If you're a resident of New York City, you might have heard of BangOn! The party series has taken the city by storm with its out of the box themes, extensive build outs, secret locations that in the end give party-goers an authentic experience that can be hard to find. BangOn! is famous for giving people a chance to have no expectations going into an event, but having unforgettable experiences under their belt on their way out.
Earlier this week, I ventured into the world of one of NYC's most sought after parties. At a secret location that will be announced tomorrow, the massive space buzzed in preparation for this Friday's Halloween party. After the dust cleared and I walked across the space, I got to dive into the world of BangOn! a little deeper, thanks to the help of is creators Brett, Gene and Tim – three laid back guys dedicated to throw over the top parties with a sense of humor. This year, their Warehouse of Horrors show will feature acts like Break Science and Purple Disco Machine, the latter of whom made a special remix for the event series. Check out the mix below and our conversation with the guys, and keep in the know with BangOn! here.
EARMILK: So let's lay it all out here – what is your involvement wth BangOn! as a series?
Tim: The two of us and Gene started it as friends just throwing parties. It started small on a rooftop as 300 people, and then it started to grow to 600 people, then 1000 people, and it just kept going.
Brett: The first one we had was a rooftop party that got shut down by the cops because, well, somebody called about fireballs going off on the roof nearby. But we had some girlfriends "sweet talk" the firemen so that we could party a half hour longer.
EM: So then what – you decided to become a bit more "official"?
Brett: We just started to push the envelope more each time, getting a little bit bigger, a little bit crazier each time, adding more features, more art, more installations, crazier build out.
EM: What was the first party you threw on Halloween like?
Tim: It was by Hope Street – I remember we nailed a guy up – one of our friends actually – to a crucifix, fully naked, and we had a dominatrix come in and whip him in front of everyone. That was pretty fun.
Brett: There might have been a zip line too. It was so long ago – six years ago!
EM: Where did the name "BangOn!" come from? It seems obvious but…
Tim: Not really sure – we were just brainstorming in a circle, and that's the one. Names are actually really hard to come up with. We liked it because it was like {fist pumps}, "Bang On!" and Gene had to do with it too, because it's an Australian phrase, and it just stuck. We really didn't know we were going to end up being a giant party, so it was just fun for three, four hundred people. And now it's like five, six thousand people, and we're dealing with professional people now.
Brett: The one problem with keeping the name BangOn! is that people immediately think of sexual things, like, "Does that cost extra?"
EM: How do you find the spaces for these events and find the artists you like to book?
Brett: Lots of hard work and luck. Fortunately our reputation precedes us (that we run a quality show). But there's never really been a "magic bullet," especially since we're always trying to do crazier and crazier stuff. As we go the challenges just get more and more interesting. And when it comes down to the actual building of the party, we want it to seem effortless.
Tim: There is a cultural phenomenon about parties in "abandoned" spaces, but this is some of the most desirable real estate as things go. But we want to find spaces where you can walk in and just go, "Wow." That's the feeling we like to create.
EM: Next stop, Detroit?
Tim: Well, we would love to do that. This summer we're working on an outdoor event called Elements Festival, focusing on art and music like we do with our other stuff but then focusing on green culture as well. We're trying to use more green energy, and even looking at waste management and how people get to the festival. The idea is to teach people who are going out to party to be conscious of their fellow human beings. Like, "Hey! Go crazy! But…also use the recycling."
Brett: One takeaway from things like Burning Man is that it's so much nicer when trash is in the right place. It's not that much harder to throw your cup in the right place instead of on the ground where someone trying to dance is going to trip on it.
EM: What do you look forward to most when you put these events on?
Tim: There's that golden hour when stress is gone at about 4 AM. When we're already over the hump and everything's up and running and amazing, and we're finally settled, it's pretty cool to have a team cheer, or something. Our team's solidarity is pretty badass.
Brett: Each event has creative elements that we put a lot of work into – the performances, the show for each theme. So taking a creative idea and finally seeing it come to fruition is pretty cool.
