Dial In To Hell Phone, Bushwicks Underground Techno Hotspot
On Saturday night, Bushwick, Brooklyn, and the back room of Ange Nur Cafe became an inferno. It is dark, illuminated by a few red lights. Crowds filled the hall, many dancing, others waiting to drink or play pool. Others go in and out of old phone booths with "Hell Phone" written on them. The DJ sits in the corner of the room, a good twenty feet off the floor; His hovering presence is either angelic or demonic depending on your perspective.
Launched six months ago, the Hell phone may have a big name, but its identity is unclear. Founders Bree Olson and Finley Mangan call it a "techno bar," though more broadly, it's a DIY "multipurpose venue" for live music. There isn't a set weekly schedule, but events usually take place three nights a week, and the creators share an upcoming episode of Hell Phone on Instagram at the beginning of each week.
Last summer, Cafe Ange Noir owner Vanessa Pacini announced she was looking for a DJ to work as a weekly resident, having previously rented out the back room for variety shows, local theater and private events. Olsen - a full-time DJ, book producer and event producer - came to interview Pacini for the role and explained his concept for the role.
"Instead of a residency, give me a bigger place to be known and heard by more people," Olson recalls.
A feature of the place is the telephone booth that separates the cafe from the back room - the road to hell if you will. Built in 2014, the porch was created to give the back room more personality than the front.
"Ange Noir is French for Black Angel," Pacini told Hypebeast. "We thought about angel all day, so we thought about doing the opposite, something dark...but we told ourselves not to call it 'devil'. That's how we chose the hell phone."
Hell's Phone was already an obscure counterpart to Ange Noir, so it seemed natural to extend his name to the newfound spiking. Olson hired house model (and roommate) Mangani to bring "Hell's Phone" to life. Together with Pacini, they renovated the space, giving it a nightclub feel, installing soundproof panels and walls, and covering the darkness with dark lighting. Some furniture was removed to make way for the dance floor.
Hellphone DJs can stand on standard five-foot-high stages or on a small one-person stage with the same height ceiling. "Keeping the DJ out is an old club idea," says Mangan. "I find the bottom is more social."
Olsen and Mangan used their personal and professional networks to attract talent, as most of Hell's Phone's DJs are from Brooklyn and Queens. Pairs of artists are often drawn to a more intimate space (capacity is about 75 people) compared to Manhattan clubs that can hold hundreds or thousands of customers. A regular name on the list is Lott Radio resident Amelia Holt, husband of Queens Purdy and classically trained flutist DJ Concrete. When Hypebeast visited on Saturday, Hell Phone was home to two Brooklyn acts: Trim, which produces techno parties in the city, and Shift, a label promoting DJs, events and clubs. The bands collaborate monthly as Hell Phone's first unofficial DJ residency. Of course, Olsen and Mangan were also on the list.
According to Olsen, most of the parties are techno-oriented, even if they accept the concept of "multi-purpose space". The Ang Noir Café room will not be open, although the space itself will be open for guests to sit and relax while listening to loud music. Local vendors—from wine merchants to tarot readers and dental sculpture artists—often hold storefronts, and Hale Phone doesn't skimp on sales. Music is Hell Phone's bread and butter, but during the week, Holt and fellow DJ Cole Evelev host the venue's Chess Club.
Sarah Kearns / Hypebeast
"Hellphone's philosophy is community, not profit," says Mangan. We are driven by the desire to add something meaningful to this show we love. It's great to add variety to a scene where people are walking and dancing.
For Olsen, who himself worked in the music industry for many years before starting Hell Phone, the safety of artists and guests was a higher priority than the music itself. Some nights are dedicated to providing a safe space for groups like Trans 4 Techno, which includes trans artists and aims to bring trans and queer people together.
"There is a very social atmosphere here. Sometimes it feels like a house party.
"One of the great things about us is that everyone is a friend of a friend," Mangan added. "There is a very social atmosphere here. Sometimes it feels like a house party.
Even in winter, when the city's clubs naturally slow down, Hell's Phone is still packed most nights. It exceeded the expectations of the three founders. Ange Noir will always have a home, although they have discussed the possibility of taking Hell's Phone to other locations both in and out of the city in the future.
"We're community-oriented and love being a part of the Bushwick scene," says Olson. "There is nothing more satisfying than watching the development of the Hell Phone."
