As part of their Disco Love series, We Present is bringing Chicago-based DJ collective Orchard Lounge back to NYC for a special performance at the Night Fever exhibit in the Museum of Sex on Saturday, February 24th. The exhibit is described as “immersive installation that invites viewers to experience the freedom and intoxication of the disco era.” The installation also features an original Richard Long audio system, which was originally featured at clubs like Studio 54 and Paradise Garage. The event is sold out, but a few tickets will be released day of the show, with doors opening at 8 p.m. (more info here).

Additional house and nu-disco producers Greg D, Blu Detiger, and Delfic will be joining the trio of OL on the bill as well. One or two more will also be added on for play in a second room connected to the exhibition. Patrons can flow back and forth from room to room throughout the evening. Fans can also expect encounters with snake charmers, burlesque dancers and other unique performers.

Ben Silver of Orchard Lounge expressed how meaningful of an event this is to him and his musical cohorts:

This special event is one I am very excited about for a few reasons. Above all, I am thrilled to be returning to NYC together with Orchard Lounge. We had so much fun playing Denver a couple weeks ago. However, the fact that it is something different and very intimate in this unique location, I think will make it a great night. Smaller, intimate sets always take on a special vibe, and some of my favorite musical moments took place in small rooms. Also, the Disco Love room features a Richard Long soundsystem. He designed some of the most famous sound systems in history—Paradise Garage, Studio 54, The Warehouse in Chicago and many more. This just looks like a great spot for a party.

Orchard Lounge vs. Stanley Kubrick Mix:

[via Orchard Lounge Vimeo]

The exhibition itself assembles 40 photographs from legendary NYC nightclub photographer Bill Bernstein, taken from 1977 to 1979, accompanied by audio interviews, all in an interactive installation that invites viewers to experience the “freedom and intoxication of the disco.” One of the biggest factors leading to the development of house music was the introduction of European electronic-pop and similar disco-based sounds at two specific clubs in the US: Chicago’s The Warehouse and New York’s Paradise Garage.

The “Godfather of House,” Frankie Knuckles (who unfortunately passed away in 2014), is accredited with coining the genre at underground-style parties at The Warehouse in 1977 (check out an interesting read about the history of how everything came to be via Resident Advisor). Brooklyn’s Larry Levan was actually the DJ who first conceptualized the Chicago club, but he wasn’t able to make the move to the Windy City to take the throne as the club’s resident DJ. As a result, Levan was simultaneously popularizing a very similar sound to Knuckle’s at NYC’s Paradise Garage. Both clubs broke down barriers of race and sexual preference at a time when nightclubs were homophobic, racist, sexist and generally segregated throughout the US.

Both clubs were also among the first to be designed with sound quality in mind first and foremost, not as an afterthought. This meant a centralized performance setup and an audio system that delivered exceptional clarity.  The sound system at Paradise Garage was developed, designed, and installed by Richard Long of Richard Long & Associates (RLA). It was said to be the best in New York City at that time, and some say to-date. A similar RLA system was set up in Studio 54. Night Fever has one to offer as well, and this will be the first time Orchard Lounge will have the opportunity to indulge themselves in such a piece of house music history.

To bring the event’s lineup and history full circle: Orchard Lounge is a Chicago DJ trio whose sound is strongly influenced by the very roots of Chicago and New York house music. In NYC they’ll get to play through one of the very same systems whose quality designs were used as a vehicle by their musical predecessors to make their mark on music forever. All this synergy will be aesthetically matched by photos and art celebrating the underground art and culture present at the exact time of house music’s inception. All at the Museum of Sex.