Bklyn Sounds 5/22/2025—5/27/2025
This week's events include Saul Williams with Carlos Niño & Friends / Rasin Okan & Kriyol Dance! / No Land: "Double Twilight" / Amir ElSaffar / Carpark Records 20th Anniversary / Adelyn Strei / more
As we head out of the spring and into the summer, I wanted to, first of all, thank everyone for continuing to follow, read and support Dada Strain. Especially over the past four months, which have been grueling, and during which I have struggled to continue developing this project into what I aspire it to become. As I see it, I have often been failing at Dada Strain (maybe you’ve noticed…), but for reasons I hope are understandable, or even forgivable in the long run.
Over the past school year, I’ve been privileged to teach a subject (writing about and reporting on music) based on a curriculum that, for the first time, I had a hand in putting together. This past semester, that also meant taking on a greater teaching load than I’d previously tackled. It was A LOT! But though I recognized my time spent on Dada Strain receding, I can not sufficiently express how much I valued what I was sacrificing it for: the act of teaching. Or how much I enjoyed my engagement with students, especially the ones who expressed their changing attitudes towards music-related storytelling and musicking. That experience has turned out to be fuel for what’s next. Which is, of course, Dada Strain. One work is informing the other.
So thank you to all who dropped notes to fact-check and spell-check my shit. Thanks for the comments and DMs that called out my bullshit and my short-cuts. Thanks for coming to the shows, for listening to the radio, for saying hi and introducing yourselves at the gigs. (And for all my birthday wishes last weekend.) Most of all, thank you for participating! Because some of those same students have also been reading Dada Strain, and listening and watching all your participation and interaction — and some of them now have a slightly different concept of what a life in music can be. Or, what it can mean. I do too.
A couple of quick notes:
Tomorrow (Friday 5/23) I am back on The Lot Radio for the monthly Dada Strain Radio show. My special guest will be DJ Undisclosed Locations, aka John Pugh, a massive force in Bklyn’s DIY music scene, having played in bands you know, having booked shows at clubs, warehouses and park fields that you’ve attended, and who now runs the great Ridgewood DIY spot In_Terr_Comm. We’ll be on at 10a EST.
Also: there are a handful of first-edition Dada Strain tees left for those who want to upgrade their subscriptions. Details HERE.
Much more soon.
THIS WEEK’S SHOWS:
Before Todd Hyman moved it to D.C. striking the indie version of a gold-mine with Dan Deacon and Beach House, Carpark Records released electronic music with too much melodic content to be considered difficult, and too rhythmically experimental to be called “dance.” At the height of (peep the still shudder-worthy phrase) intelligence dance music, Carpark meant excellent records by Marumari, Keith Fullerton Whitman, and Greg Davis. Come celebrate their 25th anniversary with some of those cats, plus Skylar Spence, and Hyman DJing. (Thurs 5/22, 7p @ Public Records, Gowanus - $25)
Iraqi-American trumpeter/vocalist Amir El Saffar continues making incredible work at the intersection of electronic-minded improvisation, contemporary composition and the Arabic music tradition of maqam, with transcendent live performances that feel like emotional excursions. Also: dream brigade, a duo project from pianist Philip Golub and drummer Lesley Mok. (Thurs 5/22, 8p @ The Owl, Prospect-Lefferts - $15suggested)
Tickets still seem to be available for a few of vibraphonist Joel Ross’ sets at the world-famous jazz cathedral, where he is playing with the Parables nonet. That group includes young stars such as Elena Pinderhughes (flute), Kalia Vandever (trombone), Ekep Nkwelle (vocals) and Kayvon Gordon (drums), alongside regular Ross collaborators like trumpeter Marquis Hill. Many of them helped Ross record this music on his 2022 Parable of the Poet LP. (Thurs 5/22 - Sun 5/25, 8p & 10p @ Village Vanguard, Manhattan - $40)
As a big supporter of small annual traditions, I feel like Love Injection’s Memorial Day weekend appearance at Good Room with Colleen 'Cosmo' Murphy is a disco-house custom worth internalizing. This year, with a nod to that great Detroit techno gathering that also happens this weekend, Barbie and Paul have persuaded Sistrum Recordings boss, house producer/DJ Patrice Scott to leave the 313 for the 718; he and John Silas will commandeer the Bad Room. (Fri 5/23, 10p @ Good Room, Greenpoint - $17-$22)
Errant Forms, who’s been throwing parties at the neighborhood techno club for a hot minute, takes a massive step up with this Memorial Day weekend scorcher — with Leonce’s house-meets-club-meets-R&B masterclass the headliner, and Chuki’s experimental club massiveness providing the late-night weird. Also: Bodegaparty b2b Jo Sway + Philip Morgan. (Fri 5/23, 10p @ Bossa Nova Civic Club, Bushwick - $TK)
