Nylon Nights
Inside Tinx & Lucas’ No Phones Night Out
SoHo partied like it was 1999.
You know the seductive concept floating around Pinterest boards, “offline being the new luxury”? Friday night, it was brought to life.
On Nov. 21, DJ duo and best friends Tinx & Lucas host the first event in their tech-free party series aptly called No Phones at (SUB)MERCER in NYC. As a NYLON Member who has deemed clubbing a “dying art,” Tinx is advocating for an era of fun reminiscent of the early-aughts, and we are definitely here for it.
Walking up to the side entrance on Mercer just past 10 p.m., a line of guests wrapped around the block, eager to ditch their phones and dance. Once you got through the velvet ropes, the mandate was simple: Drop your cell in a lockable pouch and enjoy the wild pleasure that only an absence of performative fun can bring.
(SUB)MERCER was hot in every sense of the word — but still, the crowd opted for crisp bottles of Modelo in favor of water. Interesting choice, I thought as I stared up at myself in the ceiling – a mirror reflecting two dirty spicy martinis sitting at the bar. I almost didn’t notice they were ready, amidst mingling with friends I haven’t run into in ages (and may not have seen at all if I was stalking a stranger’s Instagram stories.) A cluster of girls in suede mini skirts and cropped leather jackets traded places with the front line at the DJ booth; a group of guys called my friend and me over to dance (!) and hang (!). Newly minted lust interests were attempting to swap Instagram handles from memory, while I decided to go full Carrie Bradshaw and write my phone number on a blank guest check and hand it to Mr. Mercer instead.
Perhaps the best part about No Phones is that time doesn’t exist; the minutes went by between sips at the bar and vibes at the booth. It wasn’t until I left the club and caught the clock’s single digits that my theory was true: no phones = more fun.
Photography by Ryan Sides
