Bklyn Sounds 6/11/2025—6/17/2025
This week's events include Barbara Tucker at a block party / Jazztopad Festival / Purelink + James Krivchenia / Mickey Perez / UG/NG / 'Move Ya Body: The Birth of House' / and much more
THIS WEEK’s SHOWS:
Tó Ara is the “Caribbean electro x revolutionary texts x rhythm improvisations” project of Mira Mira and mobéy lola irizarry, two multi-disciplinary Latinx trans artists involved in some of the best DIY sound/performance work happening in the city. At Terraza, a semi-regular gig in the loft of a chill Elmhurst bar, the pair will be joined by Key Hutch, one of NYC’s young post-genre guitar phenoms. (Wed 6/11, 8p @ Terraza 7, Queens - $20) The night after, Mira, who is also a magnificent disco-house DJ, will be shaping Present Sounds. (Thurs 6/12, 7p @ Light & Sound Design Studio, Greenpoint - $20-$30)
Over the past few years, Marc Ribot, among Downtown’s essential guitarists since the late-’70s, has been increasingly turning towards writing and performing vocal songs. Released in May, Map of a Blue City is a full-on, highly acoustic, singer-songwriter album. Ribot celebrates its release tonight, alongside his Ceramic Dog compadre, Shahzad Ismaily. (Wed 6/11, 8p @ Roulette, Downtown Bklyn - $25adv/$30)
Gloriously shambling fuzz-pedal chooglers, The Sloppy Heads are throwing their multi-bill hooteannys in the Mama Tried backyard again, and have a couple of great guest pairings in tow. First, there’s the noisy, freeform eruptions of Oneida drummer Kid Millions and violinist Sarah Bernstein; then there’s the bedroom pop song-oriented gifts of Jennifer O’Connor and James McNew (Yo La Tengo/Dump). (Thurs 6/12, 7p @ Mama Tried, Sunset Park - $uggested)
While I’m unclear as to the current peg of Summerstage’s Gil Scott-Heron Celebration, it’s never a bad time to be reminded of the one-time Bronx resident’s musical genius. The location on the other hand, makes a lot of sense. The park amphitheater which will host the evening’s tribute sounds—legendary wordsmiths The Last Poets; multi-disciplinary artist, Harlem resident Sista Zock; and Freedom Riders, a newly formed, rotating-cast assembly of great NYC imprvisors—was named after Gil in 2021. (Fri 6/13, 5p @ St. Mary’s Park, Mott Haven, The Bronx - FREE)
Over the past three years, I’ve mostly shouted-out the DJ Mickey Perez in the context of Public Service, his indispensable all-ages park-jam with Toribio, or any number of great BeBop Porú nights he curates. This Jupiter Disco evening is the first “All Night Long” set I’ve seen Mickey booked for in a minute (at least one in an open-to-everyone environment). The man knows how to get deep with the Afro-Latin rhythm continuum, so if that’s the vibe you’re looking for, you can’t go wrong. (Fri 6/13, 8p @ Jupiter Disco, Bushwick - $10-$15)
7th Heaven is the occasional Good Room party thrown by Douglas Sherman (long-time musical selector at The Loft) and Joey Llanos (regular DJ at Paradise Garage reunions). On this night, the pair are also hosting a guest live set by UG/NG, the modular-disco duo of Yuji Kawasaki and Nao Gunji who’ve released some of the city’s best deep-synth dance records over the past five years. They don’t play live often. In the Bad Room: Papa Jazz and Heidy P. (Fri 6/13, 10p @ Good Room, Greenpoint - $15-$20)
FILM: As part of the ongoing Tribeca Film Festival, director Elegance Bratton premieres his new documentary Move Ya Body: The Birth of House, about the musical sounds founded in late-’70s/early-’80s by Chicago’s queer Black community. Central to Bratton’s film is the story of Vince Lawrence, who parlayed a settlement from being “the target of racist violence at the infamous ‘Disco Demolition Night’ in 1979” into his first synthesizer, which he then used to record what is arguably the first “house song,” Jesse Saunders’ “On and On.” (Fri 6/13 @ Spring Studios / Sat 6/14 & Sun 6/15 @ Village East, Manhattan - $28-$35)
Jazztopad is a Polish music festival that has for the last nine (give or take a pandemic) summers invaded New York (mostly around Lincoln Center) to create gigs pairing American improvisers with their counterparts from Poland. While a full slate of Jazztopad events takes place again, between June 13th and 18th, the two I would like to point-out this week involve the winds/reeds player Waclaw Zimpel. The 41 year-old is an immense sonic chance-taker whose collaborations with British electronic producers Shackleton and James Holden strike a complicated global rhythm and improvisation funk, but whose jazz clarinet records (h/t Tomin) are lovely in a more straightforward way. This weekend, Zimpel is playing a pair of sets with more incredible people: on Friday, he’s with the Japanese koto player Michiyo Yagi and powerhouse Chicago drummer Hamid Drake; then on Saturday with Brooklyn Raga Massive co-founder, violinist Arun Ramamurthy, and the Iraqi-American trumpeter Amir ElSaffar. Global sonic community at its finest. Highest Recommendation! (Fri 6/13 & Sat 6/14, 7:30p @ David Rubinstein Atrium, Lincoln Center - FREE)
