This past Friday, the University of Massachusetts played host to hip hop producer and spin artist DJ Khaled in a dance club event known as the Winter White Party. Sponsored by NV Concepts and featuring the talents of several DJs from around the country, the event took over the Mullins Center and for one night, transformed it into the biggest dance club in the Valley.
At 9 p.m. the doors opened and the bleached-white masses poured in, rocking and dancing, running eagerly to the floor. Only filling the floor half-way, the crowd was small compared to many concerts and events held at the Mullins Center, but when put next to a typical dance club, the numbers were more impressive.
White balloons, bathed in black light, littered the floor and bumped with the pounding bass. Most of the assembled dancers crowded the stage to move with the music, but not all. In addition to the milling crowds at the edge of the floor and those taking breaks in the stands, a dedicated group of booty-shorted volunteers took up residence on a platform in center court with a dance routine of their own.
The theme of the party – the dance floor and the dancers were decked out in white, while ultraviolet lights illuminated the area – played out reasonably well. The outfits on the floor were all in-theme, but varied significantly from person to person. The males were dressed largely in jeans and white shirts, while female attendees ran the gamut from sporting white concert t-shirts and pants to bare-bones outfits of sports bras and booty shorts. It was readily apparent that, especially among the girls on the dance floor, it had been a chilly walk to the Mullins.
The special effects, which could have pushed it over the edge, were underwhelming. Confetti and glitter launched from the stage produced a cool effect in the strobe lights, but were so intermittent that most of the time they were forgotten entirely. The main problem in the effects department was the UV lighting, which, since it came only from the stage, only lit up two-thirds of the crowd.
The music was pretty standard club fare, with some mega-hits from the past decade, current chart toppers and a healthy dose of mash-up. The biggest crowd pleasers included “Shots” by LMFAO and Andy Sandberg’s “I’m on a Boat.” What really drove the energy, however, was the DJ on the stage.
While opener Adam Ramirez did nothing but mix tunes, later DJs worked the audience much more skillfully. Shouting, singing and interacting with the dancers, New Englander DJ Construc drove up the energy level and got the crowd fired up for the headliner, DJ Khaled.
Based out of Miami, Khaled has been touring the East Coast after the release of his latest album, “Victory.” The recording artist and record producer has worked with many of hip hop’s biggest names, and when it came to his mixes, there was no doubt as to his genre of choice.
When trying to recreate the feel of a real dance club, the Winter White Party fell short. The lack of a bar and other club fixings made it hard for the all-ages event to capture the genuine club feel.
The party also had a hard time matching the excitement that follows most big-name concerts at the arena, where the stands are packed and floor space is at a premium.
If taken at face value as a dance party, though, the event was a success. While the style and the quality of the DJs differed, on the whole the music was good, and most attendees found exactly what they were looking for.
Andrew Sheridan can be reached at [email protected].
