Trade Show USA – Red Bull Music Academy Festival
Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) spared no expense throwing Trade Show USA, a 12 hour queer warehouse party in Brooklyn. RBMA Festival featured talents such as Honey Soundsystem, Needlxchange, Wrecked, Men’s Room, Chris Cruse, Honcho, DJ Holographic and The Carry Nation.
Despite the rainy weather, RBMA also brought the party outside for those looking to escape the body heat of the warehouse. DOPE HAUS host Chico Mendez stopped by Trade Show USA to see how America gets down in the gay underground.
No shirts, no problem! Party go-er’s dance inside a warehouse in Brooklyn (Stacy Kranitz/Red Bull Music Academy)
“There’s so many people,” said a voice behind me, “where are their clothes?”
The first thing I encountered when I hit the Trade Show USA dancefloor was a sea of shirtless, sweaty dancers gyrating to a pulsating house beat. A discoball shot sparkles of light in every direction. A ring of inflated condom people doing doggy style connected in a Human Centipede fashion rotated above the party.
I thought I’d seen everything until I looked up at the ceiling. (Carys Huws/ Red Bull Music Academy)
The lineup was stacked. Honey Soundsystem brought a San Francisco flavour, Needlxchange represented Washington D.C., and Men’s Room delivered proper Chicago style beats. My favorite set of the night came from Detriot’s DJ Holographic. Not a single person stood still when she hit the decks.
Dancers flocked to the caged area raised behind the DJ booth. Condensation from body heat hung thick in the air. Staggered construction pallets provided a chill area at the back of the warehouse. Standing at the very top gave you a perfect eagle’s eye of the whole scene.
Werk werk werk! (Ysa Perez/Red Bull Music Academy)
By the time I had arrived, the party was in full swing. Trade Show USA planned to kick off at 6pm and continue on until 6am. Scores of hopeful people lined up outside, desperate to get inside despite the tickets being sold out long ago. A tent outside the giant warehouse hosted another DJ booth from the rain.
Trade Show USA was an intense visual experience combined with different creative installations. A neon red ejaculating penis hung above a couch where lovers and friends went to rest their feet. Washed in a cool blue light was a statue of a naked man with a sculpted booty that would put your pilate’s instructor to shame.
My only question is: who gets to keep the sign once the party is over? (Stacy Kranitz/Red Bull Music Academy)
Red Bull Music Academy festival put extra time and attention into the atmosphere and ambience of their queer warehouse party. Glory holes poked through a plywood wall leading to the dancefloor. Were they real? I didn’t stick my head in to check.
I applaud RMBA for their attention to detail with the art and decor displayed near the bar. Vintage shoe shine booths lined the back of the wall, providing a great perching spot to observe the whole show.
Attendees take a break from dancing. (Carys Huws/ Red Bull Music Academy)
Glitter. Poppers. Heels. Voguing and whacking. I bumped into someone wearing a t-shirt that loudly exclaimed, “God Loves F*gs”. Everywhere you looked, love was in the air. The whole vibe was sexy. People from different cultures, sizes and expressions came together under the same roof for the love of techno and house music. The feeling of unity was intoxicating.
(Ysa Perez/Red Bull Music Academy)
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