Two Years of Bklyn Sounds | Bklyn Sounds 12/4/2024—12/10/2024

Thank You for reading! + This Week's Shows include: rRoxymore / Thurston Moore / Antonio Ocasio / Wadada Leo Smith & Amina Claudine Myers / James Newton's 'Suite for Frida Kahlo' / more

Clockwise from upper left: rRoxymore, Thurston Moore, Antonio Ocasio, Amina Claudine Myers, Wadada Leo Smith, Samantha Kochis

This past weekend has marked two consecutive years of Dada Strain’s weekly Bklyn Sounds listings. Though this newsletter was originally launched in November of 2020, and the original weekly Bklyn Sounds column first appeared in the greatly lamented Bklyner at the beginning of “vaccine summer,” before Memorial Day weekend 2021, it wasn’t until the post following Thanksgiving of 2022 that its cadence and determinant purpose came into view. Since then over 2500 people have subscribed, and while a few have departed, the maths are still better than good.

Of course, I wanted to mark this anniversary with a statement of purpose or some sort of affirmation, and, as always I have some ideas on deck. But also, as always, I have more ideas than time to execute them. Because just as Dada Strain was marking its anniversary, my kid was on their own deadline with applications to New York City high schools (a strenuous hell for the whole family); and the students in the class I teach were on a deadline to hand in drafts of their end-of-semester papers, which I need to read and get back to them with edits and comments, so that they can kick ass on their final drafts. (Happy to report that they mostly are already.) Which is all to say, any sort of grand declaration will have to wait a bit.

But I did want to say THANK YOU for reading, for following, for subscribing and most of all for musicking. As I say and/or write almost every day: in the musicking and in the conjuring of positive things which did not previously exist and which now connect people, there is a little bit of hope. In the acts of rhythm and improvisation lie the action seeds of healthy, equitable communities. Even as we all recognize more and more darkness encroaching the different parts of our world and society, every day we should remember to recognize the possibilities of remaking the world as we believe it can still be. And I do not believe that positive change can be done all at once, on a grand scale; I believe that change is incremental, progressing little by little, beginning locally and spreading. I like to think we can start it in our corner of the universe.

I am creating Dada Strain, and Bklyn Sounds with that in mind, so that readers go out to these musical events, to participate in them as community members (Musickers) rather than just as consumers of culture. So that they meet new people, have new conversations, exchange ideas, and apply that sane energy to whatever comes next. That’s the “little bit of hope” anyway. Spread the word!

This Week’s Shows:

There seems to be regular weekly dances at Joe Clausell’s reopened and expanded Cosmic Arts, the record store-cum-cultural clubhouse that all lovers of classic NYC dance culture should know. The in-house DJs are a discerning who’s-who of great locals and legends. This week’s guest is one of the latter, Teddy Douglas of Baltimore’s massively influential production team, Basement Boys. (Wed 12/4, 6p @ Cosmic Arts, Bushwick - Free w/RSVP)

Great contemporary “rock” double-bill: Headliner BASIC is an instrumental super-group of sorts, led by Philly guitar wiz Chris Forsyth, alongside Douglas McCombs (Tortoise/Eleventh Dream Day) on bass and guitar, and Mikel Patrick Avery (Natural Information Society) on percussion and drum machines. The band’s jump-off point is Robert Quine and Fred Maher’s 1984 album Basic, itself a weird-sounding guitars+drum-machines creation. Opening is 75 Dollar Bill, percussionist Rick Brown and guitarist Che Chen’s eminently malleable ensemble, and one of most wonderfully unpredictable bands in the city. Highest Recommendation! (Wed 12/4, 7:30p @ Sultan Room, Bushwick - $25)

The last night of International Anthem’s mini-anniversary festival is another NYC premiere! Aussie bassist Anna Butterss (they/them) first came to prominence in Phoebe Bridgers band, but has become a central figure in LA’s improvised music community (they now play with Jeff Parker and in SML). As a solo artist Butterss makes heavily electronic, massively catchy and beguilingly progressive instrumental music. The opener is a new (?) duo consisting of two more of IA’s best: modular synthesist Jeremiah Chiu and musical polymath Alabaster DePlume. Highest Recommendation! (Wed 12/4, 7:30p @ Public Records, Gowanus - $25)