Big international-meets-local takeover at Public Records: The Sound Room hosts the famous out-of-towners, German wunderkind ambient+breakbeats producer Skee Mask and the unique goth-techno selector Lena Willikens, both top of their category, adept at bringing austere strangeness to the dancefloor. Escaping the main room’s crush of dance-media celebrity will lead you into the relative comfort of the genre-transcending locals: Kush Jones and the mighty MIRA MIRA in the Atrium, and veteran NYC decks conscience, Justin Strauss, spinning records upstairs. (Fri 5/23, 11p @ Public Records, Gowanus - $22-$36)
Andrew Drury’s deep-hearted, home-shows series, Soup & Sound, hosts a big one: the newest version of ex-Arkestra trumpeter, bandleader and longtime Bklyn community cornerstone Ahmed Abdullah’s Diaspora, playing as a sextet in Drury’s brownstone living room. BYOB. But the great soup is on the house. (Sat 5/24, 8p @ 292 Lefferts, Prospect-Lefferts - $20)
The Sunday morning-afternoon stretch of this weekend’s Nowadays Non-Stop features two sets of pronounced rhythmic abstraction and bass halos: Londoner DjRUM (Felix Manuel) is flying high on the strength of a great new album that integrates his live piano playing into the heart of drum programming accenting a distinctive angular swing. And the way DjRUM puts the whole thing together on three decks is astounding. Though before that, dig on the pair of Lisbon’s Principé mainstays, DJ Marfox b2b DJ Lycox, whose take on the city’s batida sounds like drum-machine samba heaven. (Sun 5/25, 9a @ Nowadays, Ridgewood - $32-$37)
And even more diaspora drums + electronics: Contrafuego is a new collaboration between the Bogota-born/Bklyn-based producer Isaac “Matük” Matus and members of the Rueda de Oro community, who host Bullerengue events all over the city. (At least one of whom is a member of the mighty Asociación de Bateristas ElektrónikXs de Latinoamerika.) Deep DJ cuts before and after by Música de Tensão. (Sun 5/25, 3p @ Light & Sound Design, Greenpoint - $20-$30)
Rasin Okan is a Bklyn-based Haitian band playing rasin séch (dry roots), emphasizing “the sounds and songs of traditional Haitian Vodou ceremonial music without much electric accompaniment.” Obviously, it’s heavy on drums, and on Saturday afternoon, in a Bushwick restaurant backyard, the groups will be accompanied by the Kriyol Dance! collective. This is the first in a summer-long series of local musicians performing global rhythms at the plant-based Ethiopian Bunna Cafe. (Sun. 5/25, 4p @ Bunna Cafe, Bushwick - $20)
Though I know they’ve shared the stage before (as part of Water Damage, if nowhere else), the cross-generational duo meeting of Mari Rubio (aka More Eaze) and David Grubbs is a moment of DIY American roots music worth celebrating. That they’re doing it at the anarchist book store elevates the “Hell! Yeah!” factor. With accordion player (and former Hurray for the Riff Raff and Weyes Blood collaborator) Walt McClements. Highest Recommendation! (Sun 5/25, 5p @ Property Is Theft, W’burg - $uggested)
I came upon singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist Adelyn Strei’s exquisite 2024 album Original Spring the way I find a lot of local artists: by seeing her name on a bill alongside musicians I already support, then trusting that connection enough to press play. The discovery has led to one of my most played records of the year, full of beguiling instrumental builds (compositions? improvisations?) and melodic grandeur guided by synths and woodwinds, interspersed with delicate indie-folk songs, which I’ve begun firing off to old friends. Some of Strei’s own amazing friends — the very names that guided me to her music — are helping her out tonight at The Owl. Highest Recommendation! (Sun 5/25, 8p @ The Owl, Prospect-Lefferts - $15suggested)
“Double Twilight” is a new sonic-poem + music-and-movement work by poet, visual artist and community wordsmith No Land. It’s a Roulette commission which she will be debuting tonight, accompanied by guitarist Oliver Ray, bassist Shahzad Ismaily, woodwinds player Daniel Carter, dancer Miriam Parker, and poet Anne Waldman, among others. (Sun 5/25, 8p @ Roulette, Downtown Bklyn - $25adv/$30)
Founded in Fort Greene in 2002, Soul Summit is one of the city’s longest-running community dance parties. Since the local park has become a little less friendly to large-scale "rhythm improvisation community” gatherings, DJs/promoters Sadiq Bellamy, Tabu, and Jeff Mendoza have taken their holiday fete into other open spaces. On Memorial Day, it’s the Ruins behind Knockdown Center. Sure it changes the make-up of the party, but the energy is still strong. (Mon 5/26, 4p @ Knockdown Center, Maspeth - FREE w/RSVP)
What a happy surprise to see the visage of poet, spoken-word artist and conscientious objector Saul Williams in Sinners, where he appropriately plays a preacher. Williams’ performances — whether on wax, celluloid or stage — rarely deliver anything less than a forthright appraisal of the moment. To wit: he’s had no shortage of things to say about genocide and fascism over the past two years. So even as he fronts a band consisting of Carlos Nino & friends at a tourist haunt, these two night, I expect Saul’s sermons to be full of truths many will find uncomfortable. Highest Recommendation! (Tues 5/27 & Wed 5/28, 8p & 10:30p @ Blue Note, Manhattan - $38-$$$)
MORE RECOMMENDED EVENTS:
Bliss Point NYC x Razor-N-Tape (Thurs 5/22, 5p @ Razor-N-Tape Shop, Greenpoint - FREE) - one of my favorite young independent dance labels in Bklyn, in an early-evening takeover at the storefront of its veteran counterpart.
