Chirs Clayborne for A3C Media Services
Silent Parties are a trend slowly taking the nation by storm. An experience unique from any most people have experienced, Silent Parties are a polarizing because their format is rather unorthodox.
Attendees are required to turn in their IDs for a pair of headphones, and in turn they are given access to three channels of music controlled by three DJS. Each channel has its own emcee, and listeners are can choose between Hip-Hop, R&B or Top 40 music. Because of its non-traditional setup, Silent Parties can be awkward for those that choose not to actively engage with the environment. On the other hand, those who fully immerse themselves in the experience find out that Silent Parties can be an incredible experience. Hip to the movement, A3C decided to host its very own Silent Party with Urban Fetes at East Atlanta’s Basement venue on October 5th.
Although the event kicked off at 9:00 PM, it took a while for people to find and enter the function. Most likely trying to find their way from the Loudermilk Center, attendees were rather slim for the first hour of the event. Despite this, the women in attendance had no inhibitions about dancing to the old school R&B being played on the “blue” station, including the likes of Aaliyah, Left Eye and Usher. The emcees were adamant about encouraging the women in attendance to dance, and even busted out a few moves themselves.
Chirs Clayborne for A3C Media Services
One the clock struck 11:00, things became more interesting as people slowly began to fill the room. The “red” Trap station seemed to be a popular choice among guests, playing hood classics “Knuck if You Buck”, and “Back That Azz Up”. Things slowly transitioned into staple hood dances as well, including the Laffy Taffy, Pool Palace and Soulja Boy. The energy in the room was infectious, and everyone seemed to be captivated by the people on stage showing off their moves.
Once 12:00 hit, it was a full house, and a quick glance around the room showed headphones rapidly shifting from red, to blue, to green. Silent Parties are interesting because although someone may be in their own world enjoy a record in one location, someone on the other end of the room may easily be influenced by whatever color station is most popular among people in attendance. I personally enjoy how attendees have the freedom to choose how they experience the party and can connect with whoever may happen to have the same color headphones.
Chirs Clayborne for A3C Media Services
The only issue that comes into play with Silent Parties is the difficulty you can have at times communicating with other people at the party. Having headphones on the entire time makes engaging with people harder, and you’re sort of forced to only interact through motions and dancing. While some may argue that this is the whole point of the Silent Party, it makes me wonder how the parties will evolve to become even more engaging.
