Of all the things New Yorkers have sacrificed to quarantine, it’s our techno scene we miss the most. As the city stays shuttered until further notice, so too does its sweeping list of cultural and nightlife staples that include touted local haunts known for hosting the best names in electronic music behind the DJ booth, and curating unrivaled raves that have paved way for a subculture of its own.
Ridgewood based after-hours mecca _Nowadays_ is one such glorified, and a cult-favorite stomping ground that buzzed with mesh-clad electronic music enthusiasts on the weekend before shutting its doors to the public on March 13th when the city’s lockdown order in the wake of the pandemic went into full effect. On March 20th, the lush indoor foliage-embellished taproom stepped into the spotlight to announce that they would bring the IRL party to the quar-quarters of restless scenesters via live streaming DJ sets that are held nightly between 8 P.M. and midnight EST on their [website](https://nowadays.nyc/), officially rebranding as _Virtually Nowadays_, and we couldn’t be more thrilled.
_Flaunt_ spoke with Kristin Malossi, who is a resident DJ, booker, and marketing personnel extraordinaire at _Nowadays_ for insight on the club’s unexpected foray into an entirely digital domain prompted by the closure of all non-essential businesses that remain to be lifted. Read our exclusive interview below, and tune into the coolest Covid-era live streams nightly on [nowadays.nyc](https://nowadays.nyc/) to stave off the withdrawals of when you were moved to an epiphany on the club’s inimitable fog-ensconced, strobe light illuminated dancefloor. While we agree, nothing can take the place of an actual afters at _Nowadays_, it should behoove us to support our local scene at risk of permanently shutting down while we give the community a virtual lifeline from isolation-nation. Til then, shake off the stir-craziness blues and turn the confines of your bedroom walls into a lit pandemic rave du nuit for one. Because fun, after all, is every New Yorker’s birthright, and Covid, for one thing, can’t kill techno.
**What’s it like at _Nowadays_, nowadays, in pandemic times?**
Like every other club in New York City, we have been closed since Friday, March 13th. Then launched the live stream program to engage the community, and also keep the people who work with, and for us involved, so _Nowadays_ is all virtual now. We are officially _Virtually Nowadays_. Starting out, we were doing the live stream from inside the club with a manager and the DJ, but then we realized that even that was unsafe so it’s all being live-streamed from the DJs homes’; all of which I’ve been curating myself, along with my colleague Gareth who is our general manager. We have launched a [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/nowadaysnyc), which is a subscription-based service where we’re archiving every live stream, which includes DJ sets, and tutorials. The live streams themselves are free to tune into when they air, but you’re required to subscribe for access to the archive. We also have a staff [Venmo](https://venmo.com/nowahelp) to continue supporting our wonderful staff in any way that we can. So, yeah, that’s _Nowadays_, now.
**What do you predict the future of _Nowadays_ things go back to its normal flux (especially from a revenue standpoint)?**
It’s a complete loss of revenue for us as we stay closed, but we are in it for the long haul. We hope to be opening back up when we can, and in terms of predictions: the entire industry and city will look different. In what ways, I’m not exactly sure, but a lot of places that were in business a month ago, might not be able to bounce back from the losses accrued during the shutdown. The most optimistic prediction for a timeline when nightlife can open back up, I would say, is summer. Worst case scenario, it may take a year. But if things open up by fall, my hope is that people will want to come out no matter what. Which will, of course, be a bittersweet, but mostly a beautiful time. Our hope is that we return to normal sooner than later.
**We are all counting down for the next techno rave that’s for sure. So here’s to hoping that Covid won’t kill techno**.
Absolutely. We are definitely missing our rich, all-encompassing community, and doing our best to stay connected in whatever way we can.
**So, tell me everything we should know about the operations of _Virtually Nowadays_.**
We’re now on week seven of _Virtually Nowadays._ Our schedule consists of a mix of varying workshops, art classes, DJ sets, an event entitled “Planetarium” which is a deep listening series that involves calm ambient music rather than our typical dance music, and, of course, virtual raves. Our goal is to keep the community afloat by providing a platform that can act as a balm during these uncertain times, while also funneling people toward our [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/nowadaysnyc) which is our only source of income at the moment, and the only lifeline currently as a business as we fight for survival.
**Do you think live stream events will become a cultural mainstay past the pandemic?**
I honestly can’t say it’s a good thing for the industry in the long run. I’ve personally seen a lot of pushback online. It’s put in place hopefully alleviate boredom, and keep the community connected, but a lot of people within the DJ music world are already feeling really sick of it, and it could never replace the experience of the real thing. But it works for now. More virtual events are likely to pop up, but people will always want the IRL experience over a virtual one.
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