Music platform, Boiler Room, back in Tel Aviv
Boiler Room, the online music broadcasting platform, is back in Tel Aviv with a party at the Block nightclub, featuring six Israeli DJs. Launched in 2010, Boiler Room is a platform for live broadcasting of private and underground parties. It now has one and a half million followers on Facebook and one million subscribers on YouTube. The parties are usually held in small private venues and are broadcast to an audience of tens of thousands.

Boiler Room, the online music broadcasting platform, returns to Tel Aviv this Friday with a party at the Block featuring six Israeli DJs and a bonus from the Balkans.

The Boiler Room was launched in 2010 in London as a platform for live broadcasting of private and underground parties around the world. It now has about a million and a half Facebook followers and a million subscribers on YouTube, not to mention other streaming platforms. It has rocked the house in more than 100 cities.

The parties, broadcast to tens of thousands of viewers, are usually held in small, private venues rather than big-name clubs. The few filming angles focus mostly on the DJ – you get a close-up of the master working the mixer, and sometimes also the names of the records.

True electronic-music fans won’t miss a Boiler Room set by their favorite DJs, and for DJs a Boiler Room prance is their ticket to the top. Even though the picture may be hazy with just a few colored lights surrounding the DJ, serious fans stay ensconced.

The rule is that the sets can’t get too long, so DJs plan with extra care. The openings of many Boiler Room sets have become iconic, such as the 2013 set by German duo Modeselektor that kicked off with the ‘80s hit “Would I Lie to You” by Charles & Eddie.

When Boiler Room first came to Tel Aviv two years ago, the event spanned three evenings and three venues, with admission by private invitation only. Performers included Garden City Movement, Buttering Trio and Boom. Also on hand were DJs Red Axes, Amir Egozy, Yogo and Michael Cohen. Unlike in 2014, this time the party’s site is no secret and tickets can be bought beforehand.

The Block nightclub has a specially built sound system that ranks it among the best in the world. You don’t have to be an audio freak to immediately notice the quality. And the Block lovingly selects its DJs – a mix of the hottest names and the top up-and-comers.

The sound system has been the talk of DJs and the thousands of people who fill the place each weekend, so the Boiler Room crew eventually heard about it and got curious.

Like many big nightclubs, the Block normally bans the use of phones and cameras so as to create a freer atmosphere. Signs near the dance floor urge patrons to get with the ambience. But this time the party will be streamed live, so the Block says that if you don’t want your face shown, you better show up in a mask.

The party starting at 11 P.M. Friday will be mainly techno and feature Israelis Asaf Samuel, Anna Haleta, Yogev and Nimrod Katzir, Tal Cohen and Avihay Partok. Also on hand will be Serbian DJ, vocalist and journalist Tijana T, who’s known for her special energy.