Bklyn Sounds 11/7/2025—11/11/2025 + "Turn the Volume UP!!!!"
Some connective thoughts between what just happened and Dada Strain + This week's events incl. Durations Festival / Ellen Allien / Charlie Dark @ Musicland (discount code) / Tommaso Cappellato / more
I’m a little emotionally and physically hungover writing this week, because I am in New York, a city I love and have called “home” since I was seven years-old, and because Tuesday’s election made me cry and drink (a lot - but in a good way), and give myself an out to be lost for a day or two. But on top of being positive for all the political reasons you can judge for yourself, the election also reaffirmed many of Dada Strain’s foundational values, and I thought it important to clearly put that alignment into words.
New York is about to be led by a 34 year-old who doesn’t regard its current condition and future destination as obvious and foregone - or, not as foregone as the cynical voices and hedging institutions. He believes that the capital market’s grasp on certainty isn’t all that certain, only manipulated to seem to be. Instead, this new mayor embodies the faith that individual and collective actions of the city’s masses (not simply its machers) can affect fair Gotham’s meaning in the popular consciousness. And the city’s eventual destination. That our everyday (or every-week) labor, coupled with the intentions under which we carry the werk out, can achieve something improbable. I think of these collective actions as types of improvisations against the tide. That by doing so together, the collective achieves a strategic rhythm to carry out the werk. And that the results of these actions inevitably have an aspect of social understanding - sometimes only among the improvisers, at other times amidst a broader community. The whole exercise is a reminder that we’re all in the foxhole together.
That foxhole takes on many shapes and sizes. Sometimes it’s a backroom, basement or warehouse with a stage and a soundsystem. Sometimes it’s a meeting of people on a street-corner, in a park, a library or a coffee-shop, an informal salon or cipher or airing session about what’s going right and wrong, an exchange of stories and ideas which may be passed on afterwards. Sometimes it’s a canvassing party. And yes, sometimes it’s an entire city. All share one social ingredient: groups of people meeting on an even plane. Strangers stopping strangers just to shake their hands — or to smile knowingly at each other across a […]. It’s a natural exchange of humanity, one not built on transaction.
Proof in the popularity of this faith is that, unlikely as it may have seemed six months ago, a Democratic Socialist, Muslim ex-rapper (and Arsenal supporter)—part of whose closing message came on Saturday night as he made the rounds of Bklyn clubs I write about weekly—will on January 1st take charge of the greatest city on Earth. We should all take this as an opportunity to reappraise the things we are told to hold certain. It’s worth taking.
THIS WEEK’s SHOWS:
Ghost Train Orchestra was founded to play forgotten or overlooked repertoire, and the acclaim behind its last album, Songs and Symphoniques: The Music of Moondog, enabled the large ensemble a break through the art-band ceiling, winning global acclaim, backing David Byrne on his latest album, and, next year, a headlining gig at Big Ears. At Roulette, where they performed the Moondog music early, GTO is now premiering Cities, a set of new originally composed music, inspired by urban locations around the world. (Fri 11/7, 8p @ Roulette, Downtown Bklyn - $25adv/$30)
Friday is Oneida drummer Kid Millions’ birthday, and the party he’s throwing himself is a wonderful mid-fi, indie-jams-heavy, triple bill. Alongside Kid’s leaders of the NYC psyche school, are the classic Tara Key-led trio Antietam, and Bklyn’s premiere cosmic chooglers, Sloppy Heads. (Fri 11/7, 8p @ TV Eye, Ridgewood - $20-$25)
As befits a co-founder of London’s turn-of-the-century trip-hop/broken-beat/techno-jazz cornerstones Attica Blues, and the man behind the initial idea of “blacktronika,” Charlie Dark is a selector of creative wealth and far-flung taste. Another perfect DJ for a Musicland all-nighter. And thanks to the good people at the secret location in Bushwick party, there’s a discount for Dada Strain readers and friends. (Fri 11/7, 11p @ Musicland, Bushwick - $35 w/RSVP but use the discount code “Dada25” for $25 admission)
This year’s Durations Festival builds on the exquisite programming mix of the previous two years: great cross-genre abstractionists from around the world and NYC—jazz and electronics, rhythm and improvisation, spacious and microscopic in sound. Under way since Wednesday, there’s still a couple of great bills left, including a two-fer featuring Felicia Atkinson + Eliana Glass; Saha Gnawa for free at the museum; a Saturday-night dance-party takeover with Tornado Wallace, Margaret Dygas and Scott Zacharias; and a Sunday day-to-night jam starring Jeff Parker, Patrick Shiroishi and Fergus Jones in a trio, plus DJ sets by Lyra Pramuk, Call Super and Amelia Holt. (Fri 11/7—Sun 11/9, various @ Public Records, Gowanus - $various; Fri 11/7, 6:30 & 8:30p @ Whitney Museum, Manhattan - FREE).
