Let loose.
That’s what’s encouraged at least once a month at Le Freak, a unique dance party inspired by the song by Chic. The night—which contains promises of music, dancing, sweating, lasers, alcohol and free pizza—came to fruition thanks to local music artists Michael Britton and Asher Gray.
The two were introduced to one another through a mutual friend in Minneapolis where Britton attended college. They met up once he moved back to Milwaukee and, soon after, the two saw an opportunity to try something different: starting a disco dance party that focused on introducing those in attendance to music that they may have never heard or even thought of dancing to before. And they did just that in August 2012, with the party’s first installment at Hotel Foster.
“We did it for the first time and it went over really well,” Britton said. “It just snowballed from there.”
According to Gray, the thing that really brought him and Britton together was their mutual taste in music. It’s this taste in music that they’ve implemented at each and every Le Freak for the last three years.
“We select music that we love and it’s not necessarily going to be that jukebox sort of atmosphere where you come and you know what to expect,” he says. “We really want to expand people’s awareness of things that we’re into and hopefully people come out with an open mind and appreciate the vibe that we’re putting together.”
“We originally started the party at Hotel Foster because it was our friends’ hang-out spot and a place likeminded people went to party,” Britton said. “North Avenue had no real dance parties going on at the time so we thought it was the perfect space to bring people together for a free pizza party.”
That free pizza Britton refers to came from Ian’s Pizza, and was always delivered once the clock struck midnight. Now that it’s been three years since the first Le Freak took place, Britton and Gray have decided it was time for a change. After establishing themselves and attracting growing crowds from month to month on the East Side, they parted ways with Hotel Foster and secured a new home at Company Brewing in Riverwest.
“We were looking into trying something new and it wasn’t because of hard feelings or anything like that because I’m still doing stuff at Hotel Foster, but we felt like we wanted to try something in a new space,” Gray explained.
“We were looking for a larger space in hope to help grow the party even bigger and bring in larger out-of-town guests,” Britton elaborated.
The first night at the new space on Nov. 7 went without a hitch, but both Britton and Gray realize that there’s still a lot of room for improvement.
“It’ll probably take a little bit of time to get the word out there and hopefully see a mass of people who are coming through,” Gray said. “We’re really excited about the space. The space has got so much potential.
“The one thing that Hotel Foster had going for it was that little stage, which was nice to be kind of hidden in the back and people could come up there and dance,” Gray continued. “If you really wanted to be involved, you can be up there or you could take a step back and go up to the bar where it was a little bit quieter. We’re going to try to do some really interesting things with the space at Company to make it more dark and inviting.”
Since its inception, Le Freak has considerably evolved. According to Britton, the parties have changed from the bright and colorful to the dark and foggy, and he’s happy with that shift.
“We hope to keep growing the party and potentially throw a few one-off Le Freak events this spring like a roller disco,” Britton said.
“My hope is that we can start to bring in more outside, national talent,” Gray added. “I think there’s a lack of national talent that comes through Milwaukee and I’d love to be able to bring more widely known underground DJs. We’ve tried to showcase many of the local talent over the years also and we’re definitely going to continue to do that.”
What about the free pizza you ask? According to Britton, Ian’s won’t be delivering any more, but now Company Brewing will be providing their house-made pizza pies.
If you happen to make it to the next Le Freak, which will be held on Saturday, Dec. 12, prepare to take in the underground dance music and let loose. It’s a place to be comfortable in your own skin as you move and feel the vibes. Just don’t at all be surprised to run into a fellow dancer with a giant rabbit head, the party’s unofficial mascot. It’s one of many things that can happen at Le Freak.
Le Freak’s next installment begins at 10 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12 at Company Brewing, 735 E. Center St.
