Rubulad

Rubulad
338 Flushing Ave
(between Classon Ave & Taaffe Pl)
Brooklyn, NY 11205

Anyone who's read Jeff Stark's nonsensenyc list knows about the underground Brooklyn warehouse parties that go on each week. The parties usually are remotely located in far-flung stretches of Brooklyn, primarily to avoid the attention of law enforcement. Some of these parties are truly magical, providing a welcome diversion to the models-and-bottles, bros-and-hos driven Manhattan club scene; others are dirty-hipster/art-school hot messes, poorly organized, shoddily executed, and borderline dangerous.

Rubulad falls into the latter-category. Located in the middle of nowhere (25 minute walk from the Graham L stop, exactly), this warehouse party was a two-floor industrial loft next to a truck depot. Ascended by a narrow, dimly-lit staircase, the entire party had a DIY-feel, but like a Home Depot project gone wrong. Various art installations and graffiti randomly decorated the walls. Makeshift bathrooms were installed within the apartment, with the faint smell of sewage permeating the room. Crowd control was negligible, with patrons spilling unsafely onto the neighboring rooftops.

Rubulad's dance party had two dance floors: one with a live band crammed into the corner of the room and the other, an outdoor tent spinning some Girl-Talk inspired laptronica. The indoor space felt like a sauna, on account of the sweaty, teeming bodies crowded inside and the lack of cross-ventilation. The outdoor tent was perched on the adjacent loft's rooftop, which became difficult to move around as more people came into party. None of the music made me feel like dancing, unfortunately.

There are other safer and better organized parties in Brooklyn: The Rub's monthly party @ Southpaw, Questlove's Thursday residency at Brooklyn Bowl, and the occasional themed blowouts by the Gemini and Scorpio team.