4Q hits New York; First stop PACHA

Date: 28.05.2011

Holding nights with headline DJ’s such as David Guetta, Calvin Harris and Eric Morillo, Pacha is proving itself to be one of New York’s prime night clubs. Having only been open 5 years it has already won the Club World Awards for ‘Best Super Club’ in 2007 and 2008, before hitting the underground scene in this amazing City I wanted to see what the high rollers are offering....

After airport security at the door, ID’s checked twice, bag search and a pat down, one is then greeted by an o so cheerful bouncer, only to find the press pass tickets aren’t going to get us in. Not off to a great start, back down to the row of security barricading the entrance to tell Mr Guest List they won’t let us in, “so sorry for all your trouble Ma’am here, have a drink’, things are definitely picking up...

The place itself is massive, over 30,000 square foot and a capacity of 1,600 it is one of the largest on the Island. Its exterior does not nearly do justice to what is contained inside. The moment you step into the main room, located on the second floor, your entire body is hit with the noise produced by the imported German Dynacord alpha concept sound system, I myself have never experienced sound quite like it, every nerve ending in your body tremors when the bass line drops. Visually it is reminiscent of any large club, however, this club added that little bit extra, a gorgeous girl seductively dancing in a glass box with a very steamy shower raining down on her. Men and women were both as captivated by this as each other, all trying to get a photo, no one able to take their eyes off the show.

The place is rammed, trying to get up to the VIP area to escape the crowd proved to be a stressful experience; personally I’m not the biggest fan of navigating my way through large groups of party goers grinding off one another. The VIP area, located on the mezzanine looks over the main dance floor, one side home to the DJ booth and the opposite two dancers in all American dresses entertaining those who are lucky enough to be able to afford their own private table and waitress. The cast of the Cirque de Soleil are seated next to us on one side, and a group of business men the other, this place certainly draws in a very diverse crowd. Looking down on the main dance floor one can see someone from every walk of life raving away, having the time of their life.

We arrived to catch the end of the first DJ warming up the crowd for the headliner of the night, Chris Lake. Known initially for his remixes of bands such as the Prodigy, he hit the UK charts with ‘Changes’ featuring Laura V.  Lake then went on to top the Billboard Hot Dance Airplay with ‘Carry Me Away’,  followed by two top 10 hits in the US charts. He has collaborated with artists such as Deadmau5 and Nelski and in mid 2010 released an album with Marco Lys ‘Cross the Line’.   Lake has established himself in both Europe and the Americas playing residencies in Cream, Ibiza, to Ministry of Sound, London to Haras dos Anjos, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Planning on moving to LA this year the Americas certainly seemed to have fallen for him, and I can see why.

With tunes from Yolanda Be Cool ‘Americano’ to Justice ‘D A N C E’ followed by Who Da Funk ‘Shiny Disco Balls’ he certainly knows how to keep the crowd going. All these are mixed over a funky electro beat which gets more intense as the night goes on, or maybe that was the amount of vodka being consumed. The crowd are going wild and when he stops for the whole of five seconds the place erupts until the music returns. As someone who is not totally into the house scene I was quite shocked at how much I enjoyed the night, next time the converses are coming out and I’m in the middle of that dance floor.

If you’re over in NYC and you want a good House, Trance or New Wave Disco DJ, plus a night to rave until the early hours of the morning, then although it’s not in the heart of Manhattan it is definitely worth heading down. Just be warned, get money out before you enter as there is a $9 charge to use the cash point and a $30 minimum on card.

Peace and Smiles!

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