The Most Clean Fun We Had at a Rave @ Djakarta Warehouse Project ’16

By Cindy Low • 11 Jan 2017 in Reports

Thirsty for JUICE content? Quench your cravings on our Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp

Images Rizki Maulana

One would think we were going through airport immigration as we went through Djakarta Warehouse Project’s (DWP) general entrance – there were rounds of security checks that involved emptying our belongings into clear plastic bags and tunnelling through metal detectors. Once our group reformed, as we lost each other as these things are wont to cause, we entered the festival.

Spanning three stages, the festival covered a lot of ground with only the main Garuda Stage situated outdoors. The other two were held in air-conditioned halls with a large food court located in the middle, where people sat around waiting and recuperating for the next act to watch. Among the various booths, the Durex booth stood proudly in glowing blue hue, and at two storeys high, it amused us the most – such a sight would never be allowed in Malaysia. With a token costing 40k Rupiah and one Bali Hai costing two tokens and half and an iced cup of liquor/ spirit taking up three to four tokens – getting wasted at DWP quickly drained our cash.

No matter, the likes of TOKiMONSTA, Snakehips, DJ Locksmith of Rudimental – all of whom performed at the indoor Neon Jungle Stage – eased and prepped us for the ensuing high-octane sets at the Garuda Stage where booming EDM blasted through the night. Garuda, if you didn’t know, is a grand bird of Hindu mythology, and here at DWP – replicating the size and grandeur of the national pride of the creature – the colossal mechanical bird’s wings were spread across the stage, with flames that glowed along with its illuminating body. Its head swayed from side to side as if it were greeting you, and its LED eyes blinked and flashed. Imagine a lone DJ, from Zedd to Hardwell to DJ Snake, jumping like an intensive cardio workout in the belly of the glowing beast with its transfixing visuals and pyrotechnics – it only bolstered the muscular, adrenaline-inducing music, adding another layer to the extravagance of it all.

The bill of acts ranged from techno to hip hop and r’n’b, but it was clear people wanted more EDM, and some performers had the acumen to read the audience’s body language to switch their set to something more accommodating. On the other hand, while the outdoors held what you’d expect of a rave – hoards of people fervidly dancing in euphoria in compact proximity. The indoors had a different atmosphere, sure, there were people dancing to music and empty Chivas bottles were strewn on the confetti-covered carpet, but it was comparatively calmer and relaxed. People roamed the air-conditioned halls, free from the suffocating humidity and sensory overload. There was even a special ladies portaloo that catered highly to the female (or rather feminine) raver. Feminine in that there were mirrors with spotlights for readjustment of makeup and attendants leading female punters to a clean portaloo, which was even decorated. The portaloo experience and service was truly five-star.

For two nights, we went back in the wee hours to our hotel, the Grand Mercure Kemayoran, which housed most of the international DWP attendees. The sprawling dance event had so much to offer that rest and sleep could only be readjusted to regular scheduling once the festival was over.