MSTRKRFT
Aimless Google searches aside, GBH stands for partying—the promotional team that started off as a Friday night house music fete has been organizing music events in the city for 10 years now. Attracting a list of downtown artists and boldfaced names to its weekly parties—and endless one-off shows that would make your head spin—GBH has been recognized by Paper magazines as the city's "best promoter" and currently resides Tuesdays at Trashion (The Inn), Thursdays at Cheeky Bastard (Hiro Ballroom) and Fridays at Robot Rock (Movida).
Here’s a rundown of artists toasting ten years of organized ass shaking at Webster Hall on May 16. BUY TICKETS HERE.
MSTRKRFT
"All I do is party, ha ha ha," goes the chorus for MSTRKRFT's new banger "Bounce," featuring rapper N.O.R.E. And we would expect nothing less from them. The Toronto duo is composed of Jesse F. Keeley, half of defunct dance-punk band Death From Above 1979, and Al-P, who produced their the band’s only proper album. MSTRKRFT hasn't released a full-length album since 2006's "The Looks," but they're also masterful remixers, so perhaps they'll play their homespun Wolfmother and Bloc Party cuts.
JAMES MURPHY
He's probably received the most accolades for his work fronting the critically lauded band LCD Soundsystem, but when it comes down to it, James Murphy just wants to make you dance. Tonight, the co-founder of dance-rock label DFA Records takes a break from the band and hits the decks. Murphy doesn't DJ his own stuff unless it's unreleased, so don't expect LCD hits like "Yeah" and "All My Friends," but do be prepared to move.
DOES IT OFFEND YOU, YEAH?
We suspect this British group (named after a line from the British version of "The Office") will open with "We Are Rockstars," off their 2008 debut, "You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into." It would be an apt statement of purpose, though it’s pretty obvious that they will keep with the night’s theme: dance (though rock-oriented here, sounding like a crazily distorted mix of Daft Punk and Rage Against the Machine).
L.A. RIOTS
The members of duo L.A. Riots, Jo'B and Daniel Ledisko, started perking up ears by DJing parties around their home base of Los Angeles, then on the Internet with a remix of Justice's "The Party" in '07. Since that blew up, the pair has been asked to create official remixes for the Cure, Chromeo and up-and-coming rap diva Kid Sister. If these tracks don't get a (non-violent) riot started on the dance floor, we're not sure what will.
GRANDMASTER FLASH
While most of the acts on this bill are all about the now, one represents the old school—real old school. One of the founding fathers of hip-hop, Grandmaster Flash pioneered many of the techniques of modern turntablism, including cutting and scratching. Having elevated the DJ to a position of artistry, Flash literally set the stage for those that followed, much as he'll warm up the wheels of steel tonight. Arrive early to see the legend—Flash and his Furious Five were the first (and so far only) hip-hop act to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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