Louie Vega (Thurs 5/22, 6p @ Cosmic Arts, Bushwick - FREE w/RSVP) - a master at work, playing some records at Joe Claussell’s abode…for FREE - mind the crowd! (Also: check that the RSVP isn’t full…)
INTERVIEW: Jesse Rifkin x Rick Brown & Julie Gorton (Thurs 5/22, 6p @ Tompkins Square Library, Manhattan - FREE) - NYC music community documentarian interviews two long-time NYC musickers about their pioneering ‘70s punk ‘zine, Beat It!
Angelica Sanchez, Terry Jenoure, Brandon Ross (Thurs 5/22, 7:30pm & 9pm @ CloseUp, Manhattan - $20) - great improvising trio of pianist Sanchez, violinist Jenoure and electric guitarist Ross, at the LES’s foremost jazz basement.
Fred Frith + drummers (Thurs 5/22 - Sat 5/24, 8:30p @ The Stone, New School, Manhattan - $25cash) - at his The Stone residency, one of his generation’s foremost guitar deconstructionists is playing a series of duets with drummers.
Kid Millions & Max Jaffe (Fri 5/23, 6p @ Property Is Theft, W’burg - $uggested) - two more drummers, one from Oneida and a variety of DIY contexts, the other from where the avant-garde intersects the dance-floor.
Heartbeats (Fri 5/23, 7p @ Mood Ring, Bushwick - FREE) - the A.Sarr and e.g.-hosted all-new-beats monthly happy hour returns! (A year ago, they rocked Dada Strain Radio)
Squid (Fri 5/23, 8p @ Warsaw, Greenpoint - $38) - Brighton (UK) post-punk pop stars.
Skepta Más Tiempo (Fri 5/23, 10p @ Knockdown Center, Maspeth - $$$) - Más Tiempo, a house label started by two of grime’s all-timers (Skepta and Jammer), presents its debut U.S. party.
Fatik (Fri 5/23, 11p @ Musicland, Bushwick - $35 w/RSVP) - Musicland’s resident holds it down.
Unheard-of//Ensemble feat. Leila Adu + Jessica Ackerley (Sat 5/24, 7:30p @ Gowanus Dredgers Bunker, Red Hook - FREE) - embarrassed to have somehow missed that the //Ensemble and the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club are kicking off the third season of its performance series, this time with the wonderful jazz-beat singer Adu and guitarist Ackerley.
Shanti Celeste (Sun 5/25, 3p @ Public Records, Gowanus - $25-$30) - the Chilean DJ/producer whose pop-house crossover has never failed to bring a smile to my dance-steps is throwing a Sunday party all over Public Records.
Caroline Davis’ Portals (Sun 5/25, 7:30p & 9:30p @ CloseUp, Manhattan - $20) - latest iteration of the alto saxophonist’s group performing music written for remembrance and grief.
Deep Exposure: Russell E.L. Butler (Sun 5/25, 9p @ Earthly Delights, Ridgewood - FREE) - Butler’s free-flowing, beyond-genre monthly all-nighter, coinciding with a three day weekend.
El Rinconcito feat. Chico Raro Band + A.B.E.L.A. + Discolocas (DJ) (Mon 5/26, 3p @ Casa Pa’Lante - $25 + RSVP) - the new (regular?) party at the Pa’lante Rum distillery is booking some great Afro-Latin diaspora music and DJs
“Show Up for the Immigrant Defense Project” (Tues 5/27, 7p @ Baby's All Right, W’burg - $38-$49) - benefit concert featuring Palehound and The Ophelias, in support of IDP, a 20+ year-old organization fighting for the rights of immigrants targeted for imprisonment and mass deportation.
MUSIC + FILM:“Vampyros Lesbos” with live score by Smootaphilia Ensemble Erotic (Tues 5/27, 8p @ TV Eye, Ridgewood - $19) - Dave “Smoota” Smith, brass player to half of DIY NYC, leads a group accompanying the screening of a film that became a cult classic in the ‘90s.