Verboten…Nothing is Forbidden in Brooklyn

From loft party, to warehouse, and now North 11th Street, Verboten has landed in Brooklyn.

German for “forbidden,” Verboten has become an avant-garde staple in the New York underground dance music scene; booking, producing and promoting house music and techno parties at a variety of clubs, boats, festivals and music conferences for the past 12 years.

Formally a nomadic party, it is now a multi-purpose establishment with growing roots in the Williamsburg community – offering more than just a one-night soiree.

In 2012, Verboten was voted “Best Party” in Time Out New York, “Best Promoter” in the Paper Magazine Nightlife Awards, and was nominated “Best Event Promoter” at 2013’s International Dance Music Awards.

Now, after years of meticulous planning, Verboten has found refuge in a former metal manufacturing warehouse between the East River waterfront and the Wythe Hotel on 54 North 11 Street.

And the airy and open double-roomed space is not just for electronic dance parties; it can also be altered for any occasion including live performances, brunch, karaoke, corporate events, movie premiers, yoga and even burlesque. Both the Control room and the Cabaret room are tuned – and continue to be tuned – on a regular basis as per the event’s needs.

Verboten Brooklyn. Photo by Dan Leinweber.

Forbidden Origins

With its new location, Verboten co-founders Jen Schiffer & John Perez, along with Director of Production Michael Roche, are bringing that special “city that never sleeps” spark of old Manhattan over to Brooklyn.

Verboten was spawned from a necessity to bring high quality production, exceptional customer service, and the best international DJ talent to an eclectic crowd of open-minded music fans. “We took ideas and aspects of our favorite clubs from NYC and around the world and incorporated them into the design for the Verboten venue while staying true to our Brooklyn aesthetic,” Michael Roche explains. “Room size, flow, bar placement, rear of house design all played a huge part in these decisions.”

“The Verboten brand was formed in reaction to the conservative, bottle focused climate that had turned Manhattan nightlife into a shadow of its former self – we are dedicated to bringing musical credibility, professionalism and excitement back to our new venue.”

Walker & Royce playing Verboten’s Sunday Brunch Series. Photo by Dan Leinweber © Razberry520

Roche has over 13 years of global nightlife experience under his belt, ranging from tour management for artists such as Deep Dish and Erick Morillo (where he met Jen and John), residency management at Pacha Ibiza and Ministry of Sound London, festival stage production for StageONE, Creamfields, and Voodoo MusicFest, and event management in worldwide venues from Womb Tokyo to Warung Brazil.

Prior to nightlife, he has five years of theatrical production experience both on-and-off Broadway. His experience with live and theatrical sound has allowed him to organize the production to be MORE than just a night club, creating a true event space – where he’s taken into account the needs of club, live and theatrical production.

All the while, he’s focused on keeping the venue up-and-running and open to the public, with smooth change-overs that take less time and still give artists everything they need to have a successful show.

For Starters

Verboten’s facade is slightly inconspicuous amongst the rest of the buildings in the industrial neighborhood.

However, on the inside, Verboten is a basshead’s dream that won’t leave your ears ringing the next day. All throughout the club, the low end is felt – almost like an additional friend hanging out with you – but it’s never so much that it knocks you off your feet.

The high end and mid-range of the sound system is sweet and rich, and is enough to hear the clarity of the performances but never approaches the ouch zone of other venues.

The decor is simple and sticks to the industrial theme of the outside of the building, however sprinkled throughout are touches of luxury that add to the enjoyment, such as HD Panoramic screens, unique art pieces, comfy leather couches that line the elevated seating sections of both rooms (note there is no “VIP” section; all patrons are treated equally), and tip-top restroom facilities that other clubs should take note of (so clean you might remotely entertain the thought of eating off the floors).

Spank Rock. Photo by Alex Bershaw

The Sound

The muscle behind the magic is the Martin Audio sound system.

It came highly recommended by one of the resident Verboten DJs, Matthew Dear (Ghostly International, Spectral Sound). At Roche’s request, ITI Audio, led by Adam Weiner, was brought into Verboten “pre-construction” so they could confer with the architects laying out the concepts for the site, making suggestions on how to make the space work best with the sound system.

The “acoustics-first” approach allowed Verboten to get the most out of the sound for the venue. The goal, according Weiner, was to have “evenness and clarity, but a lot of detail and fullness without overbearing loudness.”

Teaming up with ITI Audio, Verboten was able to handpick the tools that are typically used in high-end recording studios. Each speaker has its own processing chain and amplifier, providing evenness and maximum control of the output levels and zoning.

Photo by Oliver Correa.

ITI’s systems are designed to work great for dance music, but more importantly, to faithfully reproduce all types of music. “A great sound system sounds great whether you are listening to EDM or Bluegrass,” Weiner says. “At ITI we aren’t satisfied with a system that can’t sound great across the board, reproducing any content.”

Founded in 1971, Martin Audio has been creating and providing top notch PA systems for some of the biggest acts in the world. Known for their impeccable sound reproduction and ruggedness, Martin Audio makes sure that every seat in the house hears the same thing.

Wasabassco Burlesque. Photo by Oliver Correa.

Dance to a DJ’s Dream

Verboten also stands out from the rest of the pack with their spring-loaded dance floor (salvaged from Thomas Edison’s phonograph factory) and custom-designed DJ booth.

