Jaw-dropping visuals, dawn units, impromptu B2Bs and over 25 hours of haunting melodic techno—Afterlife’s New York takeover had all of it.
2023 marked Afterlife’s fifth fall pilgrimage to the Brooklyn Mirage since its 2018 debut at the sprawling open-air venue. It’s since develop into a September staple, and every version trumps the final.
This 12 months, the label’s takeover expanded from a single present to a three-day occasion for the first time. Anticipation was excessive—tickets bought out inside half-hour of happening sale, six months forward of the occasion.
Suvranil Ghosh
Brooklyn Mirage’s gargantuan, 300-foot, 14K LED video wall was an ideal match for Afterlife’s mind-bending visuals. To up the ante, the model added an array of lasers and lighting rigs that framed the stage.
Using real-time generative expertise, visible artist Ben Heim introduced the video wall to life. From summary designs to blooming flowers and hyperrealistic waterfalls, he mixed audio-reactive suggestions and interactive management to craft what felt like an infinitely morphing spectrum of scenes.
Suvranil Ghosh
Though visuals are a core aspect of the Afterlife expertise, the music is what retains revelers on the dancefloor. This time round, we have been handled to 3 units from the label’s founders, Tale of Us. Plus, the hotly anticipated North American debuts of the duo’s respective solo tasks, Anyma’s Genesys and MRAK’s We Don’t Follow. Afterlife mainstays Stephan Bodzin and Mind Against have been additionally on the invoice, in addition to newcomers Argy and Cassian.
With stellar manufacturing and dusk-to-dawn programming throughout three nights, Afterlife felt virtually like a competition, a sense many New York dance music followers have been probably craving after the Electric Zoo debacle solely every week prior.
For a style of the Afterlife expertise, listed here are 5 of the most memorable moments from the three-day takeover at Brooklyn Mirage.
Anyma debuts a brand new audio-visual piece
Matteo Milleri, one-half of Tale Of Us, has skyrocketed in recognition over the previous 12 months together with his solo endeavor, Anyma.
Genesys, his debut album which launched this summer season, explores the relationship between mankind and expertise. The report blends themes of sentience, connection and dystopia by means of cerebral techno.
Under the path of Alessio De Vecchi, Genesys is translated into surreal humanoid visuals fine-tuned for every area wherein they’re featured. A fast look at Anyma’s social media reveals a marked distinction between the method the visuals match the slender corridor of London’s now-defunct Printworks, the large wall of Brooklyn Mirage and the lush jungles of Tulum.
But even a recent, 14-track LP paired with one-of-a-kind visuals wasn’t sufficient for Anyma to gasoline his momentous North American debut.
In a set jam-packed with jaw-dropping moments, one stood out above the relaxation. Here, metallic tentacles slithered from every finish of Brooklyn Mirage’s colossal video wall. One by one, they tethered to an ember android that brandished sharp, blazing wings as Anyma beckoned followers to “enter the simulation” by means of a high-octane, unreleased observe with Chris Avantgarde (who’s additionally featured on two Genesys tracks).
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Chilling visuals throughout MRAK’s reside efficiency
Carmine Conte, the different half of Tale Of Us, has additionally taken his solo profession off beneath his MRAK moniker.
MRAK’s We Don’t Follow venture sees him surrounded by racks of synthesizers and analog gear on stage. He’s joined on both facet by reside instrumentalists, giving his moody digital music an natural contact.
While movies of his performances aren’t blowing up on social media fairly like these of Anyma, the visible aspect is an equally necessary piece of MRAK’s reside present. Unlike his Tale of Us counterpart, MRAK’s visible path is extra elusive. Dramatic quotes and supernatural imagery dominate the display screen, shrouding MRAK in an air of thriller.
This theme felt stronger than ever throughout his Brooklyn Mirage set when a haunting face with cracked, charcoal pores and skin and piercing eyes—pupils ablaze—emerged on display screen. It felt like one thing out of a horror film. The sinister scene was elevated by a observe full of melancholic strings and menacing bass stabs.
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A magical second at daybreak with Tale of Us and Argy
It’s clear that MRAK and Anyma are taking priority over Tale of Us. While the duo have been busy releasing music for his or her solo tasks, Tale of Us hasn’t launched a observe in over two years.
At Brooklyn Mirage, MRAK and Anyma have been scheduled for prime-time slots, deferring to carry out as Tale of Us deep into the evening from 5 to 7am. While some bemoaned the graveyard shift, it made for an unforgettable Sunday morning the place the sky glowed with a magical orange tint as Tale Of Us performed a set brimming with IDs.
Argy jumped on the decks too, resulting in a surreal dawn second soundtracked by ATB’s basic ‘90s tune, “9Pm (Till I Come).”
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Cassian drops unreleased RY X Remix
Who might’ve imagined Cassian pivoting from breezy home you would possibly hear on Anjunadeep to Afterlife’s darkish, melodic techno?
Last 12 months’s Afterlife present at Brooklyn Mirage was Cassian’s first ever efficiency for the label. Since then, he’s develop into a staple in Afterlife’s reside roster. Plus, he’s launched two tracks with Anyma: a remix of Jimi Jules’ hit “My City’s on Fire” and “Save Me,” a tune off Genesys.
He celebrated his Afterlife anniversary with a gripping efficiency at Brooklyn Mirage, treating the crowd to his gorgeous unreleased rendition of “Lençóis (Love Me)” by RY X.
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Mind Against closes with “Walking Away”
The third and last day of Afterlife was considerably soured by nonstop rain. But it made for a stunning mild present with lasers glistening by means of raindrops.
Seizing the second, Mind Against ended their set with a uncommon play of their stirring tune “Walking Away.” The tune’s craving vocals and emotive synths by no means sounded higher.
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