Can Save The Cannibals help save NYC?

Can Save The Cannibals help save NYC?

12 February, 2009 | 12.46PM

• Written by: Terry Church
• Filed under: Music News: new york

Today Beatportal sat down with Made Event principal partner Laura de Palma, one of the organisers behind New York’s new techno weekly Save The Cannibals, to find out how her party is helping to revitalize the Big Apple’s club scene.

Save The Cannibals launched on 24th January, and now every Saturday the upstairs of Rebel club on 251 W 30th St. is converted into an underground techno party with credible forward-thinking DJs at the helm.

So far Matthew Dear, Steve Bug and Adultnapper have played at Save The Cannibals, and in the next few months the super hot Seth Troxler (who recently revealed his Weekend Weapons for Beatportal’s users), Lee Burridge, Martin Landsky and Konrad Black will perform. Tomorrow night Berlin-based DJ Cassy is spinning.

“Save the Cannibals is a focused opportunity to get back to what excited us about clubbing oh-so-many years ago,” explained de Palma. “The venue is small enough that we can fine tune the elements that are essential to a great party: great sound, consistently good music, and a community vibe where everyone feels welcome and inspired. That, ultimately is what the best of the NYC clubbing scene has always been about.”

The reputation of New York’s clubbing scene currently is that it is pretty stale. The bigger clubs have been subject to a dizzying amount of police attention, and have been raided constantly over the last couple of years. The debut of the techno-focused Minitek festival in September was widely slated as a disaster.

But de Palma believes that, “New York is ready for this party - we’ve seen many of the same faces in the first three weeks.”

Despite the current economic climate and the fact that clubbing in NYC in winter is notoriously slow, the first Save The Cannibals parties have been well attended. Laura admitted that the Made Event team were “extremely stubborn to see it become a success.”

“For the inaugural party with Steve Bug, it was way below freezing, but we still had a hot and sweaty packed house. The two subsequent weeks have been really great and the response has been very positive from both the DJs and punters,” said de Palma.

Even Minus boss Richie Hawtin popped along to one party to see what all the fuss was about.

Made Event is one of America’s most established club promotions companies, yet despite this, de Palma admitted “That jumping back into presenting a weekly party, no matter how planned and well-thought out, took more effort than first imagined.”

“Coming up with endless references to eating, for instance, is hard,” she joked, about the event’s name. “We may get a bit bolder with those as time goes on.”

How is New York’s club scene currently? She replied, “It depends on what you are looking for. The underground dance scene is lacking in comparison to the NYC scene of yore, that’s for sure. We hope to be a part of the revitalization with our very specifically targeted stimulus package.”

Save The Cannibals then, just might help save New York.

Photos: peterdrier.com

Upcoming Save The Cannibals events

February 14 Cassy with Anthony Parasole
February 21 Lee Burridge with Dennis Rodgers
February 28 Martin Landsky & Konrad Black with Connie

Location: Rebel, 251 W 30th St (Upstairs), Bet 7th & 8th Avenue, New York City
Time: Doors at 10pm, 21+ with valid ID
Tickets: $15 advance tickets while supplies last at www.savethecannibals.com

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