A night out in New York feels limitless—endless shows and events can be accessed at nearly any time. As the weather is growing colder and warehouse rave season is kicking off in full swing, Time Warp, supported by TekSupport, arrived in Brooklyn on November 24th & 25th. Known for curating cutting-edge events with top-tier and emerging electronic acts, Time Warp didn’t disappoint. On Friday, November 24, Broke ventured to the Brooklyn Storehouse to catch some of our favourite techno artists on the first night of the two-day festival.
Arriving at the venue around midnight—early by festival standards—we were ready to immerse ourselves in Time Warp’s signature blend of stage design and immersive audiovisual technology. The night promised a full sensory experience, and we were eager to see how it all unfolded.
We first caught Lily Palmer on Floor 2, who brought a surge of intense energy to the festival. Bright strobe lights balanced with deep basslines created a high-energy atmosphere. With heavy builds and sharp transitions, Palmer solidified her place as one of techno’s most exciting rising stars. Next was Nina Kraviz, who began her set with a subtle buildup into an experimental, dark, and edgy journey. While her set certainly featured many instant gratification moments—quick build-ups and sudden transitions—they were a double-edged sword. At times, the rapid shifts felt jarring, breaking the flow that a techno audience craves. Nevertheless, Kraviz’s ability to command the stage was undeniable, solidifying her as a force in the techno scene.
We headed to Floor 1, where the stage designs for Sven Väth’s set perfectly captured the immersive nature of his iconic vinyl-based performances, known for pulling audiences into a deep, trance-like state. The red-hued setup, with its suspended LED lights and geometric structures, matched the intensity and industrial edge of his techno soundscapes. Väth’s seamless transitions, long lead-ups, and dramatic drops created a deep submersion, where the music took over entirely. His dedication to spinning vinyl added an unparalleled depth and authenticity, amplifying the experience of being fully immersed in the journey. DJs like Väth are meant to guide listeners through a story, and his mastery ensured the crowd was completely lost in the hypnotic pulse of the music, only snapping back to reality when the set ended.
Ricardo Villalobos brought contrasting energy with his lighter, more buoyant approach to minimal techno, perfectly aligned with the blue, crystalline stage design. His music spun on vinyl, was filled with subtle shifts and intricate patterns that kept the audience in a constant state of movement. Villalobos himself reflected the energy of his set, never standing still as he skillfully wove together tracks that felt effortless yet meticulously crafted. His performance wasn’t about big moments, but about creating a steady, ever-evolving soundscape that captivated the room with its precision and understated brilliance. We ran into a few friends during his set, and we all agreed that both Väth and Villalobos proved that the old heads of techno are truly in it for the music.
By 4 a.m., we made our last stop to catch Indira Paganotto on Floor 2. Expecting washing machine music at this hour, we weren’t disappointed. Paganotto delivered a relentless rhythm that was both hypnotic and chaotic. The crowd locked into a trance-like state, with pounding basslines and spiralling synths consuming the room. Strobing flashes and vivid colour changes slicing through the darkness amplified the intensity of the music, transforming the dancefloor into a mesmerizing, chaotic spectacle.
As we left to catch a car at 5 a.m., we had no sense of how much time had passed, proving Time Warp to be a successful festival. The venue’s darkness and hypnotic atmosphere blurred any sense of time, creating a surreal experience that felt endless. As we exited, we overheard a security guard shouting at the crowd rushing into the street to catch their cars, without a care in the world, likely heading to the afters which didn’t start until 6 a.m. As the holidays approach and 2024 comes to a close, the vibrant connections we share through music and events like these provide the perfect escape from reality.
Photography by Tyler Allix