P.S.1’s Warm Up is now venerable -- this year is its 12th anniversary. It’s hard to believe it’s been more a decade since those first parties in the former public school’s courtyard; it was more intimate then. The fact that the first installment of Warm Up #12 fell on the 4th of July is not entirely coincidental (although it is, of course). As part of its lofty goal of art and music, the Warm Up Sessions also offer BBQing and beer on the yard. Sensory overload can make you work up an appetite, you know? But, since many clubgoers had to dutifully report to family and extended family somewhere out in urbania for the national holiday, the crowd shimmying to the beats was tres cosmopolitan (even more than usual, it seems). Parisian hipsters and their coterie of friends mingled with Scandinavian ravers and international clubbing tourists. Indeed, mon cher, nowhere is New York’s European bent clearer than in the courtyard at P.S.1 on a Saturday.

Part of the draw of P.S.1, located in Long Island City, Queens, is whatever new installations MoMA’s architects will conjure (and you have ten weeks to get acquainted with them). The theme is sometimes beach-oriented, often outdoors-related, and often involves water misting. I remember year one, when some enterprising (and thrifty) architect built structures with used school furniture. One tower in particular went up very high, and you could actually climb to the top and survey the neighborhood like an explorer discovering new land. This year’s winning project, as part of MoMA’s Young Architect Program, is appropriately called "Afterparty" and was conceived by two architects named Michael Meredith and Hilary Sample. The installation, which covers half of the schoolyard, is made up of big, fur-like shelter structures that resemble a cross between a teepee and Soviet-era housing. At some point in the afternoon, it started looking like family of woolly mammoths had wandered in and decided to stay awhile and graze (I stuck to beer all day, thank you very much). I think this style is called antediluvian modern.

One of the surprising results of these large structures was the spaces created underneath. Each structure, of varying size, created rooms connecting to other rooms in which people took refuge, sat, talked, or attempted new dance moves before going public out on the floor (which happens to be large and well-supplied with concert-sound speakers and bass frequencies which tend to carry across the neighborhood a little too eagerly, apparently). PS1 has often had problems with neighbors in the past because of the loud music, so a 9pm curfew had to be self-imposed. Later in the afternoon (the party starts at 3pm), I wandered backstage and saw some of the local music patricians, like Time Out’s resident DJ and editor Bruce Tantum. Daniel Bell, a Berliner by way of Toronto, played minimalist techno using (gasp!) vinyl. Actual vinyl! I was shocked, since usually CDs and Ableton Live are the order of the day. Music programming at Warm Up runs the gamut of all things electronic. One of the most notable acts in recent years was the Scissor Sisters when they weren’t yet well known. And the line-up will usually include one live act alternating with DJs.

P.S.1’s Warm Up runs in ten installments until about the middle of August. This year’s music programming is (as always) self-consciously underground. Noted house music artists like Chez Damier and DJ Pierre will share duties with more techno-inflected acts like John Selway and Derek Plaslaiko. But Warm Up would not be Warm Up without local underground artists. This year, a Brooklyn-based duet called Xeno and Oaklander will do a live gig which, according to the press release, sounds like coldwave, post-punk, and synthpop.

Sunshine, a friendly outer borough, and arts and music under the MoMA banner. Warm Up is one of our most reliable (and now venerable) outdoors parties. Most importantly, however, it won’t be a sellout.