The buzz of minglers and hum of music grew louder as the elevator reached the ground floor...
Ding! The doors opened. I thought, ‘Alright Carlin, big exhale and an even bigger stride.’
Before I knew it, I was strutting in my boots, in time with the music. I wish I had registered the song that was playing, but I was distracted by the sea of smiling faces, and display of colourful activity unfolding as I turned into the lobby of TRIBE Auckland Fort Street.
Friends and friends-to-be welcomed me into Sienna for the launch of TRIBE Vinyl Club.
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Ahead of me, on the opposite side of the room was local legend, host and DJ, Frank Booker, spinning a collection of funk and disco records.
As I made a beeline towards him (always greet the DJ and show them some love), the smiley man in the cool fit waved his hand over his deck, which I interpreted to mean “here’s the source of the magic”.
He politely entertained my questions about his setup – if he wasn’t multi-tasking enough already… We joked about how funny it was that he can be so forgetful with details in his day-to-day and yet, when he’s in front of a deck, he’s like a human search engine, recalling every track in his bag of vinyls and its respective BPM.
It then made sense why he could hold a conversation with me… To him, spinning records was as innate as breathing. So, no wonder the music flowed so rhythmically with the night’s heartbeat.
In the corner of the room sat the newly fitted TRIBE Auckland listening station with premium audio equipment.
Alongside it was an accompanying collection of vinyls, curated in partnership with iconic Auckland records store Real Groovy. Throughout the night, singles and couples moseyed over and browsed a selection of local and international records.
You could quite literally see them reconnecting with the joy of listening. And in the most heartwarming of moments, reconnecting with each other and themselves.
If you were to sift through the collection of records, you would also find TRIBE’s own limited-edition global LP, New Grounds.
The LP features singles from artists including Khruangbin, Brian Eno and The Four Seasons, as well as four unreleased tracks created exclusively for TRIBE. It’s a “if you know, you know” type of thing.
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Everyone in attendance oozed confidence and a willingness to share in the experience of something new and yet so nostalgic. And although everyone arrived in their nice clothes, jackets soon came off and sleeves rolled up at the sight of a craft table, where we were able to take turns creating a custom vinyl sleeve with stencils and spray paint.
I did not foresee making album art that night and I now also carry a spot of spray paint on my nice top – it stands proudly as a reminder that classy doesn’t have to mean tame.
To my right, guests were seated at the communal dining table enjoying themed cocktails and a mix of vibrant hors d’oeuvres inspired by Sienna’s Southern-Californian-style menu. Behind the bar and kitchen, the staff at Sienna worked hard with grace and calm to serve up everyone’s drinks of choice and delicately prepare our food, which seemed to float around the room with precision and sustained everyone in their pursuit of creativity and connection.
A big shout out to the team and the hours of labour that went into making the TRIBE Vinyl Club launch as smooth and magical as it was.
“TRIBE is a social hotel built around connection, culture and the vibrance of urban life,” says Antonela Comuzio, General Manager at TRIBE Auckland.
A force of nature, a dedicated leader and a proud Argentinian (this last piece of info will make sense in a second), it was clear Antonela put her heart into her work and played a big role in creating the sense of community and connection that filled the room.
Earlier that morning, she mentioned she had been up since 3am to watch Argentina overcome a 2-0 deficit against Egypt to win the game 3-2. In the hours that followed she stepped in dog poop. And upon greeting each other by the breakfast buffet later in the day, we took a pause to notice that the sun had finally come out after days of rain.
We agreed that all three incidents were a good omen for the night to come.
Looking back, The TRIBE Vinyl Club launch was full of surprises. And I can only describe that night as a movie. And my oh my, what a soundtrack.
TRIBE Auckland will host a series of monthly Thursday evening TRIBE Vinyl Club listening parties at Sienna from August through October 2026, with a rotating line-up of iconic Kiwi musicians, DJs and culture makers. On top of this, the TRIBE Vinyl Club listening station is now available in the lobby at TRIBE Auckland Fort Street, making it a perfect starting point on a night out.
Together, this initiative seeks to bring together local music lovers, culture seekers and city visitors through an analogue sound, food, drinks and community.
For more information, head here.