Earlier this year Wadada Leo Smith and Amina Claudine Myers, two AACM lifers who’ve continued moving along their own extraordinary creative-music pathways, released a magnificently plaintive trumpet/piano duo album, Central Park’s Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens. It’s a blues suite that follows the naturalist and historic themes Wadada has been exploring for about a decade, and has been a grounding balm of late. Wadada and Amina perform it in full at Roulette. (Wed 12/4, 8p @ Roulette, Downtown Bklyn - $30/$35)

First, let’s admit that there’s no way the Thurston Moore residency at The Stone won’t be a shit-show at the first-come/first-served/no-list venue. Yet it’s also exciting as hell to see the guitarist best known for his time in Sonic Youth but whose experimental jet-set pedigree is nearly incomparable in popular music, come back to NYC to engage with old friends and new heads. The list of the week’s collaborators spans his career (and the city’s noise-improv history) while looking to the future. Wednesday features a quartet with saxophonist Zoh Amba, drummer Ryan Sawyer and Jon Leidecker on electronics. Thursday and Friday are for classic guitar duets with, respectively Fred Frith (who has his own mini-residency at Roulette on the weekend), and old SY partner Lee Ranaldo. And Saturday ends in a trio with percussionists William Winant and Tom Surgal. Thurston at The Stone is not for everyone, but for those who live in the amplified feedback slipstream, it is a must. Highest Recommendation! (Wed 12/4 - Sat 12/7, 8:30p @ The Stone, New School, Manhattan - $30)

Echoes of Solidarity is a benefit concert dedicated to supporting Palestinian and Lebanese relief efforts, with performances by some of Bklyn’s finest, including Nick Hakim, keiyaA, Bartees Strange, Felukah, and Lina Makoul. 100% of the evening’s proceeds will be shared between the partner groups, Heal Palestine and the Lebanese Red Cross to help those affected by the ongoing genocide. Donate independently if you can. (Thurs 12/5, 6p @ Xanadu, Bushwick - $39)

Dither Quartet is a Bang on a Can-approved, Bklyn-based electric guitar ensemble. And on this night they have an excellent program of two all-too-rarely performed, long pieces: Julius Eastman “Gay Guerilla” and Morton Feldman’s “Piece for Four Pianos.” (12/5, 7:30p @ Jewish Museum, Upper East Side - $15-$22)

Brackish, the experimental multi-disciplinary community series run by Angela Morris, Ryan Easter and Jessica Pavone, returns, this time to St. Lydia’s in the Gowanus. The evening will feature music from two ensembles: a trio of Webb Crawford (guitar & tenor banjo), Michael Foster (saxophones) and Joey Sullivan (drums), followed by a quartet of Lemuel Marc (trumpet), Dylan Smith (vibes), Maliq Wynn (drums) and Aidan Devine (bass). (Thurs 12/5, 8p @ St. Lydia’s, Gowanus - $TK)

If you’re down with the Chicagoans that trumpeter Marquis Hill has been collaborating with for a decade, you know how his new album, Composers Collective is both a star-studded affair and also a crew hang. The live show promises the Collective band, so expect musical fireworks. And get there early for vocalist/flautist/polymath Melanie Charles. A great evening for the contemporary corners of the jazz tradition. (Thurs 12/5, 8p @ Le Poisson Rouge, Greenwich Village - $15)

One of the city’s best DJs-meet-live-improvisation-dance-band nights, Razor N Tape’s A Joyful Noise celebrates its mothership label’s 12th anniversary. As always, the band includes some of the city’s great dancefloor-minded instrumentalists (Domenica, Jason Lindner, Stuart Bogie, Peter Matson, etc.); and behind the decks on this night, London disco-house veteran Arthur Artwork, and Bklyn’s great Miss Alicia. Highest Recommendation! (Thurs 12/5, 9p @ Public Records, Gowanus - $20)

