Bklyn Sounds 9/18/2025—9/23/2025

This week's events include Mary Lattimore / Fieldwork / Masma Dream World / A.B.E.L.A. / DJ Sundae / History Dog + CarDust / 'Abasement' anniversary / 'Move Ya Body: The Birth of House' / and more

Clockwise from upper left: “Pablo” of A.B.E.L.A.; Vijay Iyer, Tyshawn Sorey and Steve Lehman of Fieldwork; Masma Dream World; Mary Lattimore

The calendar is slightly less hectic than it was last week, and there are great small-scale weekenders to the south (Making Time in Philly - not listed) and to the north (Basilica in Hudson - below). But also a ton of free and inexpensive things in town. Scroll down for Mary Lattimore’s residency, two first-rate improvising community double-bills, a jazz super-group’s record release, a spiritualist goth must-see in a great young DIY space in Ridgewood, the history of house music on the screen (in a park) and on the roller rink floor, the anniversary party for the city’s finest long-running experimental music series, Bklyn’s Latinx electronic-drum-circle syndicate, and much much more.

THIS WEEK’s SHOWS:

As co-presenter of “No Weapon Is Absolute,” Parisian DJ Sundae is one of my secret NTS weapons: a selector beyond style, borders and eras, with immaculate taste in both song-form and its required occasional dissolution. Though Sundae is playing in a more dance-oriented setting with a great international crew on Saturday, I think this Thursday night, Happy Hour hang at Adrian Rew’s superb East Village record store is more the jam for casual trainspotters like you and I. (Thurs 9/18, 7p @ Ergot Records, Manhattan - FREE)

Celebrating a brand new duet with Juliana Barwick, the classically trained indie-ambient harpist Mary Lattimore moves into Union Pool for a three-night residency which will feature two very different opening acts who reflect different sides of her musical approach. Thursday and Saturday, Lattimore will be joined by Los Angeles video-maker and lo-fi electronic collagist, thunderwerld; while on Friday she’ll share time with the broadminded guitar-slinger and melody maker, Sleepy Doug Shaw. (Thurs 9/18 - Sat 9/20, 8p @ Union Pool, W’burg - $29)

If Masma Dream World, the Gabonese-Singaporean vocalist/producer Devi Mambouka, has musical precedents, they are uneasy mold-breakers of the spiritual-goth variety, especially those with dark ambient and art-pop leanings. Think Diamanda Galas at her least shrieking, the drone dreams of Dead Can Dance, and, especially, Devi’s confidante Nike “Zola Jesus” Danilova. Masma’s second album, Please Come To Me, garnered her a cover of The Wire, which is where I caught up with her. Plus I can’t imagine a better place to experience this than at DJ Undisclosed Location’s Ridgewood DIY spot, alongside the mighty dreamcrusher and Harpy. Should be an amazing night! (Fri 9/19, 7p @ Intercom, Ridgewood - $10-$30 NOTAFLOF)