To find this party, just follow the beat
By Fritz Hahn
Friday, March 19, 2010

The buzz: Parties at the Warehouse Loft take me back to the days of underground raves. Not because of the music or because there are banks of laser machines throwing glowing lights onto the ceiling and across the undulating crowd, but because hundreds of people are partying in an empty dance studio in an unmarked building in the middle of a warehouse district in an unremarkable (and slightly sketchy) part of Northeast Washington. Being there feels like you're in on an amazing secret, along with a group of people who aren't here to hug the wall and watch the crowd: They're here because they love the music. (Last Saturday, that was the funky disco and proto-house music spun by the buzz-worthy L.A. DJ Dam-Funk and the local duo Beautiful Swimmers.)

Just watch the dance floor: Break dancers are getting down next to smooth-stepping couples whose legs might just be made of rubber. Everyone is grinning and grooving. One guy starts walking another across the dance floor by his legs, wheelbarrow style, and a young woman is hopping around like Yosemite Sam after Bugs Bunny gave him a hotfoot.

In a side room known as the Apartment, where the walls are lined with thrift-store couches and armchairs, small groups are taking breaks, chatting and sipping beers or bottles of water.

"I think it's freaking amazing," says Philip Goyette, a 24-year-old DJ who runs the Hipster Housecleaner cleaning service and says he has been to the Warehouse a number of times. "It's a great space, and it has a really cool crowd: people who are into the music and always want to dance to good music."

The top-notch sound is clear and clean, with plenty of low end so everyone can feel the beat no matter where they stand, thanks to carefully arranged stacks of speakers.

It's no surprise that house music legend Ron Trent, famous for spinning at no-pretense dance clubs such as New York's Shelter and Body and Soul, is making an appearance here Friday night.

"This is the first time in years when I'm like, 'Wow, an underground spot!' " says Chris Burns, a 27-year-old doctor at Johns Hopkins. "It's low-key, and everyone's here to party.

"That's something that's been lost," says the D.C. native. "All the underground places, like Red, have been taken over. It's all mainstream now." But at the Warehouse Loft, "you're doing something different, and people respond."

The scene: The Warehouse Loft has been a party spot for several years, though it hasn't always been legit. (The owners now have all the proper licenses, including one to sell liquor.) But let's be clear: This isn't a bar or a nightclub. There are no set hours or even a fixed schedule. It's an event space that promoters rent out and bring their own parties to.

Sometimes the whole space is open for a giant party. But other nights, the two rooms host separate events, so you could find a DJ spinning in one room and a fetish party in the other, or a mix of go-go bands and slam poets.

It has had a number of high-profile guests walk through the doors, including Grammy-nominated duo MGMT; the aforementioned Trent, who was spinning here during an over-capacity inauguration party that was shut down by the police; Danny Krivit, who spun at Paradise Garage, Shelter and other famed New York nightspots; and Tim Sweeney of the New York radio show "Beats in Space."

Don't remember hearing about any of those shows, let alone the locals such as Wild North who can draw hundreds of people? You're not alone. Because publicity is left up to the individual promoters, it can be hard to stay abreast of everything going on. (My advice: Check Web sites such as District Soul http://www.districtsoul.com, an online forum for DJs and music lovers where promoters post fliers and party info, or electronic music sites such as Resident Advisor http://www.residentadvisor.net).

In your glass: There are two minimalist bars pouring mixed drinks and serving beers in bottles or from freshly tapped kegs. Expect to pay $7 for a bottle of Guinness or $10 for a vodka and soda.

Need to know: Just getting to the Warehouse is an adventure. It's on an otherwise desolate stretch of New York Avenue NE, between Florida Avenue and the shuttered Love nightclub. Turn onto Penn Street NE, heading for rows of darkened warehouses. Make a hard left into the first unnamed alley, across from a PNC Bank. Park, then walk down to the dead end and turn left, where the first signs of life are two large doormen waiting to check IDs and do a quick search.

Then climb two flights of stairs in an otherwise nondescript building.

"I think a lot of people have trouble finding it" because there are no signs, says DJ Chris Burns, who says he has spun there 10 to 15 times. His advice if you're unsure: "Turn into the bank, turn off your engine and listen for where the music's coming from."

Just like the good old rave days.