[dropcap]S[/dropcap]omething exquisite happens in Cambridge every Thursday, & to find yourself in the throes of it, all you have to do is cross the 364.4 smoots of the Harvard Bridge. Once arriving at 315 Massachusetts Avenue you are greeted with a basic space, accented with leather benches & wooden tables. It seems inconspicuous enough, until your ears feast upon the wide-ranging selections of tremendously talented DJs & producers that dwell both locally & abroad. There must be a reason that acts who play in front of crowds in the tens of thousands come here, nearly each week, to this one little room, consistently & joyously.
What is it?
Make It New.
The bullshit-free electronic music dance party has now been around for a decade, and has found the secret. The techno night is a home away from home; a sweet respite from the road, sleepless nights, & passerby meetings. The cast of characters behind the scenes work diligently to welcome them & you. One of them is Worcester DJ/producer Coralcola, the formerly bearded & most recent addition of residents who shares some memories — & an exclusive 10 Year Anniversary Mix to boot (scroll downward).
Read, listen, & enter Middlesex Lounge tonight, October 23, with eccentric guest TIGA at the risk of having the greatest night of your life.
Georgette Bibber: How did you first link up with the Make It New crew?
Coralcola: I’m the newest member of the squad. My first official night as a resident was back in October 2012 with Jerome LOL & Groundislava, but I was always coming out on Thursdays even before I was involved because they were booking such insane acts like Actress and Shed and Wighnomy Brothers.
Describe the party’s progression/crowd over the years…
Well technically I wasn’t even old enough to get in when it started, but it was a true minimal techno night back in the day. It’s definitely transformed over the years, with even more established heads coming in, but they love the vibes. It’s the most consistent place for no bullshit techno and house in New England. It’s loud and it’s dark, the way a good party should be. Forget about all the superficial crap and blast good tunes.
Care to share a few behind-the-scenes memories?
Way too many nights that can be considered some of the best nights of my life happen every Thursday. Kelela on the mic with Bok Bok was incendiary, getting Todd Edwards shitfaced to the point where he got on the mic and sang the last half hour of his set was hilarious. Optimo closing with “Angel Of Death,” heart to hearts with Bordello, drinking “Daniel Averys,” 2 hours of funky and soul 45s with Floating Points, busting balls with Ikonika, and I’ll never forget dancing about to Enigma with Space Dimension Controller.
Any producers/DJs out there you would like to bring out?
I think my dream booking would be Wolfgang Voigt or DJ Sprinkles. Yea that would be amazing. I really hope we bring back KiNK and Ben UFO again, too.
What are you currently working on & most looking forward to?
I haven’t released any of my own productions in a few years but I’m still making as many tunes as ever. Techno shit. House shit. Ambient shit. #Makeupanotherstupidgenreoutofthinair shit. It’s all sort of just stacking up now but I’ve got plans to release some cassettes with YDLMIER and MOSS ARCHIVE that I’m pretty psyched on. I’m also pretty psyched on going to see Perfume in NYC next month too but that’s just me.
Tell us about the motivation behind your mix? Is this typical for what you would play at MIN?
For this mix I only wanted to use tunes made by artists who have played the party in the past, luckily we have had so many great producers come through and it wasn’t too difficult to keep the vibe going. I know I’ve played a bunch of these tracks over the years.
Make It New 10-Year Anniversary Party with TIGA + Baltimoroder + Alan Manzi + John Barera + Coralcola :: Thursday, October 23 @ Middlesex Lounge, 315 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA :: 9 p.m., 21-plus, $20 before 11pm / $25 after :: Facebook event page
