The night before Music’s Biggest Night, Pitchfork continued its streak of ringing in the new year with fun, undeniably risk-averse things we’ve never done before. At El Cid, a historic open-air venue in LA, we threw our first-ever Best New Music party in collaboration with Hennessy. Co-hosted by PinkPantheress, FKA twigs, Kaytranada, Perfume Genius, and Pitchfork editor Mano Sundaresan, the party brimmed with talented artists shaping the future of music.
Every encounter felt worthy of a double take: OsamaSon and Nettspend linked with Olivia Rodrigo for a selfie; The Dare was in the cut without his signature tie and sunglasses; Doechii strutted by the DJ booth helmed by Bianca Lexis to request a dance with twigs. It felt like if you blinked once, you’d miss everything, especially with these Hennessy cocktails and head-busting hors d’oeuvres flying in from every direction.
As electronic artist Lara Sarkissian set the tone with a DJ set early in the night, I brushed shoulders with silver-tongued A&Rs, rap writers celebrating their new books, and a dude who complimented my MBV shirt by telling me he was reading a book about MBV. I said what’s up to Jim Legxacy who got a good laugh in because his beloved Manchester United beat my club’s ass last week. I walked past PinkPantheress and thought, Damn, that was PinkPantheress. So many darlings of the internet appeared in the flesh, like horsegiirL, equestrian makeup and all, by the Pitchfork-themed photobooth; rap blog champion zayALLCAPS pulled up too with a rare J Dilla tee on. Thanks to Doechii hopping on the mic unprompted and demanding that we “turn this bitch up a notch,” the red-lit dancefloor filled with pretty people in baggy suits, wrap-around shades, and skin-tight denim. All while Bianca Lexis serenaded the crowd with sweaty, chest-pumping callbacks to Gorillaz, M.I.A., and Nelly Furtado.
Between unexpected crossovers (like GQ’s Will Welch chopping up with Pz’, Atlanta’s next rap heartthrob) and cameos I didn’t see coming (like Asspizza), Pitchfork’s inaugural Best New Music party encouraged the kind of fun that kept everybody’s head on a swivel. First-time nominees and future hitmakers met, danced, and laughed into the night.
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