Written by Audrey Pierick
Photos by Tyler Allix and Off Brand Project
After a five-year hiatus, Time Warp has returned to New York City with a bang! Time Warp has grown to become a globally recognized name in the world of techno. They’ve hosted 51 events, over 300 artists, and 600,000 guests. New York City was lucky enough to be the destination for Time Warp’s 25-year anniversary and we were not disappointed.
The event was held on November 22nd and 23rd at the New York Expo Center in the Bronx. While the location is a bit of a trek from the city, the massive venue space and industrial warehouse vibes made up for the commute time. The space was split up into two “floors,” which were really just two separate rooms.
Both floors had impressive production set ups but were distinctly different from one another. Floor one, the main floor, had its ceiling covered from front to back with giant inflatable spherical balloons. Lights were strategically spaced out between each balloon. The overall production created a feeling of being underwater. Floor two was quite a bit smaller but felt more intimate. It had strategically placed tracks of lights forming an archway over the crowd. Both rooms were well equipped with bar areas and food was also available on site.
While the two floors were staged beautifully, the transitional spaces of the venue left something to be desired. To go from floor one to floor two, festival attendees had to take a long walk outside through a cluster of porta potties. On a summer night, this might have been okay. But unfortunately, it was cold and rainy November weekend in NYC. As each night went on and more guests arrived, large lines formed at the doors going back and forth between each room. Many guests were stuck outside in the subpar weather. There was also a coat check area available, which ended up being good in theory but poor in practice. The coat check filled up quickly and it took a few hours for guests to retrieve their items at the end of each night.
While there may have been some bumps in the flow of the crowd, Time Warp more than made up for it by providing a lineup of powerhouse DJs. Over two days, Time Warp filled the New York Expo Center with 18 hours of techno. A few artist highlights included Pan-Pot and Richie Hawtin on day one and Loco Dice and Maceo Plex on day two. But in the end, it was the women of techno who really stole the show for us. Amelie Lens, Sonja Moonear, Nina Kraviz, and Peggy Gou all threw down fantastic sets. We loved seeing these women making waves in an industry typically dominated by male artists.
In the end, we loved the production, lineup, and overall vibes of Time Warp NYC. Their return to the states was absolutely a success and Time Warp has already announced that they plan to come back again in 2020. We hope to see you there next year!
Time Warp returns to Mannheim, Germany in April 2020 and tickets are already on sale.