This Wednesday, December 29, Powerline, The Good Thing, GBH and Bowery Presents have all come together to bring you a bone-rattling bass-culture bill at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Headlined by Israel’s Borgore and his pioneering brand of dubstep—“Gorestep”—the night will also feature sets from Hellfire Machina and Bronx-based young gun J Rabbit, who just dropped a new mix-tape for Mad Decent last week (CLICK HERE for a free download). Advance tickets are available HERE.
It was a day that Webster Hall faced destruction. Armed with the heavy artillery of dubstep, Hudson Mohawke, Caspa and Benga came prepared for a battle in sound this past Friday. Facing complete annihilation, the audience surrendered to the takeover by the musical madmen who came for carnage.
Hudson Mohawke, the youngest UK DMC finalist at the age of 15 (under DJ Itchy), showcased the skills that make the 23-year-old Glasgow native a prodigy. His beats and twisted warps behind his Serato and Ableton set inspired hands and cell phones in the air. When he played his dub-step rendition of Ludacris’ “How Low” the floors rumbled with bass and movement from an audience who responded. The beacon of the night, the young producer shook the halls with a thunderous roar – leaving the audience without a moment to spare. In battle, a general never sends the entire army all at once; he delivers his blow in calculated waves. Just when the audience thought they’d had enough, Caspa emerged.
Every army has its knight in shining armor, and in this battle his name is Caspa. With a name that is synonymous with the dubstep genre, his work moves and inspires other producers. When he’s not running three labels and releasing some of the tastiest remixes, he’s producing and churning out albums. Introduced by Rod Azlan, the crowd went crazy as he took the stage. At the height of the night’s madness, he dropped a dubstep version of deadmau5 and Kaskade’s “I Remember” and La Roux’s “Bulletproof” that sent the audience into frenzy. In a finishing move, he played his remix of Rusko’s “Cockney Thug, ” making way for the general of the night, Benga.
Dropping monster “chunes” and pushing the speakers to the max, Benga caused some uncontrollable head bops worthy of thrashings. His select tunes not only shake frames, but they can also make the heart tremble. Like a rush of adrenaline, his baselines are not for the faint hearted. An artist on the stage, he took presence in front and behind the decks to the delight of the crowd. Like a conductor, he kept the audience and swung them back and forth as he transitioned to heavy “grime” that contorted faces. This fight was clearly won, but what good is a victory without the rest of the troops to celebrate? To close the night, Caspa joined Benga for turns as they transitioned to drum and bass. Till the lights went out, no life was spared at this Friday’s installation of GBH and Meanred‘s Boys & Girls party.
Check out photos from the mayhem by Kenroy George and yours truly. For your enjoyment, check out tracks by the artists below.
Tweet – Oooops! (Hudson Mohawke Remix)
Rusko – Cockney Thug (Caspa Remix)
Prodigy – Warriors Dance (Benga Remix)
Hudson Mohawke – Joy Fantastic (ft. Oliver Daysoul)
Nicolas Sfintescu and his stage partner Ezechiel Pailhes form the brillant duo NÔZE, a daring electronic band from Paris. On Thursday, March 18th, New York will be blessed with the return of the musical wonder-duo, who will be playing their highly acclaimed live act. Contributing their own singsong vocals amidst jolly pianos and drunk-step minimal beats, these two bring a fresh perspective to the techno scene whose truly original rhythms keep the dancefloors moving and the drinks flowing.
GBH resident Alex English will be opening the evening as well as a special closing set by Time To Get Ill founder Crazy Larry. This historic event will be held at Hiro Ballroom and we have a pair of tickets for one lucky reader…
Simply fill out the form below to win. A winner will be chosen at random on Monday. Purchase advance tickets for $20.
CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
NÔZE – Danse Avec Moi (DJ Koze Rework)
Featuring Andy Rourke (of The Smiths), Matt + Maia, and Alex English.
So much for a relaxing weekend. With everything that’s going on for New Year’s Eve, some of you might be planning to take the weekend off. For all you die-hards out there, here’s what’s on the menu for the first weekend in 2010:
On Friday, GBH and Girls & Boys are getting right back into the swing of things with a special New Year’s Day Party at Webster Hall. Andy Butler of Hercules and Love Affair will be spinning, and admission is only $1 before midnight if you RSVP.
This Saturday, The xx, one of 2009’s top breakout acts, are doing a special DJ set at Le Poisson Rouge. Given the laid-back nature of their music, we’re curious to hear what they’ll bring behind the decks. VHSorBETA will also be spinning, tickets are $5 in advance or $8 on the day of the show. Be sure to catch The xx when they tour with Hot Chip this spring. Click here for tickets and info.
Over at the Mercury Lounge, Brooklyn-based trio Ninjasonik will take the stage for one of their signature high-energy performances. DJ Cobra Krames will open. Click here to purchase tickets, which are $12.
Last week, Fixed got the holidays started early with a DJ set by Hot Chip. The parties continue this week when our favorite NYC music families bring us plenty of reasons to celebrate the season…
Every year, Matisyahu celebrates the Festival of Lights with a whopping eight shows, each with a different opening act. This year’s festival kicked off last Thursday with Glitch Mob at Webster Hall, but you still have four opportunities to see the reggae musician in action at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Personally, we’re planning to catch this Thursday’s show, when HiFi favorite Kid Koala will also be playing. Get your tickets here.
On Friday at Webster Hall, GBH is celebrating with Mark Ronson and Aaron LaCrate. We caught Mark Ronson with Q-Tip at Santos Party House last week, and look forward to seeing him at our favorite weekly party. A limited number of $10 tickets are still available, so act fast.
Meanwhile, at Public Assembly, the Trouble & Bass Crew will be spinning alongside Finnish producer Rico Tubbs. Click here to win tickets to what is sure to be another great party.
