Praise for Que?! Bajo, Cinco De Gallo edition next week

Last Wednesday, the behemoth subwoofers in our underground level heralded a new era in New York City nightlife. Que Bajo?!, a dance party dedicated to the fusion of traditional latin genres with new school electro and dubstep, successfully transitioned from a monthly to a weekly slot with residents Geko Jones and Uproot Andy at the helm. In other words, we get low frequency more frequently.

Steve Lewis, nightlife legend who has a column in BlackBook, stumbled upon the party and fell in love instantly.

Downstairs, a seriously fabulous party called something like QUE BAJO, which I am told is all about new school Cumbia, was packed and sexy....The nightlife pro that I am always finds the good party.

Other long-time supporters of Que Bajo!? and the neo-cumbia movement have chimed in their enthusiasm for this development.

[Uproot Andy and Geko Jones'] blend of Afro-Latin music and electronic bass styles has earned them a worldwide reputation for throwing a good party with forward thinking music. The two are being flown around the world to DJ, their remixes storm the interwebs, and they’ve inspired a number of DJs to push a similar sound in New York. And after packing Santos Party House in Manhattan during the February blizzard, the club has asked them to throw a weekly party there. -[BushickBK]

When I say that Que Bajo?! nights are the best selection of all out danceable Latin/African rhythms, Cumbia and Dancehall… I mean it. I don’t know how else I can say that Que Bajo is one of the best party events in the US. Luckily for NYC music lovers the party is now a weekly event every Wednesday at Santos Party House, NYC. -[My Latino Voice]

But a musical renegade never rests on his laurels, so Andy and Geko are jumping at the first opportunity to outdo themselves. On May 5th, they will be teaming up with arts blog Mex and the City and the Queens Collective for CINCO DE GALLO, a Que Bajo?! installment featuring a full live line-up that extends the party's sound into new musical territory. Estrellas de la Kumbia have developed impeccable electronica for the barrio, Escarioka fuse a pantheon of latin styles into a cohesive whole, and Los Rudos are a tight ensemble that permeates ska, punk and metal to their latin roots.

Doors open at 9:30pm, El Rey del Sabor taco truck will be in attendance, insanity will ensue. I don't even have to write some shit like "come on down" because if this doesn't sound amazing to you, there are other issues in your life you need to deal with.

Danny Krivit and Hex Hector at Dance.Here.Too! FREE BEFORE MIDNIGHT WITH RSVP

DANCE.HERE.TOO with Danny Krivit and Hex Hector
Saturday, April 24, 2010
11:00PM 21+
FREE BEFORE MIDNIGHT WITH RSVP HERE
TICKETS HERE

Hex Hector had been raised on Salsoul records, the cream of the disco crop, and by the late 70's he had made a commitment to the burgeoning house movement that was sweeping the club scene. By 1986 he was a resident at China Club and an upper echelon member of the party community that included a young, undiscovered Jennifer Lopez. The sound he has pioneered is a mixture of concrete jungle electronica with deep house and latin rhythms. His remixes and productions have mined a long list of collaborators include Donna Summer, Deborah Cox, Queen Latifah, Gloria Estefan, and Toni Braxton. His remixes have earned him two Grammy Awards and countless accolades.

Danny Krivit was an original catalyst of the disco scene in its infancy. With a father who managed Chet Baker and founded the The Ninth Circle discotheque, Krivit was immersed in music from a young age. His career began with anointment by James Brown, and grew into an immortal DJ franchise. He contributed to several turning points in the history of disco, including the record pool at The Loft, the creation of the disco edit, as well as the 718 Sessions and Body and Soul residencies. Today he is a living bridge between the early disco scene and the mounting soulful house coup.

DANCE.HERE.TOO -- EVERY SATURDAY by Benny Soto & Rob Promotions

Faith and The Muse tomorrow!

Faith and The Muse with Weep and DJ Scary Lady Sarah
Friday - April 23, 2010
7:00 PM 18+
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE

Check out the TEASER trailer.

