Black NYC, A Two Day Music + Visual Arts Experience

Have you seen the Black triangles spray painted all over the sidewalks, scattered throughout the city and Brooklyn? Those Black triangles were advertisements for Black – NYC, a two day music and visual arts experience at Avant Gardner, which kicked off on April 4th. The multi room event had different art installations scattered through the venue and a main stage in the great hall. My favorite installation was “Florence To” which was located in King’s Hall. LED panels reacting to ambient noise, with mirrors directly below them, were even distributed around the dark room.

Black NYC

Photos by Black – NYC

The main stage was located in the Great Hall with the “Children of the Light” installation, a large triangle with LED strips around the interior and exterior of the triangle. The triangle would be lit in a solid color and then turn completely off and the bottom side of the triangle would strobe – giving some dark rave vibes, which I love. I honestly love events like Black, these types of events bring a super chill crowd and everyone was dressed to a T.

Jacques Greene got the crowd moving to his electronic mixes and people were whiling out under the “Children of the Light”. The Blaze was the headliner tonight, and if you know me, you know I am a die-hard fan.They opened with the prelude to their album and the two screens divided. They’re setup facing each other with an LED screen on each side of them. The crowd was f e e l i n g it. They pretty much played their entire discography but some honorable mentions are She, Runaway, Territory (my fave), and Juvenile. The deep eclectic vocals shine through their performance and sound even better than the recorded album. Compared to other acts, they’re so simplistic, yet have the most amazing performance and transitioned their songs so well, keeping the crowd constantly moving. The duo went to film school and they direct their own visuals so the quality of their visual content is A++ and really gave a dramatic touch to their performance.