An Inside Look At Downtown’s Hottest New Year’s Bash

On New Year’s Eve, Discovered Arts of Bowery, a collective bringing together downtown's creatives, held its fourth annual “New Year’s State of Mind” bash. This year they upgraded the location to the vibrant, subterranean DROM Club in East Village Manhattan. What hadn’t changed was a collection of New York’s finest enjoying a lineup of world class musical performances and celebrating the New Year with style. Attendees from across the country were greeted by custom art displays and a busy red carpet as they filed their way onto the dancefloor.

The affair was hosted by Discovered Arts of Bowery co-founders and luminaries Max Dutcher, Peter Griffin and Zach Rosen. They drew the guest list from a community of young professionals and artists, all invited through a common network and interest in interactive patronage of the arts.

The night was kicked off by a champagne toast accompanied by a lively performance by the hip-hop collective, Swim Team. As the venue filled and the full force of guests joined the celebration, artist and songwriter J Hoard took the stage for a powerful and uplifting acoustic performance. J Hoard is a musical powerhouse in his own right, especially for his for his songwriting contributions to Chance the Rapper's hit, "No Problem".

From there, the energy of the night was amplified as J Hoard was joined by the group Gentei Kaijo, of which he is a member. Gentei Kaijo is known for their epic weekly improvisational residency at Arlene’s Grocery, called “The Lesson.” Their performance this evening was a masterclass in both its musicality and incitement to revelry. The excitement for midnight was amped up as the band mixed in well-known classics with previously unheard jams, and the members of Swim Team joined in to rap their own bespoke verses. The set was so intense that drummer Lenny Reece played a hole right through his drum.

The night was only getting started, as the main event began. The man behind St. Lucia, Jean-Philip Grobler emerged on stage, celebrating a successful year in music and the recent birth of his first child. The Brooklyn musician began an uplifting DJ set with mixing modern hits, funk and classics. The room was a swirl of music, champagne, flashing lights and dazzling celebration as the clocked edged on towards midnight. Grobler counted down in unison with the crowd, and 2018 was brought in with a warm and welcome triumph.

The party was far from over after midnight. DJ Andrew Marks tapped into the booth, to take the crowd on a journey to start 2018 on the right foot with a pulsing blend of hip-hop and house music. Andrew Mark’s set capped off what was a breakout year after producing work for professional athletic teams and his first studio releases which debuted to much fanfare on the electronic and house music circuits.

It was a night of cold weather and warm celebration, beautiful music and even more beautiful patrons. And for the friends of Discovered Arts of Bowery, 2018 ushered in with effortless panache.

Go HERE for more photos of the event by Sunny Norton and tag yourself and your friends!