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From The Floor: Jet Jam Presents: Star Slinger & Bondax | 12-06-12

Despite being located in the industrial wasteland we like to call Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Glasslands has become an indie dance haven. And last week, the Jet Jam tour last week brought out a room of Anglophiles en masse.

Jet Jam parties are international affairs curated by UK producer Darren Williams (aka Star Slinger) with visuals contributed by Slovenian artists Michaela Selmani and Anže Sekelj. It's a distinct vision with a focus on future-bass that sports omnipresent vocals and a decidedly R&B aesthetic.

I caught both Bondax and Star Slinger and was completely enamored with the proliferation of vocal-house in both sets. It all reminded me that dancefloors can totally be churches.

Bondax, a teenage duo from Lancaster, are redeeming members of the baby-faced Millennials. George Townsend (age 17) and Adam Kaye (age 18) appear on stage fitted like prom rejects rather than soon-come international dance stars, but the music certainly holds up. Their near-throwback garage vocal tracks are thoroughly produced and then mixed with more urgency than most environments can handle, and the sweet pop-ready builds and breakdowns keep you waiting for what's next.

When Star Slinger mixed onstage, he truly commanded the room. The set was big, bringing his hip-hop aesthetic to an all-house set that, in combination with his recent EP Ladies In The Back, is a true testament that R&B wins over EDM any day. I could make many-a-comment here about the appropriation of R&B by pale-faced white dudes, but from cutting his chops retrofitting jams from Drake and the set he threw down, Slinger is undoubtedly next level.

Best Tweet about the show:  ‏‪@halcyonhabit‬
Bullshitting with Star Slinger before he goes on at ‪@Grasslands‬ in Williamsburg, BK
(Obviously for the "Grasslands" reference… Which, what? When's that place opening?)

From The Floor: A-Trak & A$AP Mob | Best Buy Theater | 11-29-12

(Photo: Nicky Digital)

There are but a few reasons in my New York life to venture to midtown Manhattan, but last night I made the effort to go check out A-Trak, A$AP Rocky and Pusha T at Best Buy Theater. Though, like any rational human, I find Times Square's distracting oversaturation to be a symptomatic of a vast cultural void, my inner DJ-geek got the better of me.

Thankfully, A-Trak went to work last night. The multiple screens around Best Buy made for easy viewing of his legendary talent on the turntables. As a fan, it was a pleasure to experience. He wasn't playing requisite EDM tracks and bangers. He mixed, scratched and ultimately demonstrated that DJing takes actual skill.

The adolescent crowd responded amiably, but weren't as into it as I was. I will always admire A-Trak for showing Kanye the way, wearing a fedora religiously and consistently throwing down on the decks in multiple genres. Even at the mundane Best Buy Theater, on a sparse stage, A-Trak is a performer that's immediately engaging. But this audience was there for A$AP.

My go-to A$AP Mob live review has been the same in the past few years: Better than Odd Future.

A$AP Mob treats stage shows like a team sport. Everyone on stage gets a moment in the spotlight – either on the mic or rocking some half-baked dance move. The performance is not only Rocky & co.'s songs, but also the well-planned skinny jean style of the crew. And last night, what turned into the best part of the whole show was something of a surprise: a booty shaking contest. Painfully good to watch, it was also legitimately brutal, including audience booing and girls getting desperate to the point of undressing onstage.

Best Tweet about the show: @citizen_insane "Whitest, safest crowd ever"