An unobstructed view of the Manhattan skyline presented itself once I passed through the gates of CitiStorage at 5 N. 11th St just before midnight.
The Empire State Building radiated red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet for Pride Weekend in the background. In the foreground, armies of red, green and blue specks bobbed and darted across the dance floor. A DJ battle, organized by Quiet Events and sponsored by the Greenpoint Chamber of Commerce, was being waged.
The attendant at the box office took our tickets and demonstrated how to operate the high-definition headset. There was a power button, a volume control and a switch that would enable me to flip through the three channels. DJ JVC was spinning on Channel One, which was denoted by a blue LED. DJs Repete and David Martinez cut on Channel Two (red LED), and DJ Izzy E mixed on Channel Three (green LED).
I scanned the dance floor and quickly gave my allegiance to the blue army. While they appeared to be outnumbered, they looked entranced.
We listened to techno. Two songs later, my curiosity got the best of me and I switched over to what my friend was listening to: Channel Two. I wasn’t a fan of the song, so I flipped to Channel Three. I stayed there for a good while. I gravitated over to fellow members of the green army. We mouthed, recited, rapped and sung lyrics.
I took a break from dancing and the music, peeling off my headset. I surveyed the skyline, and listened to the din of chatter and laughter behind me.
I about-faced in view of the dance floor: the battleground. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Did it really matter who was winning the battle?
By my count, everyone was.
Then I put my headset on and joined the red army. Or was it green? Who cares?! We sung and rapped the lyrics to “Where The Party At?”
Right here!