PARTYING WELL WITH BRAXE + FALCON

There’s this flimsiness about a party that makes a good one so memorable. It’s hard to name the variable that, when provoked with the right agitator, catalyzes that sort of hazy euphoria that makes going out so, so good. What makes it? The crowd? The space? The music? The substances consumed? A good party can be concocted using any lucky number of these variables, but the exact alchemy is tricky: when you go to a party to see a DJ, say you go to San Francisco’s 1015 Folsom to see DJ Falcon and Alan Braxe, totems of the French House music scene, there’s a number of these questions that you take for granted—will people kiss and be kissed? How well will people stomach their drugs? Will everyone want to dance? To touch? So much is dependent upon the DJ, the architect of such a space. So much is dependent upon the gymnastic performance of excess—will they contain the messiness? Can they harness this primordial impulse of letting go, and make it into something repeatable?

These are the things one might worry about when going to see a regular, contemporary DJ.  Braxe + Falcon aren’t normal DJs. A duo known for their legendary work in late 90s and early 2000s dance music, both Braxe and Falcon have worked independently with members of Daft Punk to release various projects like “So Much Love To Give” and “Music Sounds Better With You.” The two DJs (who are cousins) played significant roles in the formation of “French Touch,” a style of house generally categorized for its attention to filtered and looped disco samples. It’s difficult to trace the exact magnitude of their influence but rest assured: any DJ worth their salt knows the two. Braxe + Falcon haven’t ever toured in the United States—their performance on Friday, November 11th was part of a three-stop America tour. I had high hopes and I was curious to see if the duo could corral a San Franciscan crowd. Certainly, a dance floor crowded with Arc’teryx outerwear and poorly styled vintage sneakers necessitates a special kind of catalyst.

And, when the duo took their post at one in the morning, Braxe + Falcon delivered. Percolating between remixes of pop princesses like Beyoncé, various instrumental tracks, and mixes of their own design, the duo engineered a bubbly, warm tone that was sustained throughout the entire night.  Braxe + Falcon make it easy to feel good, to feel connected to the people around you: the duo makes house music that sparkles and clings to your body and soaks into your pores and warms you from the inside. Braxe + Falcon are groovy. And cool: cigarette clinging to the edge of his lips throughout the set, Braxe looked like he wasn’t trying that hard—though it seems like the endeavor towards a good party is an arduous one, they made it simple. People did dance; they did stomach their drugs; they did kiss (a lot, actually. It was kind of ridiculous how many people were making out). The proof is in the pudding: these DJs have a remarkable command over even the most stiff and unforgiving partygoers. Braxe + Falcon may have gotten their start over twenty years ago, but it feels that they’ve distilled the art of the DJ set to an impressive and decisive science. They’re fun. They know how to party. Given the rarity of their American appearances, I feel I’m now part of an exclusive club of Americans that have been lucky enough to be on their dance floor. I hope one day, I get lucky again. You should hope to get lucky too.

Article by Annie Bush

Photo by Stephane Queme