Monthly Archives: January 2014

House Of Yes Returns!

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Photo by Michael Levy: https://www.facebook.com/michaellevyphoto

After the fall of House of Yes last year, many of us wept for the loss of one of the last true performance spaces in Brooklyn & the greater city at large. The Brooklyn Paper, in an interview with Anya Sapozhnikova, one of the founders of the critical home to aerialism, fashion shows, live performance & general good times. The new space will have a larger stage & seating area, and they’re partnering with a restaurateur who will be running a smokehouse restaurant & bar out of the spot as well. This bodes really well for the Gotham Underground. I can’t wait to help make it become a reality. (via Brooklyn Paper)

DJs Can Dance! (Kinda)

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Mixmag runs this great little weekly called The Lab, that showcases varsity talent from all over the globe. This one ups the traditional weekly podcast in that it’s a live-stream fresh from the decks. This gives the viewer (you) a unique opportunity to watch DJs geek out on music up close and personal. Apparently Mixmag has taken this and run with it, such that they’ve been able to compile this quick and dirty 85 seconds of DJs shaking what their mama gave them. It’s a nice touch, and it’s very heartening to know that Carl Cox can move when he wants to. Peep it for the lulz and check The Lab for additional illness.

If You Don’t Know Who MrSuicideSheep Is, Change That. Today.

If You Don't Know Who MrSuicideSheep Is, Change That. Today.

MrSuicideSheep is the best part of YouTube. One of the purely music-based channels, track after track shows up and it is always quality. Whether it’s electro, drum & bass, dubstep, ambient/chillout, experimental, indie rock and even progressive house, it’s good. The gorgeous art used in backgrounds adds to the presentation as well. Really cool person, with a great story & they deserve all the success. Mixes get added from time to time, like the chill-out one I’ve linked below. Glide into your Friday. And show that channel some love.

Hometown Fire: whiteowljaguar

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I’ve been a fan of whiteowljaguar for the last 6 months, and thankfully, they’ve kept pushing & rising, blazing a trail through the NYC burner & underground community as fast as their signature accessory, the Disco Fist can illuminate a path through the dance floor. There is a deep understanding of tech, minimal, house and bass that ushers forth from the duo that cannot be denied. I first discovered their sound at TechNoir several months back and I’ve tried to get out to support as often as my clusterfuck schedule allows. There’s a lot of talent here and check out what they did for Tech Noir if you don’t believe me. The yin & yang of the power couple/DJ duo can’t be ignored, as they snatch control of the decks away from each other mid-set, chasing some amazing groove down the aural rabbit hole it’s scampering into.

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Hey Ticketmaster, Someone Wants To Make You Less Annoying. Listen To Them.

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So, a designer by the name of Matthew Lew decided to completely rework the idiotic & archaic design of tickets you get from TicketBastard. You’d think for the $30 “convenience fee” on a $60 ticket, they’d be a little more user-friendly and hip, but no. Until now (hopefully). Check out the open letter here where he gets into all the design geekery how-to’s and lots of different examples. C’mon Ticketmaster, get on the stick, it’s the future.

The #1 Billboard Hit From 100 Years Ago Was Performed By Bill Murray.

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A friend of mine wished me a Happy New Year by sending me the top hits of 1914. I was kind of stunned that kind of documentation existed, so I dug into it. It seems a guy named Bill Murray was all the rage, charting over and over with massive (ok, nowhere near massive) hits like “It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary,” “He’d Have to Get Under (To Fix Up His Automobile)” & “When You’re All Dressed Up & No Place to Go.” Two of three sound like they’d be bomping tracks with serious twerk potential. A stark reminder of the times, the #2 hit was a UK War hit (you know, because WWI was being fought at the time), “Are We Downhearted? No!” Which, I suppose makes sense. People needed some cheering up, while trying to not be killed by the millions of German soldiers advancing towards them in France. And sure it wasn’t the Bill Murray you were thinking of, but would you have clicked otherwise? 😀

Armin Van Buuren Partners With Heineken To Get You To Dance More & Drink Slow.

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While I can’t speak to the research methodology or rigor of the double-blind population, Heineken has given me a reason to pay attention to them for a moment or two. I saw this #DMDS hashtag pop up yesterday when Armada dropped Armin Van Buuren’s latest video (below). The Armin Van Buuren tune is solid, as always, and we’ll probably hear it a lot in the coming weeks as it filters through the trance podcast universe. What got my attention though, was the continued emphasis on #DMDS.

Apparently, people listening to non-shit music drink more slowly. This was proven by having some random DJ spin one evening at an unnamed Miami club, then have AvB spin the next night. Drink purchases dropped by 40%. This definitely goes into the  “needs a crapload of further research” bin, but it is true that dancing people drink less. If Heineken wants to get behind this kind of PSA-style promotion, with dance music being at the forefront of the campaign, getting people to cut it up instead of drink it down, sure, what the hell, I’m in. #DMDS

Kid President Asks What Your Space Jam Is.

Kid President Provides Some Straight Talk/Motivation.

Kid President is one of the best internet sensations you may not have heard of. Just in case you weren’t sure where to get your inspiration from, check with a 9 year old. Like this kid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-gQLqv9f4o You got this, whatever your version of “this” is. “What will be your Space Jam?” (from the video) is going to be my go-to motivational phrase for 2014 I think.