When I arrived with the rest of the Daily Beat crew Saturday afternoon for MoMA PS1’s 'Warm Up' in Long Island City, we were greeted by a sign that read, “Tickets for today’s event are sold out.” “Sold out?” I heard someone ask “Well, yeah..” I thought to myself. I did call this one. Remember? Once inside the massive space of MoMA PS1 we came face to face with the reason for that sign we saw outside- if even one more body squeezed in, this event would have received a visit from the Fire Marshal. No question about it. As we continued to make our way through the crowd we were guided by the mellow trap sounds of Suicideyear. We were in very good hands early on. The good time continued when UNiiQU3 jumped on, mic in hand and dropping tracks like her remix to Calvin Harris’ “Summer” which really set in the "block party" feels.
Soon after, Goldlink took over for UNiiQU3 and wasted no time performing tracks from ‘The God Complex.’ But, it was his more recent work that had people lighting up (if they hadn’t already). His recent track, “Sober Thoughts” brought with it that concrete-jungle-summertime-vibe us city kids know all too well. The crowd was then taken by surprise when UK natives Jammer and Skepta jumped on stage. An even bigger surprise came when Dev Hynes or Blood Orange, joined his fellow British brothers on stage to perform his new single “High Street.” The excitement and energy could be felt all around and for the time being, we were a part of our own little underground art world in the middle of Long Island City.
After what seemed to be a five minute intermission Cashmere Cat wearing his usual uniform of black on black approached the stage. Before even dropping his infamous “Mirror Maru” followed by “Kiss Kiss,” he was greeted by cheers from the crowd. As the sun went down Cashmere dropped every track he featured on his SoundCloud 'Warm Up Mix' and ended the night with a preview of “Be My Baby,” a track he produced for Ariana Grande. Cashmere hosted a true summer party that will be remembered by all who were present. The Norwegian producer known for his bashfulness, did not need to pump his fist into the air or hop up and down to convince any of us that not only was he at home playing this truly incredible set, but he was having a better time than any one of us put together. And that friends, is what making music is all about. Is it not?