Liz OhanesianIn seven years of throwing some of the hottest underground parties in town, Droid Behavior has managed to escape the inevitable visit from the fire marshal, something that even a lot of above-ground clubs can't claim. That all changed on Saturday night when the techno-loving crew celebrated the anniversary of its popular monthly bash, Interface.
Credit: Liz Ohanesian
At close to 1 a.m., the music ceased abruptly. We thought that perhaps it was a dramatic pause to introduce Kid 606, but when we noticed that there was nothing but silence coming from the other room in this small venue, we knew it could only mean one thing. After a minute or two of standing around the dance floor, a security guard made his way through the space, announcing, “Party's over.” We filed through the doorway, into the main room of the gathering, where a couple hundred people were still standing packed together as if they were waiting for the moment when they could begin dancing again. Out on the patio, people continued gabbing between cigarette drags, almost as though nothing had happened.
Credit: Liz Ohanesian
Sometimes, when the authorities show up at a party, pandemonium ensues. Fortunately, that was not the case with Saturday's event. The peacefulness of the situation could be credited both to the club's promoters and the crowd. Droid runs a tight party, so by 12:30, people had already gotten in a few solid hours of dancing, even if the headliners hadn't hit the decks. Their crowd is older than what you might imagine for a party in a warehouse, mostly post-college with at least a few who could probably tell you stories about downtown's late-'80s/early-'90s rave scene. It's a DJ geek crowd, more interested in trainspotting than causing trouble.
Credit: Liz Ohanesian
Over the course of a half hour, the population inside the building had congregated on a small downtown side street. Few left the block. The local street teams worked the crowds with flyers for upcoming events. Across the sidewalk, the buzz was strong that the party would reconvene at a different location, though no one knew where. Shortly after 2 a.m., the text message rounds began with a new address and new time. Those who hadn't left the area could continue where they left. Interface's seventh anniversary wasn't quite ruined.
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