PAPER Presents The Tear: Makadsi

PAPER <3s NY and PAPER<3s the DJs that keep us moving. That’s why we’re proud to present The Tear, our mix series highlighting the best DJs spinning in the city we call home. In September, we shared our mix with Sekucci, who served up the goods and more with a hard-hitting sprint of certifiably NYC sonics.

Today, we’re hyped to have Makadsi (Andrew Makadsi) on the PAPER decks. The busy NYC creative wears many hats: he’s a DJ, producer, the mad mind behind his party series, Function, and (no big deal) Beyoncé’s creative director. With his hands in so many pots, Makadsi’s signature flavor could easily become diluted, but his diverse creative life seems to only heighten his senses. He brings a roving, sharp and unflinching ear and eye to all his endeavors, merging history with the current moment to create works of culture that always break through.

Most notably, Makadsi was a key part of shaping Beyoncé’s landmark Renaissance album, which paid homage to the history of house and dance music. Translating the sounds and stylings of the underground to the megawatt magnitude of pop music is quite the task, but Makadsi had the skills and know-how to help Renaissance beat with a genuine heart. “The Renaissance project was a love letter to the founders of dance music. I wouldn’t be able to bring the legends to the table and pay tribute to the mothers and fathers without the journey I’ve had,” Makadsi tells PAPER. “That’s why the album and the tour felt like an authentic cultural movement and not just an industry gimmick.”

For Makadsi’s The Tear mix, he took the prompt — “the past, present and future of NYC nightlife” — and delivered a set that is especially personal. Beginning with the quiet chirps of birds, Makadsi eases us into audio from the play Film Ameriki Tawil (or Long American Film) by his “hero [Lebanese composer, playwright, and political commentator] Ziad Rahbani.” From there, Makadsi revs up the engine and embarks on a winding hour-long voyage that shifts BPMs, sonic terrains and vibes at a quickened clip. There’s an acid-inflected run and a glimmering bout of house that beckons your hips to swivel. Sounds from Lebanon, where he was raised, come in throughout like punctuation. Most movingly, the set is centered by a slow heavy croon in Arabic, as a raspy voice sings above a bass propulsion that brings us into the set’s more head-banging second half. “I channeled all [my early NYC] memories into this set,” Makadsi tells PAPER. “All the sounds and experiences my immigrant ass had in this city, above and underground.”

The prompt for the mix was “the past, present and future of NYC nightlife.” What sounds inspired you for this mix?

This was so much fun. I took myself back to all the versions of myself in NYC. The version that came to NYC for the first time via the Verrazano Bridge, feeling how monolithic this city is. I took myself back to the Holland Tunnel, when me and my friends from New Jersey would drive to Manhattan to party. I channeled all these memories into this set: all the sounds and experiences my immigrant ass had in this city, above and underground.

I brought the techno, the house, salsa, acid, ballroom and diva vocals to the floor. I made sure to lace this set with my upbringing and home (Lebanon). I channeled my hero Ziad Rahbani and tried to approach my music and art like he does. The opening of my set samples his iconic play Film Ameriki Tawil, which translates to Long American Film.

Where was the first set you played in NYC?

My first set was at my apartment’s rooftop in Brooklyn. My friends and I had a kiki. My first public set was at 3 Dollar Bill in East Williamsburg.

Favorite NYC nightlife memory?

I was a baby — just started going out in NY. One of the first parties I went to in NYC was Hero on a Sunday. I saw David LaChapelle and Amanda Lepore (for the first time) while Honey Dijon was on the decks. I was such a fan of the work David was doing with Amanda, specifically the MAC film where Amanda painted herself pink with one lipstick. EPIC!

Favorite set you’ve ever played?

There’s plenty of favorite sets for different reasons. A special one was opening for Honey Dijon at Knockdown Center. It was a special set because it was my birthday as well (the universe’s timing and angel numbers were doing their thing). It felt like a special moment to bring the essence of Renaissance back home to NYC. I really enjoyed warming up the dance floor so mother could do her thing.

I also absolutely slayed my set at Disfunction (which is our second room at my party, Function). Disfunction has a liberal BPM policy… she don’t like boxes, genres or labels. I felt I could play what the fuck I wanted. I let the decks have it.

Biggest nightlife pet peeve?

When I see a “Hey bb — Can you list me for tonight?” in my DMs after me posting about a party for months. Like girl, you could’ve asked me for a guest list a couple days ago. (Mind you — why am I listing you? How’s the party making money to pay for artists, staff and production? I can go on and on, but let me not). Also, useless negativity at parties is such a turn off.

What makes NYC nightlife unique?

There’s a very specific attitude that New Yorkers carry that you can’t find or replicate anywhere else. NYC is a special city where creatives and dreamers come to be their best selves. It’s a hard and fast city, with plenty of variables against you. The collective cathartic release that is present on the dance floor is the fountain that keeps our soul hydrated and able to carry into the next week of madness.

Biggest hope for the future of NYC nightlife?

There’s plenty of nightlife producers working hard to diversify the dance floor. I hope we can get to a place where dance floors are truly diverse and intelligent.

I also hope our NYC dance floors go back to being a force of resistance and a form of protest against racist and fascist ideologies.

You’ve helped create so many culture shifting moments as Beyoncé’s creative director. I’m curious how your experience in nightlife feeds into that work, and vice versa?

NYC nightlife keeps me rooted in the source and surrounded by a maternal creative energy. It’s the portal to the stars. As a dance floor architect, I observed and learned the dynamics of the creative and social ecosystem. The Renaissance project was a love letter to the founders of dance music, and I wouldn’t be able to bring the legends to the table and pay tribute to the mothers and fathers without the journey I’ve had. That’s why the album and the tour felt like an authentic cultural movement and not just an industry gimmick.

Photography: Zach Doung
Photo artist: Gycex Industries