“Crazy, Sexy, Cool.” Three familiar words that were overhead being used to describe the No.19 label showcase by one of the many blissful attendees. But they cut it short; it was all that and so much more. Last Thursday, the legendary Club Cielo was host to the NYC No.19 label showcase with Art Department (Jonny White and Kenny Glasgow), Nitin, and their latest signee, Cameo Culture, for a night of pure musical wonder.
The Canadian label, No.19, owned by Jonny White and Nitin, was established in 2008 and has evolved into powerhouse of premium underground electronic music. With releases from the likes of Clockwork, Louis Fresco, Miguel Puente, Soul Clap, James Teej and more, the label is riding the wave of success like a champ and doesn’t appear to be wiping out anytime soon. So it is only natural that they would attract a monstrous crowd to their label showcase, and with venue as intimate as Cielo, things are bound to get a little “Frisky.”
Brooklyn based Cameo Culture stayed true to his aesthetic (and No.19′s), starting the night off with deep and luscious house and fellow label pal, Nitin, followed in suit. Playing a gamut of tunes, including the labels own release “B Side” by Tanner Ross and My Favorite Robot’s dance floor bomb “Wakinda Park,” the pair put an amp’ed Cielo in an elated state of anticipation for the nights headliner’s, Art Department.
White and Glasgow of Art Department took the decks at 2 a.m. and instantly started releasing their proverbial “goodness,” which seemed that much more amazing through the venue’s impeccable sound system. Picking up on the party vibe, they kicked off their set with Maceo Plex’s “Frisky” and navigated us through a caravan of vivacious tracks. To name a few, Cajmere & Roussell’s “Let’s Dance,” Storm Queen’s “Look Right Through,” and an infectiously addicting remix of Deborah Cox’s “Just Be Good To Me” that has been roaming around, unidentified, since this year’s BPM Festival (if any of our readers know the ID for this track please let us know, #sharingiscaring!)
The crowd never let up and neither did they, pumping the jams ’til 5 am as Cielo stayed open an extra hour to allow for the continuation of groovage. And we cannot thank them enough for that, and of course, No. 19, for turning a rainy thursday in NYC into a underground playground of wonderful deep house for the night.
