The Lucky Cloud Sound System was born as a collective in 2003 to facilitate and co host what became quarterly events with our friend and mentor David Mancuso. In case you haven’t done so already, you can read all about LCSS’s history here, and also the lil’ tribute I wrote about David following his passing in 2016.
Over the years (or shall I say decades) I have been part of various party collectives, from Voices Collective to All Our Friends, not forgetting Beauty & the Beat of course, the party which has been my raison d’être for nearly two decades (our 20 year anniversary is coming up this June). Lucky Cloud Sound System however has always been a bit different.
First of all there was David’s mystical aura, coupled with his intuitive ability to read the room and exquisitely program music over the course of a night.
Everyone in the collective was devoted to David and to the party.
It was also the only party where I wasn’t musically hosting, and never did it cross my mind. It was the one place where all my chakras were wide open, ready to get lost in music and be taken on a magic carpet ride.
The fact that these happened only four times a year made them even more special.
There was the ultimate quest for the highest and purest sound fidelity that could be achieved, without making any compromise. Klispchorns, class A amps, Koetsu cartridges and tonerarms were on the menu, while a mixer definitely was not.
These combined elements created the canvas for some of the most unforgettable moments and deepest musical epiphanies I have ever experienced on a dance-floor. To this day I find it somewhat difficult to play some of these seminal Loft classics, whether at home or anywhere. Records like “Keep On” by D Train, “City, Country, City” by War or “Going Back To My Roots” by Lamont Dozier. These are sacred in a way, plus I don’t want to listen to them on a less optimal set up. The way we heard these records, the way we danced to them could never be replicated. Jaminaround ’23 was probably the first time I felt all the conditions were right so that “City, Country, City” could be played, which to me is akin to having reached the holy grail.
🎈🎈
All this changed at the beginning of 2011, when David’s health deteriorated to the point he couldn’t travel any more. Though the parties continued somewhat happily for a while, it soon became clear that there was not the same anticipation before each party, and that everyone’s enthusiasm was waning. There were still great moments over the years of course, but the sparkle gradually disappeared.
No more magic.
Following David’s passing in October 2016, the party declined even further. Whereas BATB’s ensuing tribute party to David was nothing short of phenomenal, the Lucky Cloud one felt stale and flat.
Lifeless.
How sad.
The new musical host (the so called “chosen one”) didn’t have the same aura (which is fine, nobody has the same aura as David), but, rather more shockingly, this was combined with a bottomless ego and a voracious appetite for bullying.
A backstabber (that’s a Loft classic after all 🤨)
That’s also euphemism.
🤫
One step at a time.
In hindsight, with everyone so unhappy, it’s a mystery how the party managed to keep going on such dire straits for that long. I for one had lost total interest in the last few years, and I was one of the ones (from the collective) who lasted the longest.
Love did not save the day anymore 🖤
A LCSS meeting eventually took place in the run-up to the 20th anniversary, which resulted in the collective eventually splitting into two parties. The majority of Lucky Cloud members continued as a collective – with the notable introduction of rotating musical hosts – while the other party would be solely centered around one person (the chosen one).
To be fair, when Tim reached out to Jem, Cyril and I about continuing Lucky Cloud and what his vision was, I really wasn’t convinced. Given how disastrous the last few years had been on (and around) the LCSS dance-floor, and on the contrary how powerful and meaningful both AOF and BATB had become, why would we want to hang on to something that seemed long gone? Unsurprisingly Jem didn’t want to have anything to do with it, while Cyril and I agreed to give it a try, though somewhat reluctantly.
🎈🎈🎈🎈
I missed the first party of this new chapter in October ’23, but word on the streets seemed to indicate that spirits were high and that the energy was renewed, both in the room and within the crew. When it became my turn to be one of the musical hosts alongside Guillaume Chottin for the 2024 Valentine party, I found myself not only trepidating about the party, but also thinking about potential candidates weeks in advance (something that usually doesn’t happen for other parties, except maybe for one or two records). It turned out that over the years I had subconsciously made a list in my head of records that had a Loft quality, records that I’d imagined David would have played had he known about them.
One of the main innovations of Lucky Cloud 2.0 is for the party to be ever evolving, and for the musical host(s) to create their interpretation of a Loft party with a mix of seminal Loft classics alongside future classics that fit the Loft ethos (be they old or new).
A museum it ain’t.
Despite losing the Koetsus and replacing the M1 Mark Levinson pre amp with an Isonoe ISO420 mixer, the system has been singing better than ever (in Rose Lipman at least) thanks to a complete redesign of the dance-floor and ongoing upgrades to the amps and speakers. Most importantly every single person involved was happy again to be part of a (real) collective, and the party was instantly rejuvenated.
One of the original life forces of the party had morphed into a deadly worm, parading in plain sight.
Somehow it took years to get rid of it.
Glad we got there.
That Valentine party was an absolute blast from start to finish. Lots of old faces and music heads which we hadn’t seen at the party for years came back, many with kids in tow, and it really felt like a rebirth. The music selection might have been somewhat exploratory (by Lucky Cloud standards) but in being so it opened up new possible directions for the party, which Cyril took a step further when it was his turn to play in October ’24.
🎈🎈
Interestingly I can see a clear distinction between records that I play at BATB, at AOF or at Lucky Cloud. BATB remains my home, the place where I can be the most adventurous, followed by AOF. While many of these records do overlap between the parties, only the very best of them (sonically at least) will make it to the Lucky Cloud decks. They will also be played differently. Context is everything.
🎈🎈
Last but not least, we have now reestablished our historic conversation with the NYC Loft, something that was impossible before (because of the chosen one). Both Douglas Sherman, who has been musically hosting the NYC Loft on and off for decades (and continued the party along the same set of principles following David’s passing) and Victor Rosado (who was a back up DJ for David at the Broadway and Avenue A locations) came to play widely acclaimed sets already, and long may this continue.
Since the split, both the Loft NYC and Lucky Cloud have going stronger than ever.
Go figure.
A rebirth.
Big up to Tim for the vision, and to Sharon, Guillaume, Cyril and everyone else involved, and long live Lucky Cloud.
☁️ 🎈🎈☁️ 🎈🎈☁️
And shall you need any more, here’s some further reading: Tim Lawrence‘s response to a misinformed Guardian article on clubbing in general and Lucky Cloud in particular.