​There are a few things we can expect from Labor Day weekend, and the annual Electric Zoo festival is one of them. The massive three-day rave takes over Randall's Island with twelve-hour days that boast a million DJs over four separate stages; you'll hear trance, techno, deep house, electro, dubstep, bass, and whatever it is that Snoop Dogg DJs live. Yeah, Snoop Dogg—aka DJ Snoopadelic—is playing a mainstage set alongside the debut live performance by Ritchie Hawtin's Plastikman, electropop icon Calvin Harris, and our old friend Moby.

There's plenty to be seen elsewhere, though, and the acts we most look forward to are usually hidden among the smaller stages. While electro-rave (Sebastian, Busy P, Skrillex, Crookers, Fake Blood) and megaproducers (Afrojack, Diplo, Tiesto) dominate, we're more drawn to SBTRKT, Josh Wink, MSTRKFT, and Jack Beats, not to mention house and techno legends like Carl Cox, Danny Tenaglia, and the Martinez Brothers. As far as the audience is concerned, you can expect crazy costumes, Euro rave queens, shirtless teenagers, and PLUR'ed-out hippies alongside your average dance enthusiast. To quote SNL's Stefon, "This thing has got it all." Set times, ticket prices, transportation, and everything else can be found at the Electric Zoo website. For other weekend options, look below.

More >>

​Start your weekend off with a trip to the Williamsburg Waterfront, where downtempo DJ duo Thievery Corporation celebrate their new release Culture Of Fear with an epic outdoor hang. Tonight their mix of dub, jazz, classical music, and loungey bossa nova will be complemented by performances by neo-soul crooner Raphael Saddiq and Stones Throw's heady funkmaster DâM-FunK. Show starts at 8; tickets are a spendy $50 at the door.

More >>

​Start off your weekend with a well-deserved happy hour: The debut of Nicky Digital and East Side Social Club's Summer Fridays get-together. The casual hang at the Yard at Soho Grand won't be as frou-frou as you might think; features pitcher drink specials, food, and music by tonight's guest Omri S. Quire, who will likely spin a mix of r&b, hip-hop, disco, and relaxed summer vibes from 5 p.m. until sundown. Entrance is free, so grab a friend and order yourself a pitcher of mojitos.

More >>

​Memorial Day weekend is upon us! While that usually means barbecuing and rooftop happy hours, we've got a whole list of dance endeavors on the agenda this weekend too. (What better way to work off those tacos, burgers, and margaritas?)

More >>

​Hey guys, the rapture is upon us. And what's a better way to greet the end of the world than with a dance party? Luckily, there are a bunch happening this weekend.

More >>

​It's Cinco de Mayo! We're going to go ahead and admit that we have no idea why Americans celebrate the holiday other than to over-indulge in margaritas, tacos, and cervezas. As it turns out, though, tonight's schedule of dance parties is more than willing to accommodate.

If you want to get your dose of authentic Mexican music in, start your evening at Mex in the City and Que Bajo's Cinco de Gallo fete at Le Poisson Rouge. Mariachi del Pueblo kicks off the festivities with live norteño (a regional music comprised of accordion and the 12-string bajo sexto), but the night's highlight is a special performance by Tijuana's electronic duo Los Macuanos. The pair warps traditional Mexican sounds with "ominously low frequencies" to create a DJ set of electro folklore, digital cumbia, and tropical space disco. And, as always, Que Bajo residents Uproot Andy and Geko Jones play into the mix as well with all of the above and a some salsa, merengue, and Latin house too. (This pair finds their way into this column somewhat frequently because of their overwhelming nerddom. Listen to Geko Jones' appearance on NPR's Alt Latino to get schooled on the music you'll probably dance to later tonight.) $10 at the door.

More >>

​It is finally spring, y'all. Time to come out from behind your laptops and play in the warm weather.

