Live: Dimitri From Paris And François K Push Deep Space Even Deeper At Cielo

Dimitri and François, classing the joint up. Pics by Chris, more below.

Since its premiere in 2003, François Kevorkian's Deep Space party has explored the outer reaches of dub astronomy in all its forms, thrilling a small but loyal crowd that never stops moving, no matter how much echo and delay are applied. It's a true collaboration with an impressive succession of dance-music masters who can take the crowd anywhere and know it. Tonight's guest selector, Dimitri from Paris, fits in perfectly, and is clearly thrilled to do so. "I love this format -- its loose," he tells me. "You can get away with so much."

Dimitri and François switch off every few songs tonight, two earthbound astronauts piloting us through early house, hip-hop, ragga, and disco. A true master at work, Kevorkian has a very specific physical style when he's feeling it: a bounce that's all in the neck, and sure is fun to watch. The pair spin like a duo that's been together forever, dropping stellar edits of Stetasonic's "Talkin All That Jazz," Grandmaster Flash's "The Message," and Instant Funk's "Got My Mind Made Up," early-'90s piano house seeping into proper dub reggae, seeping into some electro dancehall, seeping into tasteful drum 'n' bass, which is hard to do. (Especially the tasteful part.) Kevorkian has a storied past as a mixer (he worked on Depeche Mode's Violator), disco re-editor, and NYC nightlife savior via his classic Body & Soul throwdown, and the crowd seems to know his reputation, or at least feel it.

Unsurprisingly, the crowd is Euro-centric and exceedingly friendly. Every so often, the house lights are flipped on for effect as people look around the room, surprised to actually see the face of the person dancing next to them for the last four hours. They don't look disappointed; just surprised to see anyone at all next to them, having been seemingly transported from the dance floor to the boogie nebula of a galaxy far, far away. Kevorkian's longtime Body & Soul partner Danny Krivit is also in attendance tonight, posting up in the booth for the bulk of the set, nodding approvingly to pretty much everything the DJs spin. It's nice to be at a party where people aren't afraid to look like they're having a good time. "When people are a fan of the music instead of the person, they will go with you anywhere," says Dimitri. Tonight everyone seems to be fans of both.

Danny Krivit (center) joins the lineup

Beefier Jake Gyllenhaal pauses to assess the situation