All Day I Dream provides a blissful start to the New Year [Event Review]All Day I Dream

All Day I Dream provides a blissful start to the New Year [Event Review]

Early on Sunday afternoon, January 1, much of Los Angeles just was waking up from the stupor brought about by extravagant New Year’s Eve parties that stretched into morning. It was cold and blustery outside, ideal weather for staying in and nursing hangovers on the couch. The morning struggle cast upon the city did little, however, to stop the hundreds of people piling into Chinatown’s Gin Ling Way, where festivities were still considerably far from over. These dedicated revelers found strength in their determination to start their New Year in the most blissful way possible: dreaming (and dancing) all day with Lee Burridge.

All Day I Dream has become somewhat of a fixture in the Los Angeles party landscape for New Year’s weekend in recent years. The brand first touched down in the city during the summer of 2012, then returned half a year later to welcome 2013 at the Egyptian Theatre, kicking off an annual tradition. Festival figurehead Lee Burridge’s penchant for organizing parties that fostere open energy and interconnectedness has swiftly grown into a strongly-knit community, allowing the event to grow in popularity to the point of expanding into a larger venue for its latest edition.

 

All Day I Dream provides a blissful start to the New Year [Event Review]All Day I Dream 2

 

The party’s new location proved an equally adept host to the All Day I Dream essence as the Egyptian Theatre had been. Gin Ling’s open-air setup played well into the breezy nature of the event, while shops boasting an array of multicolored and ornate items complimented the already vibrant decor. Though temperatures just barely breached 60 degrees at the hottest part of the day, the cold weather and crisp breeze ended up being a highlight of the day. Guests didn’t hesitate to wear their most outlandish fur coats and snappy blazers, bringing an extra entertainment element to the party. As the sun sank into the sky, further intimacy ensued as people had no issue huddling together in front of the stage to dance.

As always, the soundtrack for all nine hours of the gathering was superb. The fact that only three acts were booked for the nine hour affair meant that each performer earned a proper extended set time, and thus an opportunity to tell a proper story through their sets. New York’s Hoj opened up the party, treating early guests to a mixture of mellow, sensual tunes that guided them smoothly through the afternoon. Lush, ethnocentric percussion formed a rhythmic base to Hoj’s music as he played around with a spectrum of emotive melodies, ranging from euphoric to melancholic. His polished mixing abilities made his set even easier to digest, allowing the swiftly growing crowd to ease out of their post-NYE haze and back into celebration mode.

 

All Day I Dream provides a blissful start to the New Year [Event Review]All Day I Dream 1

 

By 4pm, it was time for Lee Burridge to take the stage. Though he’d hardly slept at all since ringing in 2017 in New York City, the All Day I Dream cofounder looked chipper as ever as he cruised into the venue sporting a silly outfit and Ewok backpack. A specialist in putting together mystical sets at twilight hours, Burridge commanded eager anticipation among the gathering regarding what kind of music he’d choose to welcome the first sunset of 2017. He commenced on a graceful note, riding off what Hoj had begun and gradually adding intensity into the mix as darkness began tickling the sky. By nightfall, Burridge ventured into a deeper, darker realm of house and techno, selecting an assortment of edgy cuts that unleashed a wild energy into the crowd. His beguiling energy was infectious, inspiring his audience to lose themselves in the music in an ecstatic state.

Russian powerhouses Gorje Hewek & Izhevski took over for closing out evening, taking the the party in their own direction with a delectable blend of highly melodic and vocal cuts. The duo crafted an ideal nighttime set, maintaining an enduring pace with fluid bass lines, accented by diverse and ethereal instrumentation which progressed through bittersweet soundscapes and soaring breakdowns. Hewek & Izhevski’s artful arrangement of tracks kept the party packed until its final minutes as fans eagerly absorbed every bit of what they had to offer and kept dancing until the very end. Indeed, a good number of the set’s attendees felt rejuvenated enough by the magic which the two performers put forth to make it to the afterparty held by Clinic, where Hewek & Izhevski played until 3:00 the following morning.

 

All Day I Dream provides a blissful start to the New Year [Event Review]All Day I Dream 3

 

Once again, All Day I Dream proved to be a lovely and successful way to settle into the new year. Folklore states that a year unfolds in the manner in which it is started. By this standard, it seems that good things are in on the horizon for those who made it to ADID’s New Year’s Day party.

Images by Randon Vannucchi.

Read More:

Breaking down the magic behind All Day I Dream: Lee Burridge weighs in on his sacred space

5 tracks to dream to in honor of Lee Burridge’s All Day I Dream

Tags: , , , , , ,

Categories: ,