reject the mainstream electro house sound while conversely choosing to cultivate and nurture the distorted digital sounds of techno or the groovy rolling bass lines of deep house found in only the darkest alleys of the seediest places in the world.

A friend once wrote “as the music we love slowly gets taken away from us by the obnoxious, we migrate deeper into the depths of BK to find the perfect moment again.” For those making the inevitable trek over the Williamsburg Bridge late at night looking for that perfect moment, these are just some of the names to remember. ->

Photo credit: Getty Images

Verboten Verboten is without a doubt the most established name in the group. Voted 'Best Party' in Time Out New York and 'Best Promoter' in Paper Magazine, founders John Perez and Jenn Schiffer have chosen Williamsburg as their future homes. Set to open in the Fall, Verboten’s permanent location will without a doubt become the crown jewel of NYC nightlife. Meaning “forbidden,” Verboten seeks to immerse their patrons in a “crumbling, futuristic dystopian surveillance state where fun and dancing are completely outlawed” with custom visuals and only the best in techno and deep house talent. When asked why Brooklyn, John stated that the lack of neighbors and larger space will allow them “to take more risks than ever before.” There is no telling what that means but knowing John and Jenn, whatever it is that you’re thinking, multiply it by 100. I Want To Go To There

Unicorn Meat NYC Perhaps the most unique group on the list, Unicorn Meat NYC is a Brooklyn-based production group which seeks to fuse colorful, large-scale art installations and circus performances with world touring DJs. They are also committed to supporting and empowering local artistic communities. This Saturday they welcome BK-based Crew Love, including Wolf + Lamb, Soul Clap, No Regular Play, Pillow Talk and Tanner Ross. This 'no glow stick' environment will capture your imagination as you traverse through art and dance well into the morning. I Want To Go To There

Blk|Market Membership NYC Founded by Taimur Agha and Fahad Haider with the simple goal of “bringing in the talent that inspires them as DJs,” Blk|Market patrons are by far some the coolest, sexiest techno-heads around. In the not so distant past their parties were highly secretive and the only way to find them was to proactively seek them out, but it didn’t take long before the secret was let loose after booking talent like Sven Vath, Laurent Garnier, Tyrant, DJ Koze, Scuba and Ben Klock, coupled with New York Magazine’s definitive nod as “NYC’s Best All Night Party.” Blk|Market takes over Output with Josh Wink at the helm on October 11th. If you don’t already know, make sure you leave your cameras at home and be prepared to be blown away by the sound. I Want To Go To There

SOUP NYC Founded in the ‘90s by Chris Love, SOUP (Support Our Underground Properly) was always and will always be a labor of true love of the underground. Joined by AB Logic and Joe Pompeo, this Greenpoint based crew has cast a huge net around the city bringing in some of the biggest names in house and techno to the five boroughs. Derrick Carter, Doc Martin, The Dirtybird Crew, Frankie Bones and many others have headlined their parties. You won’t find any frills here. If you are someone seeking sick, never heard of and epic deep house, techno and even nu disco tracks you need to get yourself onboard with the SOUP crew. I Want To Go To There

Rinsed On September 13, Rinsed hosted a party entitled “All Night – Straight on Til Morning” headlined by Inner City with little else on the site to describe the party. In short, that’s all one ever really needs to know. In a recent interview with the Huffington Post, founder Blacky II went on to describe his secret, seductive shows: "I want them to make it rain blood with me, I want them not to sleep (because of the snakes), I want them to blow magic from the palms of their hands into the air. I want them to cry in each others' mouths, throttle fashionistas, make babies, exterminate all rational thoughts, cry in the bathroom and wash their hands, and hopefully by the end of the night they will advance to making it rain blood diamonds.” I Want To Go To There

ThePhilCorner What ThePhiCorner parties lack in décor and comfort they make up with unbelievable music and an eclectic allotment of characters. This is Brooklyn’s underground at its rawest. Check them out on Resident Advisor and follow the instructions of how to get to this secret party. I Want To Go To There

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