Blkmarket Membership
Membership
Mainstays of New York's underground house and techno scene since 2006, Blk|Market Membership and its residents Taimur Agha and Fahad Haider have been instrumental in building the rapidly growing New York dance community. They initially met through a mutual friend after having already separately witnessed many of the premier residencies of late 90s and early 2000s New York, including Sasha and Digweed's legendary stint at Twilo and the equally renowned era of Danny Tenaglia and Deep Dish at Vinyl.
Following the dissolution of much of the club scene post-9/11 and its retreat to the underground, the pair enthusiastically pursued it. When Bill Patrick, Nick Ac, and Dennis Rodgers parted ways after their run with ROBOTS, they handed the torch to Taimur and Fahad to become the new leading lights of a re-established dance culture. Following a one-year residency in the Lower East Side, the duo began collaborating with Mehmet Erkaya, transforming his Bar 13 into a mainstay of New York club music. Taimur simultaneously became head buyer at Halcyon Records, a position he held for six years, while Mehmet eventually moved on to launch TBA Brooklyn in 2013.
Their 2006 to 2014 run reads as a who's who of contemporary underground artists, hosting debuts from the Wighnomy Brothers, Art Department, Jamie Jones, Apollonia, and Matt Tolfrey, as well as returns from Laurent Garnier, Carl Craig, Moritz von Oswald, Francesco Tristano, and Robag Wruhme. Innervisions' Ame and Dixon, DJ Koze, Secretsundaze, Ostgut Ton, Cocoon Heroes, and the Mobilee and Bpitch Control labels continue to make regular appearances. Past residencies include Craig Richards, Scuba's SUB:STANCE, and Cocoon Heroes.
Four years in, over 150 events deep, and still the most talked-about underground party in North America. Taimur Agha and Fahad Haider built this from a clear single goal: to bring in talent that inspires them as DJs in the music they play. They have never done a favor for an international or local DJ. They never will.
It has been four years since the birth of Blkmarket Membership. A party that had one goal: to bring in talent which inspires us as DJs in the music we play. Today, after over 150 events, Blkmarket Membership holds the reins of the techno forefront in New York.
The Wighnomy Brothers 12-hour set last year in a tent. They were supposed to play for six hours but during the party we found out the tent crew would be coming a day later to break everything down. Memo rushed to Gabor, aka Robag, and told him they could play for another six hours. What makes this daytime party historic for us is that the Wighnomy Brothers announced their break-up a week after this gig.
Ivan Smagghe vs. Craig Richards for my birthday two years ago. Sasha and Three. NYE with DJ Koze and Shaun Reeves vs. Ryan Crosson and Three. And I have to mention three of our four anniversary parties so far. Pretty much every Blkmarket party is memorable in its own way. Great vibe, and people are there for the music and good times.
We challenge ourselves with new ideas for every party. The production is completely different from every night we do and we never repeat anything twice. We are very picky about who plays and never do favors for international or local DJs. We only invite people who we think can impress not just us but the crowd.
We both just went to the Movement Festival in Detroit and many new artists we met for the first time were saying, "you have no idea how people regard you in Europe. They respect your party so much and everyone wants to play it."
"We never do favors for international or local DJs. We only invite people who we think can impress not just us but the crowd."
The most challenging part starts from matching artists for the night. Taimur and I take a lot of time before we decide to add anyone to a certain night. Taking care of three or four artists on one night can be challenging: airline tickets, airport pickup, hotel, soundcheck, and making sure everybody is happy during the gig.
The most important thing for us is finding the right place with the right lineup and the correct sound.
Playing alongside the world's best acts and watching the different styles each artist brings, as well as hearing the different musical tastes, has really developed us as artists. If you believe in something, you should pursue it no matter what it takes. And keep an eye out for our new record label coming by the end of the year.
Cover photo credit Blk | market Membership — Yuliya Skya Photo and Bosco of Half Hawaii on 06.06.10