Ever since Vaccine Summer™, the South Portland Street Block Party outside Mo’s Lounge and the former Head Sounds record store, has been a simple musical pleasure. This weekend’s version is a little bit more special, part early Juneteenth celebration, part tribute to the late Bklyn DJ Carlos Sanchez. It features a massive musical line-up: the legendary NYC house vocalist Barbara Tucker, with musclecars on the 1s and 2s, plus bonus beats from Fred Pierce, Naeem Johnson and Cameron Da DJ. Go to the No Kings/Fuck ICE protest, then come here afterwards! (Sat 6/14, 2p @ outside Mo’s Bar & Lounge, Fort Greene - FREE)
It’s OK if you did not know that June is New York Music Month, a wide-ranging city celebration that’s only acquired its promotional sea legs over the past decade. In 2019, the very dope Jessica Weber and I used NYMM as an occasion to create City FM NYC, a 13-part radio series about local New York music (which in many ways informed Dada Strain). Weber, one of the best independent music promotions people in the land, is still involved with NYMM, and she’s put together a set of events called Radio City, spotlighting the work of great local radio stations. Two are taking place this week: WKCR's Record Shop Takeover with DJs from Columbia University’s flagship (Sat 6/14, 2p @ 360 Record Shop, Red Hook - FREE), and the WFMUnion Pool Showcase, a mix of radio DJs and local artists (Tues 6/17, 8p @ Union Pool, W’burg - FREE). Look for a Dada Strain co-production later in June.
In November, tireless composing bassist Stephan Crump debuted another quartet, Passerine, with another superlative cast (drummer Ches Smith, trumpeter Kenny Warren, and David Leon on reeds/winds), playing a book of music specific to this band. They return for two sets at the intimate confines of Bar Bayeux. (Sat 6/14, 8p & 9:30p @ Bar Bayeux, Prospect-Lefferts - $uggested + one drink minimum)
In 2022, longtime Arkestra bassist Tyler Mitchell recorded a squealing hard-bop sextet record called Dancing Shadows, that included contributions from the irrepressible Marshall Allen, and on which Mitchell explored familiar-but-different spaceways. He returns with the band, and now with “Marshall the Deputy” in the multi-horn front-line. (Sat 6/14, 10p @ Nublu, Manhattan - $30)
A Public Records takeover with all “NYC classics” vibes. That includes a live set by veteran Japanese electronic producer/composer Soichi Terada, and a DJ set by veteran NYC house musicker Jenifa Mayanja in the Sound Room; plus veteran digger/producer Malik Abdul-Rahmaan upstairs. The cornerstone is a cross-generational party in the Atrium, with the ‘90s house hit parade of Mood II Swing, prefaced by the history-minded experimentation of the mighty Russell E.L. Butler. (Sat 6/14, 11p @ Public Records, Gowanus - $22-$30)
Signal hosts a massive Pride day-party. It’s helmed by the great Bay Area-residing Detroit all-timer, Carlos Souffront, and one of the great young Detroit-affiliated DJing talents, Kiernan Laveaux. Sharlese visits from Seattle, where she is a key component of KEXP and the city’s dance community. Also on the bill is new The Lot Radio resident SPRKLBB. I look forward to checking out what a day-party at Signal is like. Does anyone have reports from last weekend? (Sun 6/15, 1p @ Signal, East W’burg - $30-$35)
Astrid Sonne spent a few years messing about with various experimental compositional and textural approaches — analog synths, electro-acoustic noises and drones, choral works. Then in 2024, the London-based Danish composer/multi-instrumentalist released what amounted to a weird lo-fi pop album, which refused to betray the sounds that came before, and received the best reviews of her career. Sonne was supposed to play Summerstage this weekend, but pulled out in support of Kehlani and Noname who were dropped from the program for their support of Palestine. (Sun 6/15, 10p @ Baby’s All Right, W’burg - $33 / Mon 6/16, 9p @ The Greenhouse at Nine Orchard, Manhattan - $$$)
The city’s great free experimental music series, Abasement just celebrated its 10-year anniversary (May 2015) without saying a word about it. Now comes Abasement 78, as loaded with inter-generational, uncategorizable sounds as always. Playing live are the sound-making trio of Gryphon Rue, Alex Waterman and Edwin Torres; Japanese folk singer Morio Agata, backed by Yujin Yama, Tsugumi Takashi and Avery Brooks; the songsmith and composer Vorhees; the theremin/trombone duo Phantom Honeymoon; and no wave guitar master Loren Connors. DJing by the mighty Ryan Sawyer. Visuals by Jim Spring. Highest Recommendation. (Mon 6/16, 8p @ Artists Space, Manhattan - FREE)
