Martin Beck: Last Night
Archived Event
No Longer Showing.
Last Night is based on the 118 songs played by New York musical host David Mancuso on June 2, 1984, at one of the last parties of the 99 Prince Street location of his seminal New York dance party, the Loft. The film shows each record played that night in sequence, from beginning to end, on a vintage turntable in a domestic atmosphere. The complete progression of songs lasts approximately thirteen hours, offering an intimate sonic journey that mirrors a particular night at a particular moment in time.
Beginning on Valentine’s Day, 1970, Mancuso regularly hosted dance parties at his home on 647 Broadway and, after the mid ’70s, at 99 Prince Street. (The first was famously titled “Love Saves the Day.”) What came to be known as the “Loft parties” were unique in their combination of communal atmosphere and high-quality sound, centered around music and dancing. The Loft became a legendary blueprint after which many celebrated disco-era New York clubs tried to model themselves. The Loft parties, however, retained their intimacy through being invitation-only with no commercial agenda. Curated by Tim Griffin.
March 22, 12-6pm (soft opening)
March 23, 11am-6pm
March 24, 11am-1am
March 25, 11am-1am
Closing night reception Saturday, March 25, 9-11pm
Photos by Jason Mandella
Martin Beck: Last Night is made possible with support from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and in part by public funds from New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
Film still from Martin Beck's Last Night, 2016.
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