Dial In To Hell Phone, Bushwicks Underground Techno Hotspot

Admin
Admin
4 minute read
Dial In To Hell Phone, Bushwicks Underground Techno Hotspot

It's lunchtime on a Saturday in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and the back room at Cafe Ange Noir has turned into an inferno. It is dark, lit only by a few red lamps. A crowd fills the floor, many are dancing, some are waiting for a drink or playing pool. Others enter and exit the room through an old telephone booth labeled "Hell's Phone". The DJ sits in the corner of the room, 20 feet off the ground, imitating an angel or a devil, depending on your perspective.

Launched just six months ago, Hell Phone may have a strong name, but its identity is unclear. Founders Bree Olson and Finley Mangan describe it as a "techno language", though more generally a DIY "multi-purpose venue" for live music. There is no consistent weekly schedule, but events typically occur three nights a week and the founders will post the next schedule on the Hell Phone Instagram at the beginning of each week.

Last summer, Vanessa Pacini, owner of the Ange Noir bar, invited a DJ for a weekly residency because the back room was already rented out for variety shows, local theater and private events. Olson – a full-time DJ, booker and event planner – interviewed Pacini about the role and offered his ideas for the venue.

ALSO READ:House Bill Would Pay Rural Telecoms To Ditch Chinatied Tech Seen As Spying Risk: 'rip And Replace'

“I thought, 'Instead of housing, let me give you a grand opening so we can put it on the radar and let more people know,'” Olson recalls.

One of the defining features of the place is the aforementioned phone booth that separates the bar from the back room, a door to hell, if you will. Built in 2014, the portal was created to give the back room a more distinct identity than the front room.

“Ange Noir is French for 'Black Angel,'” Pacini told Hypebeast. “Me and Angel were thinking about this day, so we thought about the opposite, something darker… but we thought we shouldn't put 'Satan' in the name. So we decided on Hell Phone."

Hell Phone was already Ange Noir's darker, edgier counterpart, so it seemed natural to expand the title with the newfound colloquialism. Olson brought in Manga (and her roommate), a full-time model, to bring Hell's Phone to life. Together with Pacini, the two renovated the space, creating a nightclub atmosphere, installing soundproof panels and walls, and covering and darkening the skylights. They also removed furniture to clear the dance floor.

ALSO READ:35 Great Tech Gifts For All The Women In Your Life

DJs performing at Hell Phone can play on a standard stage approximately 5 feet tall or on smaller individual stages that reach ceiling height. “It's an old-school club concept that attracts DJs,” explains Mangan. "Downstairs seems more sociable to me."

Olsson and Mangan have used their personal and professional networks to recruit talent, as most of Hell Phone's DJs hail from Brooklyn and Queens. The pair points out that artists are often drawn to the space itself, a pleasantly intimate setting (seating about 75) compared to Manhattan clubs that often host hundreds, if not thousands, of patrons. Lot Radio resident Amelia Holt is a recurring name on the list, as is award-winning Queens native Purdy, classically trained flutist and DJ Concrete Swami. During his visit to Hypebeast on Saturday, Hell Phone was caught by two Brooklyn collectives: one called Trim, which throws techno parties across the city, and another called Shift, which promotes DJs, events and clubs. The teams collaborate monthly as part of Hell Phone's first unofficial DJ residency. Of course, Olson and Mangan also appear on the seating list.

Olson says most nights focus on techno, although they actually follow the aforementioned "multipurpose room" concept. The bar area at Ange Noir will be closed, but the space will remain open for guests to sit and enjoy the upbeat music. Local vendors, from vintage sellers to tarot readers to dental jewelry artists, often set up shop right across the street, and cell phone sales show no signs of slowing. While music is certainly Hell Phone's bread and butter, Holt and another DJ, Cole Evelev, will use the venue to host a chess club later in the week.

Interview with Hell Phone founder and owner Bushwick Brooklyn Ange Noir Café, live DJ performance, club night, band, event, DIY approach, construction, venue

Sarah Kearns/Hypebeast

“The ethos of Hell Phone is to focus on community, not profit,” Mangan said. "We want to add something meaningful to this scene that we love. It's really nice to diversify the scene that you can dance in."

For Olson, who worked in the music industry for years before founding Hell Phone, the safety of the artists and guests was as important as the music itself. Some evenings are dedicated to providing a safe space for a special group like Trans 4 Techno. ”, features an exclusively trans lineup of artists and seeks to bring trans and queer people together.

“The atmosphere is very community oriented. Sometimes it feels like a house party here.”

“One of the great things about us is that everyone here is a friend of a friend,” adds Mangan. “The atmosphere is very community oriented. Sometimes it feels like a house party here.”

Even during the winter season, when communication in the city is naturally reduced, the houses of Hell's Phone are crowded almost every evening. This took the three founders much further than they expected. While they discuss the possibility of bringing the Hell Phone to other locations in the future, in the city and beyond, Ange Noir will always be at home.

“We are a community-oriented place and we love being involved in this scene in Bushwick,” Olson said. “There's nothing better than watching Hell's Phone grow.”