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I may have to hang up my party shoes after this past Friday. The venue? Bijou Nightclub, Boston. The DJ? Mark Knight. My thoughts? I can say with complete candor that this may have been the best party I’ve been to in Boston this year and there’s a very good chance it might be the best for the remaining six months of 2013. And, without a doubt, it was the best time I’ve had at Bijou.
If you’ve read anything from me lately, you already know Mark Knight has been topping my list of producers and DJs in the House game for many months over. Since my first time seeing him spin live at Sensation White (October 2012) I haven’t looked back – and that includes seeing him at Ultra Music Festival (March) and Electric Daisy Carnival New York (May). Not to mention being absolutely in love with tracks like “Your Love” and “Alright” in addition to Knight’s stellar weekly podcasts.
Friday evening had all the makings of a good all-around night, everything you hoped it would be when planning such an event. My initial worry was that a majority of the Boston dance music crowd would head to Ocean Club to see the legendary Benny Benassi with TJR, for good reason, leaving Knight’s crowd a bit thin (nothing makes me feel worse for a DJ than when he has no crowd to play to). This worry, however, was shelved when I witnessed all the buzz around the internet leading up to the show. Tickets at risk of selling out, guest lists filling up, almost every friend I knew coming to have a good time, etc. Sure enough, when we showed up at 11 there was already a line to the corner of the street. By the time my friends and I got inside the place was packed and the opener Jeff LeClair (Pawtucket, RI) was ripping it up. Not long after, Mark Knight took to the decks (around 11:45) and the familiar chords of “Your Love” combined with the talking track “Mark Knight is in the house” came across Bijou’s bumpin’ sound system.
The night flowed with such energy that it’s hard to remember every song that was played and the order in which it was played. There were smiling faces all around me, everyone was dancing, and most importantly Knight kept the beat going with an awesome selection of tracks that remained mostly in the Underground House/Tech-House realm. Guys like Knight are much better in a club setting (as opposed to a festival) where it’s more intimate and everyone is there for the specific reason of seeing him spin. This allows him to play tracks he wants to play and not have to worry about appealing to the masses. It’s like it’s a big party and Knight is the master of ceremonies. Looking at the track list, there are actually quite a few tunes on there that I didn’t recognize, but thoroughly enjoyed hearing. Of course I did get to hear some of my favorite selections in “Drongoism“, “Your Love”, “Lazer Beams”, “Au Seve”, and even the Avicii mashup of Todadicso vs. Chemical Brothers – “Hey Morumbi” which I was very surprised by, having never heard a DJ other than Avicii play it.
Overall the night was a huge success and quite the spectacular party. If only Boston clubs stayed open later I guarantee Knight would have spun for four hours or more. Thanks as always to Mete and the Bijou team and to Shikhar for not only spreading the word about these events, but for making sure true music fans can enjoy themselves at affordable costs. Until next time!
-JG
Check out a little Vine I took of Knight dancing on the decks: https://vine.co/v/hamJvH5X5K