We had a tough decision to make last weekend. With one event at a $60 cover (and not the cheapest drinks), another with few RSVPs, and others just not our scene, we decided on the Flat for an intimate night out.
We’ve got a soft spot for The Flat. After spending a magical New Year’s there, we look at every event with a hint of fondness of that memory. However, this is not your normal EDM crowd. This is a more refined, multiethnic crowd, dressed admittedly better than we were in our t-shirts and trainers. This didn’t matter though, as people were nothing but warm and accepting.
We arrived, acquired drinks in the inside bar, and since we hadn’t quite warmed up, we went out back to hunt a spot to hang. Every single seat was occupied in their fairly sizable patio, including spaces between booths. We quietly nestled up to the side patio wall and waited until someone left to go dance inside. We were delightfully out of our element. Shortly after, we had friends arrive, and a table freed up. Let the games begin.
It’s an interesting thing, going out with a bunch of musicians, DJs, and writers. We learn to let go and delight in flying incognito. Here we could truly be ourselves, without the ever nagging whisper of the club gossip. We were surrounded by smiling, cheering people of all ages, from baggy pants to starched polo shirts. No drunken girls yelling requests for Chainsmokers and holding their drinks above the decks.
Right about 12:30 or 1 a.m., we hit a magical moment. Everyone was suddenly more in tune with the music, and everything but the dance floor simply melted away. There were dance circles that simply put the best dancers of us to shame. There were hugs, compliments, and up close musical intimacy with the friendly DJs. This is a place where house truly can be a feeling, and we left the evening (when the lights went on even, whew!) glowing with the words of “My House” running through our heads.
There were only two things that could have made this night a perfect night out: the outside bar staff and the mixing technique. If this were a casual weeknight, we could understand that asking what goes in the posted drink specials would require some patience and coaching. However, this was Saturday — prime time. People across the venue were whispering, and just giving up and going inside.
The last, but very most important comment was simply the mixing, or lack thereof. There was no trainwrecking, as the tracks were just slammed together before they had a chance to even go that far. Don’t get us wrong, the track selection was simply stellar. Every single DJ just slammed track to track with zero crossover. After a while, you just learn to tune that part out (gin helps), and let loose and enjoy the dance floor. However, out of the corner of our eyes, we saw our DJ friends simply twitch with every transition.
Pros: Intimate and well attended venue, cozy but spacious porch, delicious drink specials. Incredibly killer track selection (including a favorite song or two). When you open a tab, it works at both of the bars.
Cons: Mixing. Nice, but green bartender.
Journalist/blogger since 2009 and music lover since 1980. Bex now travels the world and writes and takes photos of dance events, creates art in various media, sings quietly to her cat in the shower, and occasionally builds something that tends to involve a blowtorch. She can usually be seen hiding behind some sort of camera rig.