More >>

​Spring is upon us, and it's only right that we revel in it. Start your weekend off with a taco in hand at Annabelle's opening party. The boutique's two-part celebration starts off with tacos and margaritas (in to-go cups!) at the store, and is followed by an afterparty in the back room of the Lower East Side's White Slab Palace. The latter is where the dancing begins, with a lineup that features The Bangers' Rok One and DJ Jaclyn, Throne of Blood's James Friedman, and Populette's Max Pask. Expect a mix of disco, house, '80s sing-a-long dance jams, and throwback hip-hop from this crew of friends. Free all night, dancing starts at 10 p.m. And if you're looking for an early-evening happy hour that will turn into a few drinks too many, try the grand opening of Bushwick's newest bar, The Morgan. Located at the corner of Bogart and Varet, the space has been relatively quiet, but tonight the doors open to an onslaught of live music with a dance party that features a performance by Iranian post-punkers Yellow Dogs, DJ sets by Mike Dextro and Fully Fitted's Ghostdad, and visual displays courtesy of Eastern District Gallery. Doors at 6 p.m., no cover all night.

More >>

There's no getting around it, this is LCD Soundsystem week. Buy your tickets on Craigslist and be scorned by James Murphy forever if you must--sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

But hey, other things are happening this week too! Tropical dance fete Que Bajo?! has relocated to a new home for their Thursday night getdown, taking over the main space of Le Poisson Rouge tonight, March 31. The party features cumbia, salsa, dancehall, kuduro, moombahton, Latin house, and other warm weather tunes--expect to sweat for real. GHE20 G0TH1K maven Venus X joins residents Geko Jones and Uproot Andy for a special "old school reggaeton" set, while Houston's Panchitron provides more of a Latin house groove. Venus X does not mess around when it comes to queer nightlife (check this Twitter fight with Diplo), so be prepared for the onslaught of her intensely dancing party regulars. We've seen epically emboldened salsa queens flit around the dance floor, recruiting partners out of wallflowers--standing in the background is not really an option. Que Bajo is for dancing, especially tonight. Tickets are $10 in advance.

More >>

​The good thing about this weekend is that your Twitter feeds won't be cluttered with SXSW tweets. Unfortunately, they'll likely be replaced by DJs tweeting about being on the beach in Miami for WMC. (Whatever. It's almost Spring here too.)

Thankfully, at least a handful dance acts decided to stick around town this weekend. Tonight we're most excited about Juan Maclean, who will be holding down this month's edition of Kush Sessions at the Lower East Side's Kush Lounge. Expect an extended DJ set of disco, New Wave, post-punk, house, and indie dance jams (we'll make a bet that remixes by his label-mates at DFA will figure heavily into the night's soundtrack too). DJ Mus and BlaqJeff of the House Spinners and cohort Beymouth open and close the night's festivities. No cover before midnight, $10 after. On the other side of town Nouveau York hosts another set of DFA artists, this time at the Standard's rooftop lounge Le Bain. Still Going's Live Spencer and Eric Duncan headline the soiree with a set that's bound to be heavy on disco, deep house, and plenty of their own dance floor bangers. No cover but we'll suggest that you get there early, look sharp, and drop the promoter's name at the door. And if dubstep amid a mix of stoned-out hippies and teenage ravers is more your steez, head to Webster Hall for Caspa. Rod Azlan, Hellfire Machina, and Proper Villains hold down opening and closing sets. Tickets are $15.

For feel good vibes, head to Tony Touch's NYC Loves Japan benefit at Santos. The $20 required donation includes a massive dance party where Touch's weekly throwdown Toca Tuesdays meets the crews from Funkbox and Rock Steady. Expect a mix of house, dancehall, and reggaeton, and funk courtesy of the battling crews. The night also features a soulful house set by Louie Vega and a heavy dose of hip-hop at the hands of the god Stretch Armstrong.

If you're staying in Brooklyn for the night, head over to Trophy Bar for this month's Close Encounters. Resident DJ Pumpkin Patch and guest Benny B hold down the small dive with a set of hip-hop, soul, funk, disco, and party classics. This party is easy breezy and perfect for those of you who want a quick drink out, an intimate dance floor, or an outdoor patio to get your night started. The open bar at midnight doesn't hurt either. Or try the new South Brooklyn hang Sweet Revenge for sweaty grooves at That's My Jam's latest edition of Ms. Thang. If the name wasn't enough to convince you to pop in, local scene queen DJ Tikka Masala holds down the party with hip-hop, soul, r&b, and reggae all night. The dance party is queer-friendly, but definitely not queer exclusive. Free with RSVP, $5 cover otherwise.

More >>