FAITH AND THE MUSE
Monica Richards and Williams Faith were each holding down spots in seminal underground troupes. The former was the fiery vocalist of harDcore mainstay Strange Boutique, and the latter a multi-instrumental polymath holding down the guitars for goth-prog superstars Shadow Project. When the two shared a bill in 1993, they found each other to be kindred spirits, sharing a passion for elevating the mystical and transcendental aspects of rock music and darkwave. The two began the longtime collaboration Faith And The Muse, a pan-epochal excursion into dark, tribal, ethnic and electronic sound. The profound diversity of FatM’s catalog is its most distinguishing characteristic, with some songs resembling heavy metal and others resembling celtic dirges. They have also taken to acoustic performance, with heavy neo-classical overtones. 2009’s Ankoku Butoh (The Mercy Ground) borrows its lyrical and musical themes heavily from Japanese Shinto culture. 17 years and countless styles in the making, the duo has kept true to their stated vision: “Faith And The Muse's purpose is clear. While sequestering us inside the mythical and mystical environment of their Otherworldly music, they bring to light the real elements that are true within all of us: a quiet and perfect human connection that has guided our hearts throughout history, yet in this world, is commonly lost.”

WEEP
What’s not to like about a new wave group with a sense of humor? Weep is the magnetic mixture of 80’s post-punk and modern shoegaze to please the goth, with a proto-punk sneer that lends levity and danceability to their airy arrangements (which include a Rihanna cover). Keep your eye on these guys – they belong to their art and it shows.

Hosting the night and providing the spins is Berlin’s own dark music goddess DJ Scary Lady Sarah.

QUE BAJO?! weekly goes down tomorrow! UPROOT ANDY & GEKO JONES every Wednesday

QUE BAJO with residents UPROOT ANDY (ZiZek/Bersa Discos) and GEKO JONES (Dutty Artz)
Every Wednesday 11:00PM
starting April 21st, 2010 (with special guest Nickodemus)
2010
21+ $5

"La Vida Vale La Pena (Uproot Andy Remix)" - Pedrona Martinez

QUE BAJO
Founded in 2008 by Geko Jones and Uproot Andy, the NYC tropical dance party ‘Que Bajo’ has quickly found itself at the center of the modern global dance music scene. From its home at the well known downtown Manhattan club Santos Party house, ‘Que Bajo’ has opened up a space, not only for the neo cumbia and tropical bass music that was its original focus, but for the coming together of all types of new musical trends emenating from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa, as well as Europe and the US, and hosts many of the young artists and Djs on the cutting edge of these new genres, such as Toy Selectah, Maluca, Zizek, Radioclit, Bersa Discos, DJ Rekha, Choc Quib Town, Jahdan Blackamoore and 77Klash.

UPROOT ANDY
Uproot Andy is a Brooklyn based DJ and Producer making melodic and bass heavy music for the dance hall informed by the musical traditions that migrate to New York along with people from around the globe. Considered among the leaders of the new global bass music Uproot Andy has releases on Bersa Discos and ZZK Records and has produced remixes for Thievery Corporation, Radioclit and The Very Best, Poirier, MC Gringo and Mc Nem, and Forro in the Dark among others. Andy is a co-founder of the new cumbia and Afro-Latin party Que Bajo and is a regular at the Dutty Artz label's NY Tropical parties, as well as a weekly resident at the balkan gypsy club Mehanata Bulgarian Bar. As a DJ he has shared bills with such renowned artists as Diplo and Major Lazer, Maluca, Toy Selectah, 77 Klash, Radioclit and The Very Best. His Guacharaca Migration mix was called 'one of the best mixtapes of 2008' by New York Magazine.

GEKO JONES
Geko Jones is a Brooklyn-based DJ and producer. He is a founding member of both the New York Tropical and Que Bajo?! party franchises in New York. He is also a partner and co-owner of the Dutty Artz record label with producer Matt Shadetek and DJ /Rupture. His mixes span the tropical hemispheres and collage together globally sonic hours of dancefloor mayhem. Renowned by top DJ's and producers of the digital cumbia scene in Latin America and European bass-pundits alike, Jones is one of the select few DJ's pushing forward the Latin agenda in a world wide tropical bass scene. The past five years have found him sharing a booth or collaborating with a long roster of A-list globalistas like Uproot Andy, Jahdan Blakkamoore, Soot Records, Stereotyp, Radioclit, ZZK, Maluca, Dub War, Toy Selectah and more. Whether it's tearing the roof off an outdoor festival, getting the crowd bubbling on an illegal boat party in Bushwick, conjuring up the next great sound, or racking up air miles from Brooklyn to Bogota, Geko Jones commands the dancefloor! A Guarachar!

