Arrival NYC: Independence Day Party Recap

[sg-gallery]

For the party people, Arrival NYC’s Fourth of July rooftop party was not one to miss. The 12-hour celebration was hot and crowded, but nobody really cared a few drinks deep. It was essentially a classic block party, with a Manhattan twist of course – complete with barbeque grub and booze (to keep hydrated), stationed atop The Waterfront at Pier 92, overlooking the Hudson.

Cabanas and festive red, white, and blue couches surrounded the stage and dance area. Some of the highlights? Water launchers, an accidental pillow fight, and chaos-ensuing DJ sets made the day unforgettable. The photos speak for themselves.

Ken Loi was in the DJ booth when I arrived around 2 pm. He really should have gone on much later in the day given the amount of bangers he was dishing out. Loi is known for his remixes for artists such as Tiesto, Kaskade, and Martin Solveig, (just to name a few). Check out our pre-Arrival chat with him HERE. From “Tombo,” by Dannic and Benassi’s contagious “House Music” to Deniz Koyu’s “Hertz,” and a fantastic “Bong” mashup with The Naked and Famous’ “Young Blood”; not to mention a killer remix of Nero’s “Crush On You,” – he put on quite a performance.

Taking the decks next was Hook + Sling, who had the bass thumping through
the rest of the afternoon. Playing a medley of great songs, like “Diamonds in the Sky” mixed with M83’s “Midnight City,” and “Take You Higher” along with “Mr. Brightside.” Deniz Koyu’s “Bong” seemed to be a popular track of the day, and it wouldn’t be a set without a remix of “Set Fire to the Rain,” which he mixed with Tommy Trash’s “Cascade.” Finally, getting EDM fans and professional partiers alike on their feet with “N***as Satisfaction in Paris” and a “Calabria”/ “Somebody I Used to Know” mashup.

For when the hunger kicked in, there were nearly a dozen food trucks lined up around a “lawn” and a bunch of picnic tables. Although I didn’t like the “ticket” system (tickets were available in denominations of $1, $5, or $10 to use to purchase food), the selection was fantastic. Trucks included Phil's Steaks, Souvlaki GR, Milk Truck, Valducci's Pizza, Bistro Truck, Crepe Truck, Feed Your Hole, Sweetery, Cupcake Crew and Big D's as well as barbeque from Virgil’s Real BBQ.

Wyclef Jean brought a little reggae to the EDM party; most seemed to enjoy the change of pace, along with his heartfelt shout out to his ladies, Lauryn Hill and Whitney Houston. Naturally, the crowd sang along to “Killing Me Softly” and “Sweetest Girl” in between Wyclef’s yelling into the microphone phrases like “we are all one,” and talking about how much his watch cost.

The EC twins played a very feel-good, upbeat set (even jumping up on the booth to get the crowd going). The duo opened with Alesso’s “Raise Your Head,” and dropping other tracks like Axwell’s “Leave the World Behind,” Laidback Luke’s “1234,” and “Atom” by Nari and Milan. And everyone sang along to the fan favorite Red Hot Chili Peppers song “Otherside” and SHM’s anthem “Save the World.”

We got outta our minds for Lil Jon. During which, an impromptu pillow fight broke out. Feathers were flying everywhere and you were lucky if you left the premises without any white fuzz on your skin. To be honest, it began to smell a bit like a petting zoo. Lil Jon played our rap/hiphop favorites to get crunk to, like “Get Low,” – even showing us where the location of the window and the wall. He played “Get Out the Way,” “Rack City,” and even a few electronic dance-esque songs, like the Black-Eyed-Peas “I Gotta Feeling,” (FMIF remix). The set then hit “Turbulence,” and he proceeded to shower the crowd with champagne.

The rooftop overlooking the Hudson made for an excellent view of Macy’s annual firework display; and while many stopped to enjoy the pyrotechnics, Serge Devant played straight through the show and many kept on dancing to song’s like “Kate” by Arty. To finish up the night, he of course killed it by dropping Solveig’s “The Night Out” and his own “Addicted” feat. Hadley, among more of his usual funky, electronica beats.