Out with the Lights and in with the Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival!

Brooklyn was the go-to spot last weekend, as there were many great line-ups for the Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival.  It was a pleasure being present twice at this amazing festival at Output!  Each of the different DJs had their own voice and style to share with the crowds, making it an experience I will never forget.  The nights were full of creative sets spun by John Digweed, Mario Basanov, Mathias Kaden, and many more.  I’ve never been able to experience the sound system and building layout at Output, so it was fate when both nights happened to be there.  At Output, the DJ sets are held in two rooms at the same time with the rooftop area open for any resting festivalgoers.  The choices of  music and atmospheres from these nights kept my weekend captivating and exciting!

The first night started on Friday November 8th where Naveen G opened his set in Output’s main dance room.  His set was infused with exotic tunes and lengthy pauses of the beat.  This kept the crowd suspended for a timing as much as 2-3 minutes which created better drops for the crowd. The end of his set was a mix of house beats and middle-eastern melodies that swirled and entranced me by its beauty.  The transition into John Digweeds anticipated 6 hour set was smooth and well mixed.  The air had a smoky aura and laser lights became a smudge of colors compared to the usual electric streaks.   As the crowd increased in size, dancing room was limited and I could only sway as one with the audience.  John Digweed took over the scene around 12am and had a warm welcome, as his audience was excited to see him.  The house was full by now as people gathered around the bars, balcony, lounges, and dance floor.  His set flourished with an underlying techno beat topped with constant entrances of new sound frequencies and colors.  He did a flawless job experimenting with the synthesizers in his productions, making it sound out of the ordinary and awe-inspiring.  For me, his music was very artistic in the way he created a visual image.  His clear structure, layout, sound choice, and compelling dance pulses created phenomenal electronic soundscapes.

Moving away from the main dance room I entered the Panther Room, an intimate sized room with a ravishing chandelier of disco balls touring above.  The room had a warm feel with its deep red color schemes, lounge sofas, and a fireplace that burned behind the corner of the room.  The room’s impression well matched Nicolas Matars set as he gave the crowd some dark groovy sounds.  I listened to Matar for about an hour until Mario Basanov took over at 3am.  Mario Basanov, or Marijus Adomaitis, is a Lithuanian producer, musician, and world renowned DJ.  He is known for weaving together the specified genres of broken beat, house, new jazz, and disco.  He also has the amazing ability to place a pop-infused vocal in a techno/house style.  Since 2009, Mario Basanov focused his sets with the disco groove, creating top hits such as “Do you Remember?” and “Caribbean Girl”.  London’s Needwant label released his album “Journey” which became a big hit.  I highly recommend checking out his album for some of his great productions.  I was so happy to finally see him perform live after following his music online.  Mario Basanov’s set at Output had the crowd dancing hard at 3am.  The beats he produced were earthy and easy to dance to.  His set lasted well into 6am on Saturday, wrapping up my first night on a very good demeanor.

Lenny Posso opened with his set on the second night, Saturday November 9th.  He was born and raised in NYC and has been in the electronic music scene for about 20 years.  Lenny Posso started the night off with a warm and welcoming atmosphere as the festivalgoers gathered in Output’s main room.  At the same time, another well-known DJ from New York, Justin Miller was spinning in the Panther Room.  I could hear how he brought together the old and new styles of techno within a deep house manner.  His knowledge of music came from his long time employment at DFA Records.  He now owns his own label, HAKT recordings, and remains growing and performing with his career.  I loved hearing his set and watching him connect with the crowd.  At about 1am, I came back to the main room to find the crowd going hard with Mathias Kaden’s techno dance party.  The combination of funk and techno were brought together making it a lively and energetic set to dance to.  In the meantime, DJ/producer from Denmark, Kasper Bjorke, kept the party going in the Panther Room from 1-4am until Justin Miller came back to close the early morning.  After Kadens set, the folks in Output’s main room got a taste of fervent techno by Netherlands own, Steve Rachmad.  There is a sense of power and maturity in his set, which was not surprising since he is a major part of the Europe’s developing electro underground scene.  Steve Rachmad is most identified with Detroit’s techno scene along with stimulating layers and a soft base.  Overall it was a dynamic ending at 6am, leaving the audience elated and appeased.