When the crowd is alive with dance, you can feel the bass tones and the floor moving to the weight of other people. The DJ booth is located at eye level with the dance floor, which allows the DJ and the crowd to connect, and the DJ to become an essential focus and force of the party.

Since some of the DJs that typically play a Verboten show like to spin vinyl, ITI Audio was commissioned to figure out a way turntables could be used without being affected by the bass vibrations. To address the problem, along with turntable hum (or feedback), ITI had to create a specially-designed DJ booth that would acoustically decouple the turntables from structure-born vibrations.

The end result was a highly functional work area that’s both beautiful and durable, constructed of industrial steel box tube. It’s designed so that the vibrational characteristics of the base section are slightly different from those of the top section (which would hold the decoupling surface).

A unique “V” shaped section, designed to allow the table to be structurally sound, while also reducing the paths of transmission from the base to the top by the greatest degree possible, connects the two. It’s a dream setup for any DJ that likes to play vinyl.

It’s a Family Affair

The heart of Verboten though, is in the familiar faces that have been with the team since day one.

DJ Brad Miller photo by Matthew Enbar © Menbar Photos

Upon entering, I recognized the same welcoming staff that invited me into the “forbidden” loft and warehouse parties. The fact that they are still with the company years later speaks volumes about this close-knit crew.

Verboten is a family-style business, staffed by nightlife professionals who have worked with each other for over 10+ years, that together have thrown some of the most memorable of dance events and now have made a home for their collected music-forward vision.

The best example of this is DJ Brad Miller, who headlines a resident party at Verboten titled “Push The Night” and has been working alongside Jen and John since 2006. When Brad graduated from college in Oregon, he sent 100 resumes out to clubs and radio stations in NYC and only 2 responded; Crobar was one of them.

Miller recalls, “I spoke with Jen and she said, if you want to move out and intern for free, OK, but it’s going to be tough and most people leave.” He packed his bags and never looked back.

With Schiffer and Perez’ guidance, Miller has navigated the waters of NYC nightlife to rise to the top. A successful DJ with a podcast in the top 50 most popular music podcasts on iTunes for over 2 years (peaking at number 7), you can catch Miller DJing alongside world-renowned DJ Sasha at the Last Night on Earth Boat Party on July 5.

“Jen and John really love working with people who realize their dream and make sacrifices in order to achieve them,” Brad Miller sums up. “It’s important now more than ever, to stay true to the sound that you love. Verboten has always, and will continue, to be on the cutting edge of breaking new talent and taking risks with music.”

Technical Specs:

Verboten is loaded with tons of high-end equipment, including:

• 10 Martin Audio MA3.0 amplifiers for all HF elements and monitors
• 9 Martin Audio – MA5.2K lightweight, high power, high performance power amplifiers
• 3 Martin Audio – MA 9.6K lightweight, high power, high performance power amplifiers
• 2 Martin Audio MA12K4 lightweight, high power, high performance power amplifiers
• 1 Midas DL251 fixed input rack
• 4 BSS Soundweb London BLU-160 with 4 x I/O Cards, BSS digital signal processors, and amp racks
• 4 BSS Soundweb London BLU-BOB, break out boxes, and amp racks
• 8 Martin Audio – AQ15, compact, full-range system s
• 12 Martin Audio – Blackline H3H+, three-way bi-amp trapezoid Hybrid™ fully loaded horns
• 5 Martin Audio – WS218X, dual-driver vented sub-bass systems
• 1 Martin Audio WS18X, drum sub
• 2 Cranesong HEDD A-D converters

June & July Lineup

June 26 Zeitgeist: The Juan Maclean
June 27 Safer at Night + Trouble & Bass: J Phlip / Zombie Disco Squad / Ardalan / Curses / Champion / Shox / Star Eyes / Doctor Jeep
June 28: Susanne Bartsch presents Kunst
June 29 Sunday DJ Brunch: Fritz [from Azari & III]

July 3 Bespoke: Matthew Dekay / Bedouin / Scarlett Ettienne
July 4 Benoit + Sergio [live] / Eric Volta / Justin Miller / Jade
July 5 Last Day on Earth Boat Party: Sasha / Ejeca / My Favorite Robot / Brad Miller + special guest Carl Craig
July 5 Last Night on Earth Boat Afterparty: Sasha / Kate Simko / James Teej [live] / Andrew Vogt
July 6 Sunday DJ Brunch: Rob Garza
July 10 Zeitgeist: Hot Chip [DJ set] / Klangkarussell [DJ set] / Headband + Hooligan / Alex English
July 11 H.O.S.H. / Climbers / Daniel Dubb
July 12 Trouble & Bass
July 13 Sunday DJ Brunch: Flowers & Sea Creatures
July 16 Zeitgeist: Basement Jaxx [DJ set]
July 17 Zeitgeist: Viceroy / Headband + Hooligan / Alex English
July 18 Subversions: Matthew Dear / Trus’ Me / Ryan Elliott
July 19 Wasabassco Burlesque [early]
July 19 Susanne Barscht presents KUNST! [late]
July 25 Pillowtalk [live] / Oliver Schories
July 26 DJ Brunch: Nick Monaco
July 26 Push The Night
July 31 Zeitgeist: Goldroom [DJ set]

See the full schedule at http://www.verbotennewyork.com.

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