June 23-29 was a great week for music and music festivals, especially here in New York. Here’s what you missed, courtesy of the Cultivora team.

• Governors Ball Music Festival took place on NYC’s Randall’s Island last Saturday and Sunday. Check out Laura Baker-Finch’s recap and Marjana Jaidi’s photo highlights for Day 1 and Day 2.
• Gov Ball festivalgoers took part in Cultivora’s #GovBingo Instagram game, Samantids’ creative entries won her passes to next year’s festival.
• Cultivora compiled their first New York City Music Guide – a new series in which they sort through all the NYC event listings to provide you with the top live music picks each week.
• Marjana Jaidi captured an intimate Blue Note Jazz Festival performance at which Theophilus London performed “Lisa,” off his upcoming album, Rose Island.
• San Francisco’s Treasure Island Music Festival released their lineup, featuring headliners Girl Talk and The XX.
• Safa Jinje sat down with Linus Booth of Jokers of the Scene to talk about his latest monthly residency in Toronto, Legoblocks.
• Fool’s Gold, the Brooklyn-based record label, announced their full summer festival lineup for the Fool’s Gold Clubhouse along with the first monthly Clubhouse compilation.
• Cultivora created a festival guide for Australia’s Splendour In The Grass, a 3-day festival taking place July 27-29 in Byron Bay.

Coming up: Roskilde begins tomorrow, Saturday June 30, in Denmark and the first CBGB Festival, taking place July 5-8 across New York City, will kick off with a keynote address by Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic Thursday.

The beloved NYC fan favorite DANNY HOWELLS returns to the Big Apple for a special Sunday summer throwdown at Brooklyn’s Dekalb Market! Dance.Here.Now and Basic are teaming up for this bash, featuring Danny doing his thing in Dekalb’s dope outdoor setting. Sleepy & Boo join him on the decks for what will undoubtedly be an unforgettable Sunday Funday of great music + people.

When: Sunday July 1st (3pm – 9pm)
Where: Dekalb Market (138 Willoughby St.)
Presale Tickets

We recently spoke with Benny Soto of Dance.Here.Now. and 718 sessions. You may not know his name but his legendary parties are quite the mainstay in NYC. He chats with us about Paradise Garage, essential tips for parties, and his time with Keith Haring.

HiFi Cartel: How was working with Keith Haring, and in what ways did he influence your musical upbringing in NYC along with your introduction to Paradise Garage?

Benny Soto: Everything about that time still plays a part in my life today. The music, the people, the clubs, art, etc…Clubbing wasn’t as sophisticated and evolved as it is today. It was raw. NYC was gritty and fun. Good stuff came out of that. I think people who experienced that particular time carry a little something rare and special. Keith was very special and he knew how to have a party. He really did teach me to have fun. He was a rock star in many ways. He brought all kinds of people together. People with money and the street. Essential elements for a great party. Working for Keith Haring was a gift. How many people can say they knew Keith..and Warhol, and Basquiat. I STILL go, “Wow!”

Paradise Garage was special. What can I say that hasn’t been already said? Not much…but I know it existed because it was a different time in NY. That club could exist at that time. That is no longer possible..at least not on the island of Manhattan. Brooklyn perhaps…Berlin I hear. I was extremely fortunate to have experienced Garage. I know it’s over and done with. But that spirit that I experienced there is with me still. That’s the magic I still look for in a party today ; )

HFC: Dance.Here.Now and 718 Sessions have become quite the success for both partiers and audiophiles alike. World renown Djs play under the intimate lights of Cielo , which has what we would argue the best club system in North America. How did this concept come about and how do you maintain it’s success in such a competitive NYC market?

BS: Cielo is special because the people who own it and run it actually care. They believe in what they do. It’s an intimate space that was really thought out and executed well. Cielo is almost 10 years old..but whenever I travel I still come back home and think ok this is still a cool place. It feels good. It’s consistent. It’s a club for music lovers. You can see that clearly. At the end of the day people want an authentic experience. I think Cielo manages to do that well.

HFC: What are your thoughts about both commercial and underground house music today?

BS: I think it’s fantastic the electronic music scene has gotten so huge. All these kids listening to all the commercial stuff will eventually start listening to different kinds of music. Musical tastes change and these kids will start wondering how this all started. Eventually they find the cool stuff. I personally try and be open to everything…keeping in mind that everything ain’t for everybody ; )

HFC: Name us a few records you can’t live without?

BS: Love is the message…Be Yourself…and everything in between that : )

HFC: Finally what would you say are the “essentials” for throwing an epic party?

BS: Keep it real and fun. Have fun putting the party together. Throw different things together. Mix it up. Don’t take yourself so serious if you are a promoter. I think most of us started in this business because we were having fun. Try and remember that. And the people that come thru the door and pay? Make sure they have a good time whenever possible.

Be sure to check out his parties all summer at Dekalb Market & Cielo!

Pacha & Dance.Here.Now. bring Loco Dice, Joris Voorn, Nic Fanciulli to Dekalb Market

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL ALBUM

June is a busy month for music festivals, and this week was no exception. Here’s what you missed from the team at Cultivora.

