@saytj1/Twitter

DJ Premier at the Kool Herc tribute.

Kool Herc's Birthday/Sutra; Normalized Dance Night/Niagara Bar
Thursday, April 26

Better than: Reading about how NYC's nightlife is dead.

Last month, in the spirit of March Madness, SOTC created a tournament with the aim of crowning the quintessential New York musician. Popularly dubbed the Godfather of Hip-Hop, Kool Herc made it onto the bracket as a representative of the Bronx, though he was knocked out of the running early. Readers voted Bette Midler on to the next round instead. It's funny, really—an over-the-top diva pitted against an understated, genre-defining man of the streets—but the legendary DJ's understated familiarity is part of his charm. (As our bracket lobbyist noted, the 57 year-old DJ can be seen riding his bike around the Bronx during warmer months.) And at his birthday celebration at Sutra last night, it couldn't be any more apparent that as far as New York's rap community is concerned, Herc will always be the guy who made it happen for them all.

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via @AtFordNews

The Honey Brothers (with Adrian Grenier)
Random Warehouse on Tenth Ave.
Wednesday, April 18

Better Than: Would Turtle's band be Saigon?

Let's get this out of the way now: Adrian Grenier was member of new-wave folk troupe Honey Brothers before he was Vince Chase on Entourage and not the other way around. The band even had some influence on the show; Vince's endearingly aggro agent Ari Gold got his name from Grenier's bandmate (whose website notes that he was neither asked nor paid for this identity theft). And as someone who has recently documented a number of very strange events that hosted actors-turned-musicians, going into last night's Honey Brothers show knowing that the HBO star has been in his band for seven years gave us some hope.

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@MONADREAMGYRL/Twitpic

The-Dream
S.O.B.'s
Sunday, March 11

Better than: Seeing Terius Nash tonight (I hope).

"I'm too rich to play with high-class bitches," retorted The-Dream at his show at S.O.B.'s last night. Said "high-class bitch" was a lady he had pulled from the audience to seduce on stage during an especially touchy-feely rendition of "Purple Kisses." With the sold-out venue watching, she squirmed uncomfortably around his whispers in her ears and wandering hands and, as a result, Mr. Nash was quick to swap her out for a more willing fan. Girl No. 2 was more than thrilled to wrap her arms around the singer and lean into him as he kissed her neck on stage. The whole scene had half of the audience hollering in appreciation as the other half watched through their hands, mouths agape, although it was probably a mistake to expect anything less from the oversexed bedroom crooner.

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via Red Bull Music Academy

Oneohtrix Point Never
The Studio At Webster Hall
Tuesday, March 6

Better than: Being in an actual coma, I suppose.

There were only twenty or so people left standing in Webster Hall's basement at the end Oneohtrix Point Never's performance last night. The majority of the audience had slowly trickled out not too long into Daniel Lopatin's computerized solo set for Red Bull Music Academy, which came on the heels of a brief lecture. It wasn't exactly his fault; the producer's sprawling, noise-laden cinematics aren't really made for group consumption.

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Bryan Derballa/via Vice

[Hipster Puppies joke.]

Vice's Fashion Week Party
Westway
Wednesday, February 8

Better than: Not getting into the secret Skrillex show.

Last night, the line to get into West Village's middle-of-nowhere dance club Westway wrapped around one block in one direction of the door and down two blocks in the other. The strip club-turned-scenester hangout was hosting Vice's Fashion Week party and "doggie fashion show," you see. And despite the maddening flurries of snow and confusion surrounding the mobbed door, hundreds of hip hopefuls braved the cold and, more importantly, the shame of being seen waiting in line at a party where "knowing someone" is the only way you're getting in. The media entrance was no less of a clusterfuck either; the line hosted at least seventy fashion writers, party-o-graphing tumblrers, and nightlife bloggers. (Shout out to GuestOfAGuestOfAGuest.com.)

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Diana Levine/Bushmills

Elijah Wood
The Wooly
Thursday, February 2

Better Than: Reading about Bon Iver on the internet today.

After attending a party called Macaulay Culkin's iPod two months ago, during which I watched the love of my kindergarten days supervise a six-hour playlist and the twenty-somethings that were confused by it, I joked that Elijah Wood, a fellow childhood love and Culkin's on-screen rival in The Good Son, might have better taste in music. Apparently the Internet has ears: Last night we were invited to a Bon Iver hosted party featuring a live DJ set by none other than Frodo himself. And what sane person passes up free drinks and the opportunity to tell Elijah Wood that we loved his work in North? Not us.

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Buraka Som Sistema
Bowery Ballroom
Wednesday, January 11

Better Than: A Tae-Bo workout.

Confetti shooting party-poppers, mega-blasting Super Soakers, sexually charged underagers, and plenty of ass-shaking set the tone for Buraka Som Sistema's New York tour stop at Bowery Ballroom last night. The Portugeuse dance collective is taking the celebration aspect of its newest release, Komba, literally.

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Macaulay Culkin's iPod
(le) poisson rouge
Thursday, December 8

Better than: I would say Elijah Wood's iPod but I don't think that's true.

The giddiness set in about four hours before Macaulay Culkin's party at (le) poisson rouge's gallery bar last night—yes, that Macaulay Culkin. Upon first hearing that the Home Alone star (and former childhood obsession of this reporter) was playing music at a party called Macaulay Culkin's iPod, I impulsively asked him for an interview. There were so many questions: Is he an aspiring DJ now? What kind of iPod are we talking about here? What really happened with Michael? Is there a Culkin family band in the works? Where do you buy your pants? You know, the important stuff. Unfortunately, it was a no-go, as his reply was simply: "I let my iPod do the talking." Well, OK then.

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Tom Oaxley

With the release of their second album I Love You, Dude (Downtown) earlier this year, the dance-pop duo Digitalism left a lot of people wondering if anything had changed. Their full-length debut Idealism, released in 2007, identified the German DJs as creators of expansive, electronic landscapes with a few outstanding club hits with synth-friendly pop affectations (and, in the case of "Pogo," a catchy, love-lorn hook) that aligned them with acts like Cut Copy, the Klaxons, and occasionally even Daft Punk. With their aesthetic carved out of such a niche—Digitalism was to Kitsuné what Justice was to Ed Banger at the time—their next moves were regarded with some curiosity. But even though the times have changed, Digitalism has not. Their new album is reminiscent of their last; melodramatic synths roll over earnestly sung love-songs and uptempo drum-kits in a way that evokes nostalgia for, well, Digitalism circa 2007.

We caught up with the duo to talk about their new release, recording in an abandoned WWII bunker, and collaborating with the Strokes' Julian Casablancas.

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Philip Gamble—a.k.a. Girl Unit—joined the constantly growing cast of post-dubstep producers to come out of the U.K. a little over the a year ago with the release of his EP IRL. The debut—which came out on Night Slugs, the experimental dance imprint run by the London DJs Bok Bok and L-Vis 1990—was full of expertly crafted, drumline-driven bangers. Taking cues from the clap-tracks behind Chicago juke, the chopped rhythms of hip-hop, and the wailing synths of electro-house, Girl Unit has since released a slew of remixes and original productions, including his signature piece "Wut." The track is indicative of his whole style, really: the DJ's obvious love for pairing echoing 808s and glitchy melodies with keen hip-hop sensibility makes his role in the diaspora of "post-dubstep" sound a lot like something that could be described as New Wave R&B.

We talked to Gamble about his introduction to dance music, love of hip-hop, Ciara worship, and upcoming performance at the Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival.

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