Mixtapes:
Que Bajo Tour Promo Mix
Uproot Andy's Guacharaca Migration
Uproot Andy for Diesel U Music Radio
Geko Jones' La Nueva Guaracha

Late night with Just Blaze, flicks from the IFC party

In the very wee hours of Saturday morning, when porters are packing up the chair from the previous night's REOPENED party, Just Blaze keeps the wheels spinning while b-boys and b-girls claim the dance floor.



Thanks to H2L for the video.

"No movies, straight graphic novels." - Max Glazer
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On Tuesday, April 14, The IFC Channel held a party celebrating two excellent programs, Sam Mason's Dinner With The Band and Thu Tran's Food Party. In attendance was Andrew W.K., the band Gators!, Au Revoir Simone, the Vega/Neon Indian posse, wizard of electronica CX Kidtronik and Bad Brilliance. Images below...


...by Gina Sachi Cody, photographer.

...by Kelly Samardak, at MediaPost.

...by Jason.

Win FREE spots to CANAL RUBBER with Matthew Dear and Lee Curtiss

Santos & Fixed present
CANAL RUBBER: Matthew Dear, Lee Curtiss, JDH & Dave P, Eli Escobar (downstairs)
$10 Adv/ $15 dos/ FREE downstairs with Eli
Win FREE spots at Hifi Cartell
Thursday, April 15 11:00PM
21+
TICKETS HERE

When the promotional duo FIXED sets up shop at Santos Party House, what occurs are some of the most unspeakably raucous parties New York City has ever witnessed. Resident FIXED DJ’s Josh Houtkin and Dave Pianka are insidious masterminds of programming and promotion with knowledge of dancefloor dynamics unmatched by any other team in the metropolis. Now they're bringing us the weekly party New York has been waiting for, on the only sound system that can do it justice.

Also hitting the decks is Lee Curtiss, whose new EP on the aphrodisiatic Get Physical label Love In The Key Of Freak has received almost as much love from the critics as it has from the dance floor. His catalog also boasts releases on Spectral and Wolf + Lamb, and his R4=M,N,O,P collection (Rhumba) is loved for its wrenching portrayal of inter-personal themes through house and neo-disco. Equally notable are his official remix spots for international sensations like Butane and Pheek.

Rocking the basement level is DJ/Producer Eli Escobar, protégé of Bobbito Garcia and beat provider for the likes of MIA, Amanda Blank and The Glass. A mastermind of urban dance music, he has the most discerning palette for electro and hip-hop in their myriad varieties. This week, headlining upstairs is genius of electronica Matthew Dear, whose production work freely shifts from minimal house to electro-pop freely and cleverly. He has been tapped for remixes by the likes of The Chemical Brothers, blackstrobe, Hot Chip and Postal Service.

FOR THE PROPER BOUNCE, TRUST CANAL RUBBER!

TOMORROW - Free with RSVP: Streetlab and more

Greenshoelace.com, Scion and The Musebox
Streetlab, The Hush Now, Bottle Up & Go and Das Racist (DJ)
Wednesday, April 14
7:00 PM 18+
RSVP HERE FOR FREE ENTRY

STREETLAB
Fans of rock and dance music alike have New York City duo Streetlab to thank for creating catchy and danceable versions of some of their favorite tunes. Since 2001, friends Mark “Cosmo” Lamorg and Ryan Leary have been exploring the pastiche between classic rock tunes and their rump-shaking potential with an irresistible formula for electronic remixes. After years of re-inventing popular tracks such as The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” the pair began venturing into writing original material, including “NYSound,” a single that has generated a multi-faceted degree of buzz and coverage since its 2008 release. Since gaining the support of various top-notch radio DJs and record labels, and receiving praise from media outlets from the likes of Billboard Magazine and URB.com, Streetlab is gearing up to release its full-length debut, slated for an April 2010 release. (Official bio)

THE HUSH NOW
Treading the line between dusty early 90's indie and the melancholy pop of the oughts, The Hush Now achieve the artisanship that puts them heads above their peers. They garnered widespread media attention when they released their David Newton-produced EP online before playing a single live show. Their Boston brewed sound is a refreshing diversion for the New York underground.

