From Berlin to Brooklyn, COLORSxSTUDIO Is a Hub for Creative Expression
COLORSxSTUDIO opened its Bushwick doors earlier this month with “TONES of NYC,” a week of fully free community programming, live music, and activations.
COLORSxSTUDIO’s ethos has always transcended far beyond the backdrop. The Berlin-based music platform has been a vibrant force in music curation for almost a decade, and up until earlier this month, COLORS‘ presence in the States was solely consumable virtually.
Which, ultimately, was fine. With at least one (typically two) new COLORSxSTUDIO music videos dropping on YouTube every week, us U.S-based COLORS heads were fed with some of the most aesthetically honed performance visuals out there – coming from a global range of musicians, at that. A testament to the collective’s expansive talent Rolodex of A-listers and up-and-comers alike that has continued to expand since COLORS’ founding in 2016, the German platform’s impact in music discovery is unmatched.
Be it in front of a cerulean blue, blood orange, or butter yellow background, a musician’s COLORS performance video on YouTube typically racks up close to 30 million views, on average. With that number continuing to skyrocket, a post-COVID live music revival still reaching full swing, and New York City having one of the most exciting summers in recent history, what better time than to bring the platform to the city?
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With COLORSxSTUDIO’s community-centric ethos fueling the new brick-and-mortar initiative, the creative hub did just that, opening the doors to its first-ever permanent studio space in New York City. Located in Brooklyn, the new HQ stands as a stateside physical embodiment of the platform’s foundational pillars we’ve all been privy to via phone screen.
Rather than announce the anticipated opening with a traditional media campaign or rollout, COLORS did what it does best. For three full days, COLORS hosted its TONES of NYC initiative, turning the platform’s new home into an instant hub of free programming: a vibrant convergence of culture, community-building, and connection, all backed by a soundtrack of live music.
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From Kelela‘s new avatar album release party to a Friday night Summerstage takeover at Herbert Von King Park, here’s everything COLORS and TONES of NYC had cooking for its opening week.
A Local Lineup of DJs During the Day
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From noon to 4 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, you could pull up to the COLORSxSTUDIOS HQ in Bushwick for a series of live DJ sets in partnership with Half Moon. Billed as Half Moon in residence with Ballantines, the lineup spotlit a different collection of the city’s emerging DJ talent, with each day taking on a different theme: Hip-Hop, Open Format/Electronic, and Caribbean. Jamesy, Cutbird, Jeannel Briu and Godspeed spun the first day, with Noah G, Denise Renée, Ken Dollaz, and Goldie Harris pulling up for day two, and Khalil, Citizen, Jfuse and Sounds of Reality closing it out on day three.
An Intimate Night with Infinity Song
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On the first night, TONES welcomed in Momo Boyd‘s sibling quartet, Infinity Song, for the first performance – but only after a rare panel conversation from the entire group. All four of Infinity Song‘s members, Abraham, Angel, Israel and Momo Boyd, sat on the COLORS stage (in full Levi’s ‘fits) to share more about their creative process, inspirations, and what it’s like collaborating as siblings, before delivering a captivating live set equipped with all the classics and new cuts alike. The Boyd quartet bounced around the crowded room, dancing with audience members, passing off the microphone, and making it all look really easy.
Three-Day Fashion Marketplace by Storage
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Fashion marketplace platform Storage set up shop IRL at the HQ, curating racks from a selection of NYC’s vintage sellers and local brands such as KidSuper, Advisry, and Tommy’s Gift Shop. Apparel, collectables, footwear, accessories – you name it, it was most likely on display at Storage’s TONES of NYC outpost.
WHATMORE Brings Their COLORS Performance to Life
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Wednesday night belonged to WHATMORE – and it was only right. A perfect epitome of COLORS’ community-centric ethos, the five-man unit hit the stage at the HQ now seven months after their COLORS video premiered to offer up an electric set that even included some unreleased tracks. Literally forged on the streets of the city itself (having met at LaGuardia High School, first best friends before bandmates), the energy in the room was the epitome of NYC summer. After the performance, Cisco Swank closed out with a proper dunk on the basketball hoop.
Street Dreams: A Love Letter to the City Photography Exhibition
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On display all week at the Brooklyn hub, Street Dreams: A Love Letter to the City offered a nostalgic look back on the streets of New York City through the lens of our very own local photographers.
Lekan Live Performance
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To close out Thursday’s live performances at the Brooklyn studio was none other than Lekan. The budding Nigerian-American R&B artist (who made his COLORS debut back in March) took the stage on Thursday night for an expansive live performance.
TONES of NYC’s Summerstage Takeover, Starring Mereba, Mack Keane, and Arima Ederra
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On Friday, TONES took it elsewhere in Brooklyn. At Bed-Stuy’s storied Herbert Von King Park, TONES teamed up with Summerstage to curate another free live performance. TONES’ Summerstage Takeover featured a lineup of three emerging artists – Arima Ederra, Mack Keane, and headliner Mereba – who each delivered a full set on the warm summer night.
Kelela’s new avatar UNLOCKED Playback and Release Party
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Later that night, it was Kelela who was the star of the show. In the final hours before the release of her anticipated return record, new avatar, the superstar chose to spend her time with COLORS, throwing both a pre-release playback and release party for the project in partnership with YouTube Music. Let’s just say, the party kept going all night.
One Love Community Fridge Hosts EAT.PACK.GIVE
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Prior to WHATMORE’s performance on Wednesday night, One Love Community Fridge popped up at the studio to host both a communal meal and community service activation; after dining together, guests then packed meal boxes for One Love Community Fridge’s mission to bring easy access to free, fresh, wholesome food to those in need across Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The Levi’s Customization Station
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Levi’s was on-site all week for its Levi’s Customization Station, where attendees could not only cop one-of-one screen-printed merch, but also have the design personalized and dialed in even more at the brand’s customization station.
Sarah Lola’s Private COLORS Premiere
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Sarah Lola’s Thursday afternoon event was the one activation that wasn’t open to the public – but even still, COLORS made sure that Lola’s superfans got special access. An intimate, friends and family only performance, the rising singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist made her COLORS debut at the new Bushwick HQ, recording her COLORS video in front of a bright red backdrop and, for the first time at the new location, a select live audience.