Celebrating a 20th-century American-music genius, Wall to Wall Stevie Wonder is a day-long program that thematically splits Stevland Morris’ output—Spirituals & Love Ballads at 2p, Social Justice Stevie at 4p, Stevie Reimagined (featuring “global rhythms, soaring interpretations, and poetic homage”) at 6p, and The Hitmaker at 8p. You can walk in for free at ny point, but donations are welcome reserve seats. Primarily local artists getting involved in this, with Prince protege vocalist Kim Hill, ex-Arkestra trombonist/composer Craig Harris, and DJ Spinna (co-founder of the Wonder-ful party) among them. (Sat 11/8, 2p @ Symphony Space, Uptown - FREE)
Since moving to NYC from Detroit a couple of years ago, the Afrofuturist-leaning tenor saxophonist Mike Monford has been trying out various collaborators. On Saturday night, under the name The Afro Ether, he’s got himself a few great ones, including former Arkestra trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah and longtime Randy Weston accompanist, bassist Alex Blake. At Bed-Stuy’s excellent creative music spot. (Sat 11/8, 8p & 9:30p @ Sistas Place, Bed-Stuy - $30adv/$35cash, must RSVP)
Janisa Nelson is Blackmoonchild, another young electronic dance music producer from Detroit, asserting strands of hi-tech soul as a local birth-right. On Eternal, Nelson exhibits a variety of hi-NRG, breakbeat-oriented and booty-centric call-outs. Full-on “Saturday night at the ol’ neighborhood techno club” jams. With Lydo and Eric Umble. (Sat 11/8, 10p @ Bossa Nova Civic Club, Bushwick - FREE-$15)
A creatively bulging all-primarily female DJs/producers takeover of all three Elsewhere rooms - at a reasonable price. Highlights include headliner Ellen Allien, the cornerstone of BPitch Control, a Berlin label she’s been guiding as among the world’s best exporters of big-room electronic music for over two decades. Young Sarah Sommers is another Berliner, who’s got a propulsive way with live hardware techno sets, which is what she’ll be perfroming. Over in Zone One is Bklyn’s Gamma Vibes, whose mixture of DJ’d tracks, live electronics and live vibraphone add up to some spectacular hybrid sets. Up in The Loft is the Sudden Logic crew, Italian expats who’ve been throwing parties at Apollo Studios in Greenpoint that I’ve heard a few good (personally unconfirmed) things about. Also: Raven (CA) + Dream. (Sat 11/8, 10:30p @ Elsewhere, Bushwick - $27-$40)
One of NYC DJ hall-of-famers, Danny Krivit, is celebrating the 23rd anniversary of his 718 Sessions, at the party’s long-running home, The Good Room. He’s guiding the main space all night long, while Detroit/Bklyn homette, the mighty Rimarkable, steers the Bad Room. (Sun 11/9, 6p @ Good Room, Greenpoint - $20-$30)
I’ll be honest; when I saw Earth listed at LPR, I had to do my due diligence to make sure this really was Dylan Carlson’s epochal ambient metal project which blew my puny little mind when I first heard Earth 2 in the mid-’90s. Sure enough Carlson and longtime drummer Adrienne Davis have helped Earth drone on continuously for 20+ years. Without Carlson’s heady mix of Sabbath and LaMonte Young, much of 21st century art-metal would likely not exist. (Sun 11/9, 7:30p @ Le Poisson Rouge, Manhattan - $25/$30)
