Two Shell tore up the dance floor in Brooklyn this Halloween.
At least I think they did. The iconoclastic UK-based production duo is well known for trolling just about everybody they encounter. Their Boiler Room debut featured what was certainly a decoy duo playing a pre-recorded set. When they did finally do a “face reveal” for their MixMag cover story, it was the same story: decoys. And just last week when they supposedly promised a more serious sit down with the Guardian, they sent two tricksters in their place.
So whether it truly was the minds behind the music on the boards this Halloween is beside the point. In the end, PAPER was there alongside fans and curious spectators in Brooklyn’s The Chocolate Factory to move to the duo’s sweet sounds during the year’s most fearsome night. On Wednesday, October 30, just before their Halloween show, Two Shell also held a pop up 93 Canal where they sold limited bespoke merch and DJ'd.
Attendees were there to show off their spooky regalia, but also to celebrate Two Shell’s self-titled debut album. The album is both a continuation and departure for Two Shell who released a steady trickle of glimmering cuts of Bass music since 2019. Historically, Two Shell’s music features shimmering synth pads, propulsive rhythms and strangely moving robotized vocals. Two Shell features all of the aforementioned, but leans even further into their penchant for world-building. It’s a world that is at once vivid, psychedelic and consistently elusive.
That was made concrete at the Halloween show. A translucent cube sat in the center of the dance floor with mixing boards inside. The cube had walls of thin plastic sheets, so dancers could peer inside, but a steady stream of fog made it increasingly difficult to see more than shadowy silhouettes. When I arrived and DJ Nick Léon was playing, I could see the DJ behind the plastic, but when Two Shell officially entered, the fog machine was turned up to 11. I could only sometimes catch a hand or shadow moving inside.
But with the music hitting just right, I managed to pause my curiosity and move to the music. It didn’t hurt that the night was presented by sksksks, Brooklyn’s premier party series which always promises a delectable blend of hard-edged dance music and pop perfection.
In the end, this was not the night Two Shell revealed what’s behind the mask, but as tired dancers left the venue, some took off their own. Halloween was officially over and November had arrived. I’m sure it was nice to breathe the cool night air, but sometimes it’s fun to live life in disguise.
Photo by Caroline Waxse
Photography: Lauren Davis
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