Magic Door is a party is most commonly found gracing the dance floors of Birmingham. On Friday (19 June), however, they brought the sequin-clad soiree to Hackney Wick. On entering Bloc, through streams of flamboyantly dressed punters, you’re handed a magic bean and told that the aim is to find the door. Admittedly, we weren’t expecting to find it quite as easily as we did but when we spotted Andy Watson, otherwise known as GoD (Guardian of Door) it became clear where this illusive door might be. Having said that, to say that we spotted him would be doing him an injustice; it was actually impossible to miss him. Dancing on the stairs that lead up to the sacred gate, half human-half disco ball (more like three quarters the latter) GoD and the rest of the MD team were part of what made the phenomenon and the goings on behind it so enchanting. Quickly whisked under a veil of silver we were greeted by a team of girls armed with glitter, jewels, feathers, wigs, hats, headbands and anything you require to transform you from mundane party-goer to a magic door masterpiece. The energy of the ‘Crafty Girls‘ and the atmosphere they create is extraordinary. We return to the dance floor transformed; eager to embark on the rest of our Magic Door journey.
The first set we catch if from Magic Door regular, Deano Ferrino who is busy rolling out feel good house to the party-minded crowd. Following up from Ferrino is Remi Mazet who’s famed for only playing his own tracks followed by Scottish duo Wildkats who launch straight into their infamous 80’s tinged bangers. A bit of back to back action from Jukes of Hazard and secret guest of the evening Maxxi Soundsystem later ensued and rounded off the night of excellent music with expert precision.
Slipping away from the dance floor, we managed to pin GoD down to find out a bit more about the night and it is that makes these parties so special.
“The entire night is based around a door that contains magic and I’m a character that mans the door and spreads a bit of that magic before entry. You get to the door and you’re like ‘Woah what’s about to happen here’ when suddenly you’re thrust into a world of glittery, friendly, loveliness, coated in everything you want to be coated it whilst of your ego is left outside” Andy began.
“I think people come to this party for a variety of different reasons. The people who have been here before come because they know that the music is belting and that the crowd is just wicked but I particularly like it when you see people having their perspective changed through getting dressed up like silly buggers and getting down like glittery animals! There’s an opportunity at these parties to shed their bullshit and become uninhibited and enjoy themselves; that’s the ultimate premise. When you come in you just know you’re going to have a positive experience. Magic door is an extension of a really tight crew of pals from Birmingham that started off just messing around in fancy dress in a local boozer to some disco-house music. It went from that to bigger venues to bigger parties to more regular parties to festivals to boat parties. Basically we like partying and we know what fun is and we just want to spread that to as many people as we can.
A friend of the party continued “The thing is the magic door puts so much effort into what they produce. There’s so much production and everyone just puts their all into it – that’s rare for a club in London. So many places say they do that but quite often it’s just a bloke standing behind a booth. There’s so many people that put so much effort in and have so many ideas and you can see that as soon as you walk through the door.”
It doesn’t take a genius to work out that the big name DJ’s that The Magic Door often plays host to command big name fees. However, with the MD ethos being about collective enjoyment as opposed to individual gain, the organisers never announce nor advertise who will be providing the evenings soundtrack until it begins.
Magic Door has a vibe to be envied; there’ll be glitter on the streets of Hackey Wick for weeks.