One of the key organizations in the city’s free jazz and creative music community, Arts for Art is hosting a holiday season Family Gathering. It’s both a pay-what-you-can, joyful get-together, and a fundraiser for future programming, which at Arts For Art includes the annual Vision Festival, the seasonal concerts around Manhattan’s urban gardens and more. Support your local community programmers. (Fri 12/6, 6p @ The Clemente, Lower East Side - PayWhatYouCan)

Night Bloom Buffet is a cute name for a singular night of music at the LSD Loft by folks who generally rep Bklyn’s improvised and new-music community, but also stretch out in adjacent ways even harder to categorize. So why bother? On friday, there’s the wondrous drone-folk of sinonó, the soundscape-making of OHYUNG, the electric guitar-loops-meet-drum-machine riches of gushes x matt evans. Music before/between/after by dj cupcake dunk. (Fri 12/6, 7p @ Light & Sound Design Studios, Greenpoint - $20-$30)

Excellent young flautist Samantha Kochis has organized a performance of downtown flute-master James Newton’s overlooked 1994 classic, Suite For Frida Kahlo. Among the evening’s large ensemble are some of New York’s finest, including Alfredo Colón, Craig Taborn, Luke Stewart, Selendis Sebastian Alexander Johnson, Steve Swell, and Tcheser Holmes. (Fri 12/6, 7:30p @ The Flamboyan Theater, Lower East Side - $15/$20)

An excellent night featuring two magnificent women who are techno globalists. For over a decade, the Franco-Berliner rRoxymore (Hermione Frank) has been making experimental records that court the warmth of ambiance and texture, **and** the iciness of controlled machine power, with results that are never less than heady and moving. Never seen her DJ, but the original material and the aesthetic have long been gorgeous. Viiaan is a young Mexican producer who was in NYC for a hot-minute (but now seems to be in Berlin). Global percussion is at the center of her excellent new album Marakame, and she’s pulling an all-nighter in the Bad Room. Also on-board is Boo Lean, who I know better as the excellent curator and culture activist Lauren Goshinski. (Fri 12/6, 10p @ Good Room, Greenpoint - $10-$15)

The forever-godfather of Detroit techno, Juan Atkins, makes a couple of visits to the city a year, useful reminders of where the cyborgian electro-waves first emanated from. They’re always worth a reconnect (or an introduction, should you still need one), because Juan’s robo-funk and space-dub textures remain fierce. Also: Brazilian-expat-in-NYC DJ, Elle Dee. (Fri 12/6, 10p @ H0L0, Ridgewood - $25-$35)

Antonio Ocasio is a secret-hero New York DJ/producer, one of many folks you may have seen/heard at parties, and whose Afro and Latin house records (on the Tribal Winds label he set up in the late ‘90s) are in the crates of discerning house music classicists. A South Bronx-born and -raised Neoyorquino, Ocasio is a veteran of Paradise Garage and The Loft, Jellybean’s Funhouse and the Sound Factory Bar, who has never stopped contributing to and participating in the culture. Which makes him a perfect candidate for a Musicland all-nighter. Highest Recommendation! (Fri 12/6, 11p @ Musicland, Bushwick - $35/RSVP)

Vibraphonist Patrician Brennan has been making great work with her more rhythmically expansive group the past couple of years. Here she premieres a new piece, her Jazz Gallery residency commission, “Suite Of The Near and Far,” with a big group that includes a quartet of strings, pianist Sylvie Courvoisier, bassist Kim Cass, and Noel “Arktureye” Brennan on electronics. (Fri 12/6 & Sat 12/7, 7:30p & 9:30p @ Jazz Gallery, Midtown - $35-$45)

Our friends at Ergot Records keep providing rare sonic goodies: Af Ursin is the alter ego of Finnish autodidact composer/improviser Timo van Luijk, who for more than three decades has been working at the cusp of industrial electronics, drones and classical avant-garde. From his bio: “Van Luijk’s work is rooted in the use of acoustic instruments (wind, percussion, strings), but his special sensitivity to the timbral qualities of each instrument, and his deft blurring of them, results in a sound-world that is mysterious, amorphous and hallucinatory.” Support from composer percussionist Sarah Hennies who will perform with metal drums + DJ Vivid Oblivion. (Sat 12/7, 7p @ secret residence, Williamsburg - $25)

