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Last summer, dance party promoters Andy Warren and Peter Giese landed an opportunity to build out a new club, lounge and bar in Watershed, a long-running industrial arts collective and event space on the Brooklyn-Westmoreland border that has hosted everything from all-night raves to sunny Satanist brunches. Both men have thrown parties for over a decade, and jumped at the chance to work together. The warehouse’s once grimy appearance and collection of mismatched couches was part of its charm, compared to many of Portland’s less underground dance clubs.
After starting last July and wrapping up construction three months ago, Warren, Giese and their communities harvested the sweaty fruits of their labor at their new venue, Process (5040 SE Milwaukie Ave., processpdx.club). A sleek bar with warm orange lights and geometric blond wood benches, Process’s dimly lit dance floor expands past a gap in exposed concrete walls. Out there, congregated bodies of all genders and expressions dance under a state-of-the-art sound system and softly pulsing dim lights to sounds by some of the best independently touring DJs.
If you want to party after bars close—Warren and Giese are building out a craft mocktail program so guests can savor flavors after liquor sales are suspended at 2 am. There’s even talk of family-friendly club nights for kids whose parents also love to rave. But before guests even get in the door, they’re expected to adhere to a conduct code that prioritizes respect over partying to the extreme.
“We don’t want people to be turned away for being any certain way, but know what this is and come if this is a place you want to be,” Giese says. “It’s not a place to be fucked up and be a mess, it’s a place to experience music and other humans who want to experience music.”
See the rest of Willamette Week’s Best of Portland 2024 here!