FRIDAY, MAY 3

ASTRONAUTICO: Low Limit, Time Wharp, Dreams, Obey City, Paul Jones, Michael Jukeson at Free Candy [10PM/$5wRSVP]
Experimental beats label Astronautico’s monthly party is a mainstay of this list. Partly, it’s the badass space, partly the proper sound, but mostly, its the bookings. Consistently showcasing the most exciting North American experimental bass music is what has made Astronautico a crucial part of the NYC underground. This time, they feature the cleverly named Time Limit tour, comprised of Low Limit and Time Wharp. Both have a successful history with wonky beats, but the collaborative promo mix they put out leans more towards acid house and weird, energetic berlin techno. Also on the bill is up and coming beatmaker Dreams. His productions explore the RnB/future beats territory made popular by Shlohmo, but seethe with an urgency you don’t typically associate with that sound. Hoping for a fiery set from this one.
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Kastle (live!), Knxwledge at 285 Kent [8PM/$12]
Kastle is a major force in stateside bass music. As both a label head, (he runs Symbols recordings) and a producer, he specializes in lush, intricate and often emotional club tunes. Rarely is a Symbols release solidly one genre; more often its somewhere in a Venn diagram of house, garage, futuristic rnb (but it always has amazing art, thanks to Joyce Su). Kastle’s utterly fantastic LP dropped last week, and this is one of the first stops on his tour in support of the album AND the debut of his live show. As someone with extremely high standards for both his music and his label, I’m thinking his live set is gonna be top notch. Also playing is super prolific dusty beatmaker Knxwledge.
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SUPPLY RECORDS RELEASE PARTY: Taimur, Max Pearl, John Barera at Bossa Nova Civic Club [10PM/FREE]
Celebrating the release of SUPPLY 005, B-Tracks Flightless EP. Supply Records boss John Barera has invited BLKMARKET founder & resident Taimur and cluster mag editor & eclectic DJ Max Pearl to join him in playing some tunes at the Bossa Nova Civic Club. BNCC has a great soundsystem, no cover and one of the lowest incidences of douches per capita of any club in NYC (and they have Club Mate!)
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SATURDAY, MAY 4

IDLE 02: Rrose (live!), Prism House (live!), Dave Q, Dustmite, Max Von Cannon at TBA [10-5/$15]
IDLE is the second in a series of collaborative AV events put on by Reconstrvct and BigUp magazine (two of the most trustworthy names in bass music). Essentially a massive art show (this time featuring Kahori Maki, whose work is MINDBLOWING) with music from a host of experimental bass music acts with a heavy emphasis on a/v shows. But IDLE elevates that to a sumptuous sensory experience via their discerning curation, top notch production design, venue choice and the best sound in town (Tsunami Bass, duhhhh). Dense, mysterious techno from Rrose, wildly experimental live beats from Prism House, a set from NYC’s leading bass music futurist (and Dub War founder) Dave Q, and more. Venue is ONLY announced to advanced ticket holders, so go cop those before it’s too late.
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Record Release Party: a/jus/ted with Jeremy Glenn LIVE at Kinfolk Studios [10PM/FREE]
a/jus/ted is the duo of Eddie Mars (aka Teddy Stuart) and Justin Strauss. United by their love of analogue disco production, what makes them so interesting is that they’re separated by a dozen generations of clubbers. Justin Strauss is an NYC institution, with 3 decades of NYC nightlife experience, who has played literally everywhere. Eddie Mars is a young gun, who has already produced and remixed for labels like UNO and DFA, and before that had 4 years experience throwing epicly dark, sweaty Vietcong Disco loft parties. Tho it’s just one 12”, they clearly have a synergy as a production team – as their record clearly shows. A shimmering, vital, timeless piece of disco.
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Beats Antique, Russ Liquid at Brooklyn Bowl [8PM/$15]
Beats Antique have carved out a unique sound, marrying party-starting glitch-hop beats with live musicianship. Fiddle and mandolin riff off sequenced and live drums (and often a host of bellydancers) creating a gypsy crunk vibe that goes over really well with the Burner and Bisco scenes. Support from west coast producer Russ Liquid, who has really distinguished himself from the field with his slyly funky, heavily textured, sinuous, intricate beats.
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RBMA x The Bunker: Andy Stott, Atom TM, Objekt, Octo Octa, Patrick Pulsinger, Kloke, Smax at Public Assembly [10PM-6AM/$20]
Buncha dudes playin really good techno.
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Phenomenally powerful dubstep music from Filastine (ft. Nova) and an incredible video to match. I’ve been keepin an eye on this guy ever since this crazy-ass mix, We Are Experiencing Turbulence (Insurrectionary Bass Music Sin Fronteras), which is pretty much what it sounds like – trans-national heavy bass music with a message. It’s not easy listening, but then, this is revolution music, in the tradition of Dead Prez, Rage, Marley, and Dylan. Cop the release at addictech.

Colony Collapse is filmed at sites of ecological friction, the fault lines of conflict between humanity and (the rest of) nature. For examples we used….

Lapindo (Sidoarjo) Mud Disaster is an eruption of scalding mud and flammable vapors triggered by a gas drilling gone awry. It has buried more than a dozen villages and blocked a major highway, and is expected to keep expanding for the next 25 years. Lapindo is located close to the home town of the the director (Tooliq) and singer (Nova)…

Bantar Gebang is a landscape of trash. Garbage stretches farther than the eye can see. Mountains, rivers, and even villages where the trash-pickers live. Not something easy to summarize in words.

A supermarket nested in a mega-mall within a skyscraper. Air conditioning, shopping carts, muzak, just like any posh supermarket. But right outside is a the permanent traffic jam of Jakarta, a sprawling mega-city of at least 10 million.

Also of note, the Beats Antique remix throws extra glitches and strings into the mix, properly expanding upon the original vibe.