All week long, Alphaville in Bushwick is celebrating the space’s 10th anniversary with a slew of specialty bills. This one, featuring Martin Rev of Suicide alongside Liturgy, in a cross-generational battle between classic industrial punk f*ck-you and enveloping black metal spirituality, is a heavy way to go. Body Stuff’s machine metal music splits the difference. (Sat 12/7, 7p @ Alphaville, Bushwick - $20)

Backwoodz main-man and Bklyn boy Billy Woods, and LA-based veteran producer Kenny Segal have now made a couple of underground rap classics together: lurching, fuzz-noisey, post-Wu poetic bits of headphone catharsis. Last year’s Maps got well-deserved critical love, but it’s 2019’s Hiding Places where they realized some shit together, and have continued to also use it when apart. Tonight in Greenpoint, Woods and Segal are performing Hiding Places in its entirety. Prolly other shit too. (Sat 12/7, 7p @ Warsaw, Greenpoint - $36.50 + inevitable Live Nation charges)

Like other dance-event producers in Bklyn, XoLoft is an occasional private party that takes place at a you-have-to-RSVP-to-find-out-where spot in Bushwick. Unlike many others, they book consistently great folks (Saturday, for example, is an opportunity to hear one of the best NYC-lifer DJs ,Justin Strauss, stretch out in a non-club setting) and do events rarely enough to make the party seem a passion play, rather than a cool-kid business strategy. The supporting DJs, the mack Shawn Dub and residents Heidy P and Derek Russo, are great too. Maybe see you on this dance-floor. (Sat 12/7, 11p @ secret loft, Bushwick - $25)

The last 2024 iteration of Shara Lunon’s Heavy Florals, an occasional community night devoted to improvised music with electronics, will feature a set by an excellent new trio of old compadres: Lunon, trumpeter Chris Williams, and heavy-ass synthesist Qasim Naqvi. There’s a special guest who I can only reveal as “a Backwoodz rapper I know y’all love.” And the mighty Lester St. Louis on the decks. (Sun 12/8, 7p @ Sisters, Fulton Street - $20)

Another evening of rappers and hip-hop producers at the top of their collective narrative game: Quelle Chris, Cavalier and Denmark Vessey are touring together behind their excellent collective tape, Death Tape 2: We ‘Gon Need Each Other. (Sun 12/8, 8p @ Elsewhere Zone One, Bushwick - $20)

A rare Monday presentation at the LSD Loft features two of the more exciting projects unfolding in NYC at the moment: Nuke Watch is the fourth-world side-hustle of Beat Detectives Aaron Anderson and Chris Hontos, with guests who help push the music into a luscious post-genre soundscape; and who expand in live settings. (Pepper's Ghost is among Dada Strain’s 2024 faves.) Madronas is visual artist Ry Fyan and NYC improvising polymath Isaiah Barr (Onyx Collective, among many), whose shit is always worth pursuing. Joined by Italian musician and ethnomusicology Ph.d, Neurotica Exotica. Also: TimeDream. (Mon 12/9, 8p @ Light & Sound Design Studio, Greenpoint - $20-$30)

Pianist Marta Sanchez pulls into the great Bed-Stuy bar with a magnificent Trio, joined by Rashaan Carter on bass and Savannah Harris on drums. (Mon 12/9, 9p & 10:15p @ Bar Lunatico, Bed-Stuy - $10suggested)

MUSIC+DANCE: The last evening of Black Quantum Futurism’s fall residency at Performance Space is THE PORTAL: Opening Pathways to New and Forgotten Realities, with bassist Luke Stewart and choreographer/dance Kayla Farrish as guides “ through an improvisational journey of music and dance, forging dynamic arcs and eruptions that challenge our perceptions of what could be.” (Tues 12/10, 7p @ Performance Space, East Village - $0-$50)