• Last week, Marjana Jaidi took the tram around Amsterdam to collect insights for Mysteryland, a festival taking place August 25.
• Safa Jinje and Caroline Aksich represented Cultivora at Toronto’s North By Northeast (NXNE) from June 11-17 – here’s what they got up to.
• Earlier this week, New Music Seminar brought top players in every facet of the music industry to NYC’s Webster Hall, Marjana Jaidi and Jason Rezvan shared their highlights.
• Dimensions festival, the September sister festival of Croatia’s Outlook, released their first wave of Boat Parties.
• Governors Ball Music Festival takes place this weekend on NYC’s Randall’s Island. If you’re heading to the event, make sure to download the app, preview the food options, explore the activities, check out the other events this weekend, and get your game face on for #GovBingo.
• Also this weekend, the Metallica-curated Orion Music + More festival kicks off in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Coming Up: Roskilde takes place in Denmark beginning June 30 and the winner of #GovBingo will be announced along with Gov Ball festival coverage.

The Governors Ball Music Festival kicks off tomorrow on NYC’s Randall’s Island, and we didn’t think we could be anymore excited. That is until Cultivora came up with their very own Instagram bingo game, #GovBingo, which will be held during the festival this weekend. The winner will receive a pair of tickets to next year’s Gov Ball.

The rules are simple: take pictures at the festival that correspond to the bingo board, and upload them using Instagram. You must hashtag your post with #GovBingo and the corresponding bingo square for it to count. (CLICK HERE for a full-sized version of the bingo board).

Every time you get a “bingo” pattern (see below), you will be entered to win a pair of tickets to Gov Ball 2013. The more bingos you get, the better your chances of winning. You can also increase your odds by sharing your Instagram posts on Twitter; just remember to use the hashtags so they can find your photos.

To be eligible, make sure you’re following @cultivora and @govballnyc on Instagram (and Twitter, if applicable). In order to enter the contest, you must have an Instagram account with public view settings.

#GovBingo will begin at 11am Saturday, June 23, and will end on Monday, June 25 at noon (in case there’s no cell service on Randall’s Island). Once the contest closes, the team at Cultivora will compile the bingo boards and announce the winner on Wednesday, June 27 via Instagram. Good Luck!

On Thursday 28th Cielo and DFA Records host a showcase for two of their upcoming star acts: Benoit & Sergio and Justin Miller. The French-American duo Benoit & Sergio had an amazing 2011 – Resident Advisor ranked them as one of the top 10 live acts, while placing two of their singles, ‘Walk And Talk’ and ‘Principles’, in their top 20 tracks of the year. The duo draws from influences mostly uncommon to the house and techno zeitgeist; bands like Talking Heads, Pavement and Roxy Music are sources of inspiration, along with electronic acts like Daft Punk and Ricardo Villalobos. All these influences resonate clearly in their music, joined a sexualized melodrama that makes its way into lyrics about loneliness, French girls, wine and even Ferraris! The unexpected juxtaposition of such pristine production and lyricism exemplifies why Benoit & Sergio are one of the most talked about outfits in dance music today… Justin Miller has been described as the kind of DJ who creates soundtracks to nights to remember. A longtime record collector and passionate lover of music, he is a key player not only in New York’s dance music scene – from its dingiest bars to its most up market clubs – but also a frequent guest at some of the best parties and clubs around the world. His earnest love of music has given him a rare ability toconnect with any room, making the rising star a firm crowd favorite and name to watch for future greatness.

We are giving away a pair of tickets to one reader. Simply send a tweet with the following: “Hook me up with Benoit & Sergio tix @HiFiCartel @cieloclub“. You must be following both HiFiCartel & CieloClub to win.

ADVANCE TICKETS

HiFi Cartel heads to Detroit for Movement 2012. Pictures from the festival joined with Circoloco & Flying Circus.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL ALBUM

The summer music festival season is officially upon us. Here’s what you missed this week on Cultivora:

• Bonnaroo is happening in Tennessee as we speak — if you’re driving to and from the festival and want to make a stop along the way, check out Cultivora’s mini-guide to Nashville.
• From June 11-17, North by Northeast (NXNE) will take over Toronto, serving up a week of music, film, and digital media. In anticipation, Safa Jinje profiled Toronto’s legendary music venue, Horseshoe Tavern.
• Pitchfork announced the initial lineup for the second edition of their Paris festival this November.
• Outside Lands revealed the mouthwatering lineup of food and wine for this year’s festival.
• The CBGB Festival, happening this July in New York City, announced Krist Novoselic of Nirvana as the keynote speaker, and added severable notable artists to the bill.
• Identity, North America’s premier touring EDM festival, is coming to an amphitheater near you this summer. Get the full list of tour dates and locations HERE.

Coming up this month: North by Northeast, Sonar, New Music Seminar, and Governor’s Ball. Stay tuned…

We are thrilled to announce LOCO DICE, JORIS VOORN and NIC FANCIULLI this Friday afternoon at Dekalb Market.

Advance Tickets

Joris Voorn will be playing Cielo later that night and Loco DIce will be spinning the after-party at Pacha.

Pacha NYC & RPM in collaboration with A.POP proudly presents

LOCO DICE
Joris Voorn
Nic Fanciulli
Taimur+Fahad

@ Dekalb Market, Brooklyn

18+ to enter / 21+ to drink
Doors open 3pm
Infoline: 1-888-497-7075
Onsite Art Direction by A.POP

Dekalb Market
138 Willoughby Street at Flatbush Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Dekalb Market is a new community destination in Downtown Brooklyn. Dekalb Market, is housed in a collection of salvaged shipping containers, that bring together Brooklyn’s creative entrepreneurs in a community setting that include an incubator farm, events and performance venue, and a collection of eateries and work-sell spaces.