With the cancellation of Freak Night, speculation was high regarding where the artists would end up playing. One of the early bookings in the works was getting MSTRKRFT to play Electric Avenue at the CHAC. Late in the day it was revealed that most artists would be playing Level 5 (formerly Element), and people went about their Friday business. Then just before 1am an addendum was sent saying that MSTRKRFT was playing an impromptu Electric Avenue afterhours. Not a bad way to start the weekend and after Justice and Digitalism, a fitting cap to a month of rock-infused electro.

I showed up a little before 3am after a brief nap, then walked into CHAC where the small but appreciative crowd was getting into MSTRKRFT’s DJing. The afterhours was 18+, so there were plenty of underagers in attendance, most congregated around the turntables. The duo didn’t seem to mind the attention, only pausing on occasion to keep the equipment safe. It was very appropriate that the laptop had a “Wasted Youth” sticker, an apt description of some of the audience.

The balance shifted younger as the 21+ crowd drifted out before the 4am close, but the intensity never let up, with the duo dropping some obligatory Daft Punk in their set. The room was dark, the basement space rumbled, and despite being held at a real venue, the party had a wonderful, illicit vibe. Once the music stopped at 4am people trickled onto the streets and assumedly back home. One of the more energetic dancers proclaimed, “That party was underground as fuck!,” and he was right. Nice work Electric Avenue crew for pulling that off.