MovingDay was a live ass party hosted by the Thank You For Not Snitching crew. Held on September 19th, 2015 at ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓, this unforgettable event was held in celebration of TYFNS' first birthday. Thank You For Not Snitching is a blog for the people. Providing playlists of tracks from upcoming artists, reviews on new/locally released music, and articles on culture across the U.S., they've gained a large following and popularity. Appealing to the masses is their forte, so there's no wonder as to why their first event was so lit.
pictured: Kleonaptra
Best first impression of 2015? TYFNS. If there could have been any event more epic than MovingDay during that year, it probably would have to have involved Kanye. Ok, I'm exaggerating. But for many people who attended this live ass party, it was the best event they've ever been to. Everything from the DJs, to the venue, and the price of entry was perfect. In fact, I dare say that it was the most perfect venue in the district. Held at ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓, the place easily housed over 400 people. A capped RSVP didn't deter an entire instance of party-goers from arriving. The event started at 10pm, and by midnight, the venue was an absolute paradise. Young adults ranging from 15-24 were present and moshing their hearts out. An epic lineup of the sound selectors Kleonaptra, Franklin, DJ No Request, and Jessicunt, had the area live the entire night. A mini-rave as I would like to think of it, MovingDay was an event that would be hard to be topped. Arriving to the building, the first thing I did was look for vantage points, spots where the best shots could be taken to really capture the mood of the place. Angles, lighting, space, the amount of leg room, all of these things played a factor. After figuring out a part of my strategy for the night, I made my way in. I saw some familiar faces and dapped up close friends, glad that I would have people to mosh with me. Strobe lights, music, and darkness greeted me as I first stepped in. Part of me immediately fell ill. I knew it would be dark, but if it weren't for the outside light sources and the DJ table, it would've been absolutely pitch black. This would be a problem.
First off, I left my external flash at home. Great. The built-in flash on my T2i was broken too, so even if I did want to use it, I couldn't. Even better. My 50mm could reach f/1.8, but it couldn't cover the entire area of the venue, posing a huge challenge. I like challenges though. Music is playing, the bass is deafening my ears, and it's as though I'm moving in slow motion. I positioned myself near the booth where Franklin was currently mixing, and got a couple shots. The continuously changing colors coming from the strobe lights and his equipment highlighted him perfectly, reducing noise and enhancing definition. I had to shoot quickly before he got out of position. After I got the right shot I immediately got hit with an elbow, followed by a sweaty back. Focusing so much on shooting, I completely forgot that there was a mosh pit right next to me, and I was caught off guard. Traphouse 3 started to play and I haphazardly dropped everything in my hand into a corner.
Moshing is the best way to get all your pent up feelings from that week's bullcrap out, while listening to your favorite songs. A simple thing turned into a full-on workout/meditation/activity, a mosh pit is where you can really let everything go. That is to say, MovingDay had some of the best I've experienced since the Flatbush Zombies Concert at the Filmore in 2014. Even though I was one of the youngest and smallest there, I held my own. The creative group Parallel Diamonds was in attendance, and was really turning the place up. One of their frontrunners, Mikado, took a position on top of the speakers and started dancing to the flow of not only the music, but the crowd as well. It was if everyone was feeding off everyone else's energy, bringing together an ecstatic sea of youth rocking the building. It was all too surreal with the elements that were in place. This went on until about midnight, when I realized I desperately needed rest, water, and of course, more shots. I made my way out of the pit and grabbed my camera.
pictured: A very electric Kleo
The venue itself wasn't just an area for moshing, there was an outer area both in the front and back where people could talk, chill, smoke, skate, etc. You know, normal 20-something activities. What I love about the DMV, and D.C. especially, is that everyone enjoys the same things, but in different ways. Everyone also has something unique about them, you could never confuse someone for another person. I guess you could say that may be true in other large metropolitan areas, but the DMV is area that really stands out among the rest. We're highly underrated. Anyways, back to MovingDay. Around midnight I stepped outside to get some fresh air, and to get out of the heat wave that was the inner area. Linking with friends, we saw opportunities to explore more of the expansive area. Climbing 18-wheelers, vans, and rooftops, we came across the larger part of the ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ and were blown back. You could see about 4 streets down from specific points, and it was just too much to believe that a bunch of teens could really pull off a party like this in a location such as this one. After I had enough of the sedating city sights, I got down from the rooftop and went back to rejoin the inner group.
It was approaching 1am, and the party still had no sign of slowing down. People's bodies still hadn't caught up with their spirits, and an endless supply of stamina still enveloped the population. What was fun to watch and experience was how people reacted to specific songs. The very few who were tired and roamed outside for a breather, would instantly rush back in anytime a song like Antidote, Social Network, or Alright started to play. I did the same. The event didn't even start to die down until about 1:40am, and it ended at 2am. DJs were still in full swing, and so were people's vocal chords. I had already gotten enough footage and shots of highlights throughout the night, so I was scrolling through my camera roll, making quick deletions to make the editing at home easier on myself.
pictured again: Kleo's soul
Antidote came on one last time, and Kleonaptra, being my main subject for the night, had to let out one last burst of spirit. I turn my head away for two seconds, and turn around once I start to hear the music quiet down and attendants shouting. What I see is her crowdsurfing. Smile on her face, no care in the world, throwing her arms up and down in the air. I never saw when she jumped, but the crowd must've cheered her on. I completely missed it, but at least I got footage of her surfing.
All in all, MovingDay was a complete success. I haven't ever been to a party that lit before, with peers I actually wanted company with. At the conclusion of the event, the cops showed up to escort everyone away from the venue. They showed up just in time to clear everyone out quickly and orderly. I had a chance to speak with one of the TYFNS crew who helped put MovingDay together. Teni, an active member, credits herself with keeping everything nice and clean.
Me: "What was it like helping plan MovingDay, and what role did you play?"
Teni: "I did all the small things really. I thought about all the things people don't usually think about like where people are going to use the bathroom, keeping things clean, and stuff like that. I did a lot of behind-the-scenes things like purchasing stuff and just making sure nobody really needed anything because I already had it."
Teni's portion obviously played a key role in MovingDay, no one wants to constantly step in puddles of suspicious substances at a party. MovingDay was a party and night to remember. It was a great way to let everyone have their final hoorah after the introduction back into school. Overall, it was a 9/10. Watch the recap video here > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuTm43kZU5g and catch up with TYFNS on their twitter page @TYFNSblog
Thanks For Reading.