I had been to the new Masquerade once before for Kimber’s Indie Dance party, Nonsense ATL, but it had been a quiet night and I had never seen the place so full of people. For the Shaky Beats after-parties with Ganja White Night and Snails, it was absolutely jam-packed with ravers and the energy was tremendous as everyone made their way in, fresh from the first day of festival partying. Party of 1 opened up the night with a techno set that contrasted sharply with the dubstep we were about to hear, but it allowed everyone to arrive and settle into the space before things got crazy.

Snails played one of the hardest and most consistent dubstep sets I’ve ever heard, solidifying my respect for him as a DJ. Sadly, I’ve never really been that impressed by him any of the times I’ve seen him on big festival stages or even his headlining show at Terminal West. Something about the intimate atmosphere combined with a longer performance may have made the difference, but he had me hooked from start to finish.