BOTTLE UP & GO
Slide guitar – hell yes. The brash two-piece garage outfit is becoming quite a sensation in Brooklyn, Middletown, and nearby galaxies. A smooth, powerful voice, well-articulated riffs and jackhammer drums are the hallmarks of their bombastic sound.

DAS RACIST (DJ SET)
Since emerging out of the ether not more than two years ago, Das Racist have become the most sought-after force in experimental hip-hop. The trio eschews any posturing whatsoever in lieu of confronting the truth, however brutal or bizarre it may be, on top of off-kilter electro production. Their breakout single "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell" has become rap music's most successful foray into absurdism, but the real meat of their lyrical repertoire are the densely constructed prophetic commentaries on globalization-era oppression, as well as hilarious multi-syllabic throught trains as unpredictable as the subways on which they were written.
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718 SESSIONS FEATURED ON VIMBY

This isn't exactly brand new, but it's no less educational.

VIMBY - 718 SESSIONS

Trans Am and Nice Nice live!

Trans Am and Nice Nice live at Santos Party House
Saturday April 17
7:00 PM 18+
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE

TRANS AM
For those of us who love improvisational fusion but long for the driving force of punk rock, Trans Am are filling a substantial void. The Bethesda trio formed in the early 90’s during their stint in DC skacore outfit Bomblast, and was recruited by Chicago-based multi-isntrumentalist and producer John McEntire for collaborative purposes, essentially drafting them to the Thrill Jockey label. Their sound is danceable, polyrhythmic progressive rock, mostly instrumental, shrouded in layers of noisy electronica and merciless percussion.

The aesthetic that permeates their two-decade discography is subversive and absurdist, dismantling musical tropes and lampooning oppressive post 9/11 politics. Tracks like “Total Information Awareness” and “Play In The Summer” dement familiar pop elements with angular improvisational deconstruction. This unique approach has earned them tour spots alongside Tool, The Fucking Champs, Tortoise and The Bronx to name a few. According to Dummy Magazine, their 2009 live compilation What Day Is It Tonight “captures the fire, invention, dexterity and hilarity of a band that, if the selections of this record are to be believed, have been at their room-obliterating best for 15 years.”

NICE NICE
Equal parts sound manipulation and bizarro pop, Nice Nice create quite a brazen cacophony for an unassuming duo. Their technical mastery of the drums and guitar provide all the fuel necessary to power their twisted avant garde explorations. Their album on Warp Records Extra Wow arrives on April 6.

Tickets also available at:
OTHER MUSIC
15 East 4th St
New York, NY 10003

Just Blaze grinds out; Yelp filter strikes

There are certain living geniuses whose efforts to stay behind the scenes have proven futile in the information age. This is especially true for someone as prolific and tech-savvy as producer and DJ Justin “Just Blaze” Smith, whose dexterity on decks can make a break sound like it was meant to be sampled, or live arrangements sound cohesively hip-hop. Like Quincy Jones and DJ Premier, he belongs to a lineage of luminary producers whose involvement in any creative project will immediately garner attention from the musically inclined. That buzz has been instrumental in launching the careers of now marquee acts like Saigon, Freeway, Jay Electronica, Kidz In The Hall, and invigorating reigning stars like Jay-Z, Beastie Boys, DOOM, and Mariah Carey. He is also a Friday night resident at dancer’s oasis Santos Party House, headlining the Friday REOPENED residency with hip-hop comptroller DJ Soul, Caribbean mixtape virtuoso DJ Gravy, reggae sound splicer Max Glazer (also Rihanna’s tour DJ), and one-man party crew Micro Don.

