On a random Wednesday night in the cold of January, fans traveled from all corners of New York City, from all along East Coast – I heard some peope from as far as the Carolinas – and smuggled in pineapples, pizza, and giant Fatheads into Output, creating the wildest party of this young year.

The reason? Destructo, a name that many not be familiar to your average dance music fan, stopped in New York on his Ship2Ship tour, bringing friends Anna Lunoe, Motez, and T. Williams.

You may still be confused. Destructo, real name Gary Richards, is the founder of HARD Events – producer of HARD Summer, Day Of The Dead, and the cult-like Holy Ship!, which took place a little over a week ago (and will take place again next month). This event in NYC acted as sort of a meet up for those suffering from addiction to all things Holy Ship! – a breed of dedicated dance music fans who call themselves ShipFam, who wait all year for Holy Ship, the ultimate party. Having Destructo, affectionately referred to as The HARDFather, performing nearby, is enough to get the gang all together, the pineapples out, the flags waving, and temporary tattoos back on. It’s like meeting up with all your camp friends after summer camp is over.

Thanks to Holy Ship!, Destructo’s DJ career has reached new heights. Last year he was signed to Insomniac/Interscope, and recently released his ‘West Coast EP,’ which mixed bouncy house beats with west coast hip hop heavyweights like Too $hort, YG, and Kurupt. He also performed a much attended ‘Sunday Sermon’ on Holy Ship! from 5:30-8:30, after some ShipFam found out that Destructo performed 6:00am dance parties in the early 90s and requested it. The Sermon was one of the most talked about sets on a boat filled with dance music royalty like A-Trak, Boys Noize, and Knife Party, 

It’s this interaction, the close relationship between artist and fans, that makes Holy Ship! so special. That feeling translated into Output’s small confines on Wednesday. Many people claimed that it felt like they were back on the boat – surrounded by great music and like minded people. For those in attendance who had never been on Holy Ship!, it must have been a unique experience to see all of these people in outfits, waving flags, showing affection – but you fall right in line. ShipFam are a very inviting group of people.