words by Showtrotta, photos by Ryan Muir

While it would take a lot to top the great time I had at last years Insiders, this year's CMJ event at Irving Plaza looks pretty great as well.

Hercules and Love Affair perform great live disco, in a way very few bands are doing nowadays. Aeroplane continue to look promising (though I have still yet to see them this week!). James Zabiela has been getting tons of positive feedback lately. I fell in love with his Utilities double mix album several years ago and am excited to get to see him again in a setting that is not Pacha. Shinichi Osawa's opening set for Fatboy Slim in June was great - very hard, but not too in your face. The Fantastic Nobodies' performance art, aka crowd-feathering, during Modeselektor's set at Bowery Ballroom back in January was quite an experience. All in all, it should be a great night. Tickets are available here

Hercules & Love Affair's Andy Butler DJ'd MoMA MiXX on September 26th. Pictures from that event, along with the Insiders flyer and set times, below...

Continue reading "Insiders showcase @ Irving Plaza tonight w/ Hercules & Love Affair +++ pics from MoMA"

DOWNLOAD: Sleepy & Boo - Where Today Becomes Tomorrow mix (MP3)

Dimitri from Paris @ Été d'Amour @ the Rivington Hotel - May 31, 2009 *

* photo by Justin Gonzalez

No dancing to report yet this week, but I am still basking in the afterglow of last weekend. As if seeing Pilooski deejay everyone silly Saturday night wasn't enough, I awoke on Sunday with a full day of dancing ahead of me. I made it out the door and down to the BKLYN Yard for Sunday Best by 4:30 at which point I was completely stunned by the size of the crowd. The Yard was already more full than I had ever seen it last summer and it was still so early! It proceeded to get more packed with people as the night went on (apparently seeing over 1,000 people!), but it never felt too crowded. The food & booze lines were a little long at times, but you have to keep your eyes open. The smoothie line (equipped with vodka & rum) only had 5 people on it (while at that time, the line for the bar nearly ran the entire length of the Yard)!

Moving on...the music was excellent. I knew we would be in for a treat when I saw that Mr. Scruff had hauled 2 big crates of records with him down to the Gowanus. For 3+ hours the Scruffy one treated the crowd (which was a huge mix of young people, locals, babies, little kids, and dogs) to a wide range of sounds...literally everything from soul, funk, jazz, disco, to dancehall. He played it all. Check out some great video from Electrodrone below and get ready for another great weekend in dance!

Continue reading "the week in Dance w/ Showtrotta (part 2) "