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RBMA's Larry Levan street party, photographs by Eddie Pearson for Okayplayer
RBMA's Larry Levan street party, photographs by Eddie Pearson for Okayplayer

RBMA's Larry Levan Street Party Took Paradise Out Of The Garage For A Spin [Photo Gallery]

Sunshine and utopic vibes were equally radiant at the Larry Levan Street Party which took place on the West Side of Manhattan Sunday. Old school disco opened its doors to new students as Red Bull Music Academy's RBMA NYC festival joined forces with Joey Llanos' Paradise Garage Reunion party series to produce the open air event, a fitting tribute to the pioneering DJ from whom it takes its name. The free flow of energy showed a very different side to disco than the solid gold corporate hit machine Questlove recently spoke of as the antithesis of hip-hop, as a beautiful crowd of music fans--young, old, black, white, brown, straight, gay, but never indifferent--took advantage of the glorious spring weather and the rare chance to hear the songs collectively known as "garage music" played on the Herculean outdoor soundsystem. If Larry Levan's DJ sets made the Paradise Garage like church for true believers than the street party was a mass baptism. Lucky for us, Okayplayer photog Eddie Pearson went down to the riverside, too. Click through his gallery of images above to relive the moment.