When word started circling earlier this year that Jenny Tan, one of the organizers and marquee promoters behind New York’s cult-followed Minimoo parties, would be putting together their own Mutek-inspired festival, excitement quickly built to a fever pitch. Dubbing the event Minitek, the promoters leaked information to the public judiciously, teasing partygoers one artist’s name at a time, only revealing the full line-up and schedule mere days before opening night. In the end, festival attendees were promised two days and two nights of artistic innovation and electronic music, all set to the simultaneously kitschy and seedy backdrop of Coney Island. Considering Minimoo’s long held reputation for professionalism and quality, expectations ran understandably high; disappointingly, due to mismanagement, miscommunication, and outright amateurism, these expectations were quickly shattered.

In retrospect, a red flag should’ve gone up when the Penn Plaza Pavilion was announced as the festival’s night venue. Located directly across the street from Penn Station in the heart of downtown Manhattan, the Plaza is hardly an appropriate venue for an all-night minimal techno rager, and the police wasted no time in making that point abundantly clear. Around 2am, with the venue at only a fraction of capacity and a solid six hours before the party’s scheduled conclusion, the doors were sealed and those hundreds of us still waiting in line—VIP, will call and otherwise—were ordered to disperse.

The rumors that had been swirling regarding Minitek’s logistical problems had come true, their permits weren’t properly in order and the thousands of paying clubbers who had come from around the world were left out in the humid night, unsure of what to do next.

The rumors that had been swirling regarding Minitek’s logistical problems had come true, their permits weren’t properly in order and the thousands of paying clubbers who had come from around the world were left out in the humid night, unsure of what to do next. Granted, the organizers managed to secure a backup venue quickly (the nearby Rebel NYC) and got the party moved around the block, but those without connections were unaware of the new location and went back to their hotels disappointed. For those who did make it to Rebel, the party was one of the highlights of the weekend, as Paco Osuna and Marco Carola delivered a mind-blowing tag team set that stretched well into the morning hours.

Unfortunately, Saturday morning was no less of a disaster. Billed to start at 10am, those who arrived on time were greeted by a virtually empty parking lot. No sound had been set up and no one was even there to take control of the situation. By 1pm, when many were arriving after sleeping off their hangovers, the situation hadn’t improved. Attendees were met by a handwritten sign directing them to chill out and get a hot dog. When things did finally kick into gear, the day was marred by scheduling snafus and technical difficulties.

Only one of the promised two stages was up and running, while the other wasn’t functioning until nearly 7pm. Get Physical’s Heidi, who was scheduled to play on the inoperable stage at 3:30, could be seen yelling angrily into her cellphone for the better part of three hours and was later forced to play a massive tag team set with nearly five other DJs whose sets had been bumped from the itinerary. Granted, as the night went on, the music was pretty impeccable as Heartthrob and Jeremy Caulfield delivered particularly stellar performances. Still, the scheduling issues meant that festival goers failed to receive what they paid for, as big name artists like Magda, M.A.N.D.Y. and Tiefschwarz were unable to play their scheduled performances. Add to that the organizer’s inability to provide ice, water or alcohol to paying customers, and you’re left with hundreds of angry Techno fans.

And the hits just kept on coming. With Penn Plaza off the table as the festival’s night venue and Rebel already booked for the evening, the organizers were forced to scramble for a replacement. The best they could do was Studio B, that oft-maligned Greenpoint hipster hotspot, known for its lack of A.C. and inadequate soundsystem. Ironically, Studio B had previously been bumped off the itinerary for Sunday School for Degenerates two weekends before in favor of Rebel, which made sense, given that Studio B’s capacity capped off near 500, hardly a space large enough for the festival’s 1,500 or more attendees. However, it was better than nothing, and those who managed to make it inside (inexcusably, Minimoo failed to adequately communicate the venue change, only posting a short notice on their website late in the evening telling people where to go) were met with excellent sets from Magda, Marc Houle and Pan-Pot.

By Sunday they at least started to get it right. The schedule was only running only a couple hours behind schedule, alcohol and water were plentiful (though still no ice), and even the infamous Innovation Village, designed to showcase new technologies and their uses but had been M.I.A. nearly all weekend, was up and running…albeit terribly underwhelming. But somehow the DJs, revelers and promoters managed to put the abject failures that were the first three Minitek parties behind them in order to just make the best of the situation. Everywhere you looked, there were people dancing with massive smiles on their faces. With Francois K, Richie Hawtin and Audion closing out the day under the fading glow of the Coney Island ferris wheel, you couldn’t help but feel as if it hadn’t all been a total waste. That is, of course, if you hadn’t flown from halfway around the world to be there.

Since the weekend, the promoters have posted a letter of apology on their website that both excuses and whines, but also says sorry.

Words: Carl Ritger