Debut Ascen De Flo Mardi Gras Ball Will Be An 8hour, Futuristic Black Electronic Music Rave
There's no denying that Ascendance and Set De Flo, two of New Orleans' most important black electronic dance acts, are inextricably linked.
Ascendance co-founder DJ Chinua says the two parties not only started within a month or two of each other in 2017, but within a two-block radius, streaming Ascendance and Poor Boys of Sydney.
According to Chinua, "We've always been the binary actors in our cinematic universe of this dense and small black electronic dance music of the city night.
So it only makes sense to come together for the Mardi Gras Ascen de Flo dance on Saturday, February 3rd at 1104 Decatur Street, and like a full-on dance party, they go above and beyond.
The party will last eight hours from 22:00 to 06:00, and there will be more than a dozen DJs playing sets on two dance floors. The theme is "futuristic" - technology, science fiction and Afrofuturism, yellow and blue as the theme of the Aquarius season.
Ascendence and Set D Flow have brought black rave culture to Washington; Montreal's Moonshine Collective is made up of first and second generation African immigrants; and Aluna, a British singer and DJ who has worked with artists such as Disclosure and Skrillex. Local artists will include D1ME, Quickweave, Baba Marcus Akinlana and Jess, who co-wrote the song "Where My Girls At Party" with Legatron Prime.
Expect to hear a variety of styles at an Ascendancy or Set De Flow party, including house, hip-hop, bounce, afro-beat, amapiano (a style of South African house music), R&B, soul, techno, club and more. .
"We're all doing this thing where we're experimenting with these different sounds that talk so much and influence each other," Chinua said. You have to stay a while to get the full experience.'
You have to drive everywhere. Chinua says the main room will have an "in your face, all together, humanity running, catharsis" energy, while the back room will be "a little more private, a little more experimental."
"The direction we're heading for ourselves and our guest artists is to let the geek flag fly, try really cool stuff, and push things forward," says Chinua.
Yellow and blue dresses or suits are recommended, and organizers ask them to wear what would make them the "coolest rave in 3024". Suggestions include metal, futurism, cyberpunk and science fiction. Prizes await the best dressed.
The ball will begin a big change starting this year for Ascension, moving away from the monthly zodiac festivals it has hosted for years. Chinua and co-founder DJ Pr_ck have grown since they started. In 2018, the parties were moved to the cafe in Istanbul, and Chinua says recent parties have averaged around 550-750 people.
Instead, organizers plan to combine four large events and about six intimate events this year, with the ball being their first large-scale event.
"What better way to do that than to go to the Mardi Gras dance?" Chinua said:
Smaller events are not yet planned, but may include DJ-oriented events such as open tables, music workshops and exchanges, and some small house parties. The aim is to have 100-300 people for these events.
In this new phase, Ascendence organizers are organizing international parties outside of Louisiana.
But Zodiac fans needn't worry. There will still be an astrological connection to the ball, albeit more subtle, as Chinua has promised that "there will be something for every star sign in this event".
"It's Aquarian season, and Aquarians are diverse," says Chinua. We want to harness that energy by making sure we have all the great artistic experiences we have at Zodiac with our community.”
Chinese people will see familiar faces on the dance floor, regulars at the dance parties that have become part of the Ascension and Sete de Flo communities. Over the past six years, people who met at dance parties have become friends, married, had children, and started businesses and other partnerships.
But Chinua is also happy to welcome people who have never been to their dances.
"You're beautiful, fit, but ready to dance, ready to sweat, ready to be human, ready to feel, ready to make new friends," Chinua said.
Ascen de Flo runs from Saturday, February 3, 10pm to Sunday, February 4 at 1104 Decatur St. Tickets are $42, excluding tax and fees, and can be purchased at ascen.dance/tickets.
