NYC indiepop dance party Mondo saying farewell this weekend after 11 years
by Bill Pearis
the Mondo crew
As mentioned, long-running NYC indie pop dance party Mondo will be saying goodbye this Saturday (9/19) at Cameo. Having spent many a Friday and/or Saturday dancing to The Smiths, New Order, northern soul, girl groups, and more over the last decade (I even got to guest DJ once in 2009), I am sad to see Mondo go, but 11 years is a long time for anything like this to continue and many props to Maz, Kevin and Miss Modular for their enthusiasm. Brooklyn Magazine just published a lengthy feature on Mondo and its history:
Everyone has their eureka moment with Mondo. Pains of Being Pure at Heart frontman Kip Berman has been a frequenter of the party over the years both on and off the stage. “I remember [first] going with Peggy [Wang] from Pains… They played stuff like early My Bloody Valentine, and sure they’d play the Smiths and New Order, but they played a lot of stuff like Crystal Stilts, who were happening at the time. The kind of people that went there… I don’t want to overstate the nerdiness, but it was people that were genuinely into music in a way that was sincere in a way that wasn’t an extension of fashion.” Venezuelan filmmaker and DJ Kaína Dominguez who is currently filming a documentary about Mondo, talks of her first visit. “For me, Mondo is very important, because for the first time in my life, I’m dancing to what I used to play [when I DJ]. It was my music.” Speaking from my own personal experience with the party, within minutes of walking into my first visit, I heard them play ‘Strange Powers’ by the Magnetic Fields. It wasn’t so much that they were playing it-anyone can host a party and play whatever they want-the astonishing thing about it was that people were dancing to it.”
There is also a documentary about Mondo being made, so keep an eye out for that. Mondo, you will be missed.
In related news, word of Cameo’s closing was “all rumors right now! Not true,” according to the venue and their calendar is currently full through the end of October.
