Planetarium
Traveling to deep space in deep Ridgewood, a dance party in shavasana pose, a dream about getting whacked in the face by a tree branch, and other aural wonders
Planetarium is the deep listening, itinerant, sorta-monthly endeavor that mixes contemplative sets with live music so that distinctions blur and time dissolves into a mist. I made a pilgrimage to two recent editions being held at a private loft space in Ridgewood and behind a heavyweight industrial door, a most welcoming space appears before me. It feels warm and familiar to me for a very good reason: our wedding celebration happened here. The sound is magical, sumptuous, otherworldly, even when it’s not a special day.
Z is in town from Colorado. (Somewhere amid the long history of aged blogposts on the internet, I have a photo of his Waylon “W” tattoo. Perhaps his video of a walrus playing saxophone to “Baker Street” still lives on the internet as well?) Catching Z in the wild is a rare thing. He tells me his DJ gigs are primarily at fantasy conferences these days (it helps that your DJ partner is part of a huge fantasy film franchise). By the time I arrive, the space is crowded and pitch black, with sleeping bags, blankets, and whatnot scattered all over the floor. What if a five-hour dance party took place in shavasana pose? That’s what Planetarium offers.
It takes a good 10 minutes before I can make out the feet and heads I’m about to step on. About the only space left is by a garbage bin, so I sit there in stillness as much as possible. It’s not very comfortable, but the music soon transports me far from such a terrestrial concern. “Transportive” doesn’t seem right either, as it suggests horizontal travel when instead everything is vertical, so that sense of scale becomes ant-like as you soar above earthly matters. DJing in such a space is a wholly different art, not building momentum up so much as dilating the moment, burrowing deeper. But not to the point of just making everyone drift off to sleep. Though little naps during the night are highly beneficial as well, giving everything that waking, dreamlike aura after a good nap.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Beta’s Substack to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.