A typically intriguing genre-agnostic bill at Union Pool: Now a quartet, Ben Jones’ Constant Smiles has continued to pare down the lo-fi noise to something like a mainstream music; on the new Moonflowers, it’s a beatific, roots-minded indie-folk band. Collaborators in various improvised groupings, electronic sound artist/vocalist Zeerak Ahmed (aka Slowspin), synthesist/drummer Qasim Naqvi, guitarist Grey Macmurray appear as a trio. Also country-psyche guitarist Evan Wright. (Sun 11/9, 7p @ Union Pool, W’burg - $20)
Though Tommaso Cappellato has lived in Los Angeles for a few years now, the Italian drummer’s kick-drum foot remains planted alongside NYC’s cross-genre improvisers (jaimie introduced us); while his trio, Colletivo Imaginario, and label, Domanda, engage Europe’s various electronic beats-meets-jazz communities. This weekend, Tommaso is in town for a couple of gigs: a secret one at Cosmic Arts on Saturday with members of one of those communities (about which I will simply say: check CA’s IG on the day-of), and an already announced Tommaso Cappellato & friends gig on Sunday, on which his collaborators are also mysteriously obscured. Hmm… (Sun 11/9, 9p & 10:15p @ Bar LunAtico, Bed-Stuy - $10suggested)
MORE RECOMMENDED EVENTS:
Black Lazarus + Tommy Champion (Fri 11/7, 8p @ Baker Falls, Manhattan - $15-$17) - The one time I caught guitarist Smith Taylor and powerhouse singer Kyle Kidd’s blues/spirituals Black Lazarus, I left with my jaw dropped. Been looking to get back there ever since.
Ron House (Fri 11/7, 8:30p @ Ergot Records, Manhattan - $10) - lead singer of Columbus, OH’s one-time indie hopes, Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments, plays an in-store to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band’s major-label shot at platinum glory, Bait and Switch, which still sounds like one good version 1995.
Mike Servito b2b Shaun J. Wright + Physical Therapy (Fri 11/7, 10:30p @ Basement, Maspeth - $25-$30) - some righteously great queer techno DJing amongst this trio, in the Studio room.
Ali Berger + Maria Chavez (Sat 11/8, 8p @ Million Goods, Greenpoint - FREE) - when one of the world’s great conceptualist DJs (Chavez) and a leading purveyor of live electronics (Berger) are DJing a “curated menswear, wine bar, hi-fi boutique,” you know we’ve hit peak Bklyn. Musically massive…
SHAKE!: Monk-One x DJ Prestige (Sat 11/8, 10p @ Friends & Lovers, Crown Heights - $5w/RSVP/$10) - two excellent DJs play (almost) nothing but golden-era NooYawk classics to a crowd that, by 12:30a is a sweaty hot mess. If that’s your vibe, this is a guarantee.
WTCHCRFT (Mon 11/10, 10p @ Bossa Bova Civic Club, Bushwick - $TK) - when one of the borough’s booty-goth-techno nobles is playing a benefit for striking Starbucks workers, we’ve hit the good side of peak Bklyn.
Lesley Mok, Ryoma Takenaga + Micah Thomas (Mon 11/10, 10:30p @ CloseUp, Manhattan - $20) - one of the best we’ve got, drummer Mok leads bassist Takenaga and pianist Thomas through a set, followed by a jam session.
Consider Sudden Logic vouched for officially