On Saturday, The Brothers Macklovitch, Nick Catchdubs, Max Glazer and Just Blaze will headline the Fool’s Gold and LTD Holiday Party at the Etnies Showroom. The party is free with RSVP.
Also on Saturday, Basic NYC residents Sleepy and Boo are getting in on the holiday action at the Sullivan Room with special guests Mark Farina, Nickmatic, and a tag team set by Pete Schwinge and Tonylee. Get advance tickets here.
Looks like it’s going to be a busy weekend… click through to view the fliers for this weekend’s events, and check in next week for the lowdown on New Year’s Eve in NYC.
As co-creator and weekly resident DJ of Girls & Boys, Webster Hall’s acclaimed Friday party, Alex English has shared the stage with some of the biggest names in the DJ world. In the past year alone, Girls & Boys has played host to Xavier de Rosnay, A-Trak, Boys Noize, Crookers, Steve Aoki, The Bloody Beetroots, MSTRKRFT, Deadmau5 and Chromeo, among others.
With over 20 years of DJ experience under his belt, Alex English has become a fixture in the electro scene in New York City. Apart from his residencies at Thom Bar on Thursdays, Webster Hall on Fridays, and the Tribeca Grand Hotel on Saturdays, Alex also deals with booking the all-star DJ line-up for GBH parties at Webster Hall, Tribeca Grand, and North 8th in Williamsburg.
Tonight, Alex English and Dan Physics will make their debut as Disko Dali when they open for Justice’s sold-out DJ set at Webster Hall. Though Alex came up with Disko Dali back in 2001, he and Dan didn’t start working together until this past summer. The duo writes and produces original dance music and has done remixes of artists like the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, Dragonette, and Depeche Mode (check out some of their remixes on their MySpace page, or listen to their remix of “Plastic Caramelo” below).
Over the last few weeks, we traded emails with Alex to discuss his DJ career, influences, and upcoming projects. After the jump, read an excerpt of the interview that transpired.
We compiled photos documenting some of Alex’s exploits around New York City to celebrate The HiFi Cartel’s 100th Photo Gallery… click here to check it out. Be sure to listen to the Disko Dali remix of Plastic Caramelo’s self-titled track, streamed below, and check back soon for the Alex English edition of HiFi Essentials.
Plastic Caramelo – “Plastic Caramelo” (Disko Dali Mix)
This weekend, the Pepsi DJ Collective is kicking things off a little early with a party at Roxy’s Playhouse (a.k.a. BK Space, N8, The Space on 8th, etc.) on Thursday. Diplo, Roxy Cottontail, DJ Drama and Eli Escobar will take turns manning the decks, with a special live performance by Mad Decent’s own Maluca.
In support of his latest album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much, Mika will perform at the United Palace Theater on Friday night. We saw Mika on his last tour, and the boy definitely knows how to put on a show. Also on Friday, Chromeo will be doing double duty, with a live performance at Irvinig Plaza, followed by a DJ set at Webster Hall for the official after party.
Saturday night brings two legends of house music to town: Erick Morillo is back from Ibiza and will be spinning at Pacha, while Jeff Mills and his signature Detroit techno will be at The Sullivan Room.
Be sure to check out photos from Dave 1′s DJ set at Webster Hall last June and Diplo’s appearances at Hard NYC and Flashing Lights last Saturday.
Don’t forget, CMJ’s annual Music Marathon is taking over NYC next week. Click here to customize your own CMJ schedule, or check in with us on Monday for our top picks.
Hold on to your hats, this weekend is shaping up to be quite the party marathon, with some of the biggest DJs in the world hitting our fair city.
GBH will be kicking things off tonight with Steve Aoki, Classix and Destructo at Webster Hall. Last time Steve Aoki spun at Webster Hall, it was pure mayhem, and we’re expecting tonight to be no different. Girls & Boys residents Alex English, Kids with Snakes, Gavin Royce, and Rekles will also be in the house
Saturday brings about a tougher decision: Hard is bringing the wobble wobble to Terminal 5, with a massive dubstep line-up; Crookers, Major Lazer, Rusko, Jack Beats and Destructo are all ready to bring some bass-heavy beats to NYC.
Saturday is also the one-year anniversary of Flashing Lights, brought to you by the good folks at MeanRed. Nick Catchdubs, DJ Ayres and Jubilee’s monthly party will be back at 88 Palace, and will feature a guest DJ set by Toddlat.
Decisions, decisions… but then again, we think we can cram it all in.
Be sure to check out previous photo galleries of Steve Aoki, Classix, Major Lazer, and Flashing Lights.
On Friday night, the boys at GBH treated us to an international line-up, featuring live performances by Sneaky Sound System and Adam Tensta. Busy P joined DJ Daruma for a surprise set.
We caught a preview of Swedish hip-hop MC Adam Tensta at our event on Wednesday, but the full stage and atmosphere at Webster Hall allowed him to showcase his true ability. Fueled by the crowd’s energy, he performed six songs, which of course included My Cool.
Hailing from Tokyo, DJ Daruma took over the turntables, spinning a solid electro set. The audience buzzed with excitement when French DJ Busy P emerged for a few songs.
While Webster Hall was lacking a lot of their regulars, Australian band Sneaky Sound System was quite the draw. Their musical style fit in perfectly with the Friday audience, who sang along to their hits. Lead singer Miss Connie was sporting the ultimate accessory – a massive Chanel necklace fashioned out of Legos. Sneaky Sound System ended their hour-long set with UFO, and not since Crookers back in April have I seen the crowd go so wild.
We’ll be out of town next weekend, but if you’re around, be sure to check out Adam Freeland…
Check out our photo gallery from the evening