MTV Shows

Perhaps the most-talked about collaboration in the music press right now is Just’s involvement in Eminem’s Relapse 2, about which he told MTV, “The wordplay is crazy, the metaphors are crazy. [Em]'s really back on his game. He had his ups, he had his downs, he's back way, way, way up.” Detroit battle jester cum media giant Eminem asserted his commitment to verbal wizardry on Relapse, and has also recruited Dr. Dre and The Alchemist for tracks on the sequel. Blaze continues, “The fact that he's branched out working with a lot of different people now, collaborating in a lot of different ways that he never has before, I think he's going to surprise a lot of people."

Just was also tapped to officially remix the Daniel Caine Orchestra theme song for the new A-Team movie, dropping in June. The track debuted at REOPENED and received a breakdancing ovation. Blaze has also announced the forthcoming release of a house music 12” through A-Trak’s Fool’s Gold records.

More intriguing projects involving Just Blaze are confirmed, details on the way. Just remember you heard it here first. Well, you actually probably knew most of this. We just wanted to put it in perspective.

___________________________________

Yesterday, the news broke that the Yelp.com consumer review site is providing the option to view ratings that have been “filtered” from the pages of businesses. Coincidentally, that was also when I had a call scheduled with one their sales reps who clued me into this development when I asked about the controversy. Yelp is actually a fun and useful site for planning dates and the like. But upon looking at the filtered results for Santos, one might notice that the vast majority of them are perfect 5 star reviews.

To put it bluntly, Santos Party House has never sent its own employees to write Yelp reviews, though for a while the filter missed a glowing review from our owner’s wife. Neither have we campaigned to have our patrons sign up and rate, though it’s weird that Yelp seems to not want us to. They won’t reveal their algorithm for filtering, but it seems to follow the “no avatar, didn’t publish” protocol….
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Another gem from Elliot Aronow's Our Show, featuring TV On The Radio's Kyp Malone:

Baby Dee live Saturday!

Baby Dee with guests live!
Saturday, April 10
7:00 PM 18+
TICKETS HERE

BABY DEE
The only classification that sticks for Baby Dee is “anomaly.” The Cleveland-born piano and harp virtuoso has been a transgender circus act act Coney Island, a musical director for a Catholic church and an elevated tricycle-mounted street performer. After decades of itinerant musicianship, Dee buckled down in 2000 and recorded her first solo full-length on David Tibet’s Durtro imprint. Since then she has collaborated with a number of artists including Psychic TV, Max Mosto (Anthony and the Johnston), Current 93, and Robbie Lee. Her 2008 record Safe Inside The Day from Drag City was produced by Will Oldham (aka Bonnie “Prince” Billy) and Matt Sweeney, and her revamped A Book of Songs for Anne Marrie was produced by Maxim Moston.

Dee’s whirlwind of innovative technique matches with her incredibly emotive and transgressive songwriting style. Often chronicling the tribulations of the downtrodden and outcast, her vocal performance leaps from trauma to manic ecstasy in the blink of an eye, convincing as if she were regressing into memories mid-performance. Her vocal style is only matched by her piano and harp mastery, which melds the textures of Americana, western art music, jazz and pop all into one distinctive sound.

Sander Kleinenberg at Dance.Here.Too

Progressive house heavyweight Sander Kleinenberg cites Jellybean Benitez, who has also headlined at Dance. Here. Too., as one of his influences. He is known for his audio visual mixing which adds to the electric drama of his act. Focused on infectious bass lines and funky vocals, Kleinenberg is a big room favorite around the world. He boasts eight critically acclaimed studio albums as well as remixes for Eurythmics, Vincent de Moor, Röyksopp, Justin Timerlake and Janet Jackson.

Openers Sleepy & Boo are all about stripping the electronica scene of inflated pretention and filling it with a carefree, fun-obsessed attitude, not to mention the best in trance and techno. When not perusing their DJ monikers, aptly lifted from Super Mario, they are Basic NYC, grinding promoters of the city's illest deep house parties.