Here’s a double-bill that’s also an insight into collective musical headspaces. James Krivchenia is best-known as drummer for bold-faced indie-rock folkies, Big Thief; but the “solo” album he just made for Mike Paradinas’ still-exceptional Planet Mu label, has him working with a pair of forward-thinking kinda-jazz bassists, Sam Wilkes and Joshua Abrams, in the service of a fourth-world-club beat-tape. The evening’s opening act is, arguably, the bigger buzz: Purelink, Chicago-to-Bklyn transplants Tommy Paslaski, Ben Paulson and Akeem Asani, is an “ambient boy band” that’s captured the imagination of indie kids headed down a kosmic-beatless road *and* the experimental dance-music shakers. Their excellent new LP, Faith, inches towards an ambient-dub-techno they seem destined for. Highest Recommendation! (Tues 6/17, 8p @ Elsewhere Zone One, Bushwick - $22)
MORE RECOMMENDED EVENTS:
Ancestral Technology with James Hurt (Wed 6/11, 7p @ Cosmic Arts, Bushwick - $TK) - biweekly astral jazz travelling with pianist Hurt
Borbón + modrums + Omer Mill (Wed 6/11, 8p @ Jupiter Disco, Bushwick - FREE) - three expert DJ-purveyors of global riddims
Santigold (Wed 6/11, 8p @ Sony Hall, Manhattan - $$$) - one of the great Black female alternative voices of her (or any) generation
Tetron with Zoh Amba (Thurs 6/12, 8:30p @ The Stone. New School, Manhattan - $20) - saxophonist Louie Belogenis’ Stone residency night featuring his fusion trio with bassist Trevor Dunn and drummer Ryan Sawyer, and bonus chaos ℅ Zoh’s tenor.
NIKARA presents Black Wall Street (Thurs 6/12, 9p & 10:15p @ Bar Lunatico, Bed-Stuy - $10suggested) - Vibraphonist Nikara Warren’s excellent jazz-funk-soul project in a vibey room.
Mike Monford & Innovative Energy (Fri 6/13, 7p @ Nublu, Manhattan - $20) - transplant Detroit saxophonist Monford, who stretches out in various, jazz, global rhythm and Afrofuturist directions, has put together a new NYC band.
Wet Ink Ensemble (Fri 6/13, 8p @ Roulette, Downtown Bklyn - $25adv/$30) - New York composer-performer collective is premiering new pieces, including one by the mighty Ben LaMar Gay
Willie Mae Rock Camp: Future Sounds Mixtape! (Fri 6/13, 8p @ National Sawdust, W’burg - $20) - under the leadership of drummer/futurist LaFrae Sci, the “rock camp for girls” is taking on a slightly different musical sheen - this is the recital.
Str8 West Coastin’ with DJs Eleven + Still Life + Teeburr (Fri 6/13, 10p @ Friends & Lovers, Crown Heights - $5 w/RSVP before 11p/$10) - long-time NYC residents with Cali roots play all left-coast hip-hop.
Baronhawk Poitier + DJ Minx + Honey Bun (Fri 6/13, 10p @ Nowadays, Ridgewood - $0-$25) - Sam Honey Bun’s residency invites one of the queens of Detroit house, and one of D.C’s underappreciated practitioners.
F.G.S. (Sat 6/14, 7:30p @ Cassette, Ridgewood - $18) - fell in love with Flannery Silva’s trashy, funny, art-school take on indie-pop, “Beth’s Deth” remains in permanent rotation.
Chief Baba Neil Clarke Tribute to Randy Weston (Sat 6/14, 8p & 9:30p @ Sista’s Place, Bed-Stuy - $35/reservation required) - Bed-Stuy-born and -raised drummer paying tribute to his late mentor, and one of Bklyn’s greatest musical souls.
Sol Playa: Quinnette + Miss Alicia + DJ Tara + Honey Bun + Cry$Cross (Sun 6/15, 1p @ Riis Beach Cooperative, Rockaway Beach, Queens - FREE) - praying for a good beach day on Sunday to justify heading out to Riis Park to see a line-up of FIVE (!!!) of the best DJs in NYC (sound by Karlala).
Striped Light: Patrick Holmes, Evan Crane, & Miles Wick + Bentley Anderson + Sandy Gordon, Ka Baird, Daniel Carter, AC Diamond (Mon 6/16, 8p @ DM for location, Long Island City, Queens - $15) - Ian Douglas-Moore, Jessica Pavone and David Watson’s experimental music series in a Long Island City warehouse.
Tilt (Mon 6/16, 7:30p & 9:30p @ CloseUp, Manhattan - $20) - the minimalist trio — isa crespo pardo, Carmen Quill and Kalia Vandever in vocal-harmony torch-song mode — is playing gigs again.
Saba (Tues 6/17, 8p @ Sony Hall, Manhattan - $32.50-$$$) - one of Chicago pivotal hip-hop voices connecting old and new lore
Soul Purpose featuring Horace Gaither + Taylor & Tlim Shug + Quinnette + Shy (Tues 6/17, 10p @ Nublu, Manhattan - $20) - Quinnette’s excellent monthly shares a bill filled wall-to-wall with her Louisville #community folks.
Honey Bun and Quinnette onna comeup watch those 2