As a constant listener and follower of electronic music, the Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival opened many levels of inspiration and knowledge for me.  I look forward to the arrival of many artists to come in the techno scene and hope this review will inspire you to go into the world of underground deep house.  For now, open your ears to new sounds and rhythms with a mix from one of the artists of this weekend’s Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival, Mathias Kaden.

Fall Fashion: The Definitive Looks of 10 Brooklyn Neighborhoods

Red Hook
Industrial buildings and harbor vistas are the ideal backdrops for Red Hook residents to showcase their style. Even the most put together denizens don’t look like they’re trying when pairing clogs with socks, nor do they look out of place next to the guy who hasn’t washed his coveralls in a year. We like to think this results from living in a neighborhood that’s off the grid, a place where fashion tends to be practical as well as stylish because you’ll need to walk or bike a long way to get anywhere—but you’ll look good while doing so.
Best High-End Antique jewelry Store: Erie Basin, 388 Van Brunt Street
Best Clothes-and-Everything-Else Vintage: Tiburon Vintage, 392 Van Brunt Street
Best Place for Locally Made Clothes: Brooklyn Collective, 212 Columbia Street

Park Slope
The trend in Park Slope is to avoid trends. You might be inclined to say that your average Sloper is a bit boring, a bit reserved, but we say that not trying too hard isn’t a bad thing. While toddlers and strollers are a common accessory, that doesn’t mean residents are all draped in frumpy khakis and polos. Steven Alan and Madewell pieces are in abundance, and classic effortlessness rules the streets.
Best Men’s Vintage: Odd Twin, 164 Fifth Avenue
Best Women’s Clothing: Bird, 316 Fifth Avenue
Best Place for Eyewear: Eye Shoppe on 7th, 107 Seventh Avenue

Williamsburg
Ok, despite Williamsburg residents’ tendency to try really, really hard, you can’t deny that people here look great. From the early twentysomethings mixing 90s hip-hop with 50s teen to the Rick Owens-wearing goth giant, your typical Williamsburger has a super stylish personal aesthetic. It also doesn’t hurt that the neighborhood’s boutiques are filled with both established and up-and-coming brands, or that the Brooklyn Flea’s vintage purveyors descend on the ‘hood every weekend.
Best Vintage Ever (Yes, Ever): Stella Dallas, 285 N. 6th Street
Best Local Designer Who Isn’t a Goth: Meg, 54 N. 6th Street
Best Menswear: H.W. Carter and Sons, 127 N. 6th Street

Fort Greene
Fort Greene’s parks and beautiful brownstones make everyone look good, but what makes the very best outfits stand out is all in the details. In a neighborhood filled with all types of creative professionals, form and content are emphasized in subtle contrasts and pairings, making the average outfit exceptional. The nabe isn’t without its bold sartorialists, however, and high-waisted skinnies are often seen next to airy daishikis and bright, billowy rompers.
Best Place to Blow All Your Money: Brooklyn Flea, 176 Lafayette Avenue
Best Menswear and Womenswear: French Garment Cleaners Co., 85 Lafayette Avenue
Best Flowers: Thistle & Clover, 221 DeKalb Avenue

Greenpoint
We’ve yet to see a bigger collection of tattoo-clad men and women than in Greenpoint, and it’s also probably the only place where a majority of guys use mustache wax. Greenpoint’s style falls somewhere between Americana and punk/metal, and it’s one of the last places in Brooklyn where you’ll still find old punks kicking around. In addition to beards, it’s also got the most classic haircuts in the borough, girls included. Did we mention it’s also the cool dad capital of Brooklyn?
Best Buy-Sell-Trade: Fox & Fawn, 570 Manhattan Avenue
Best Place for Denim Nerds: Kill Devil Hill, 170 Franklin Street
Best One-Stop Shopping: Alter, 109 & 140 Franklin Street

Bushwick
Was that Grimes that just snubbed us? Kidding! Here in Bushwick you’ll find tons of tiny shorts, ironic garments, and hair bleached to the extreme. Actually, everything here hedges extreme: fringed shirts that probably cost half your rent and creepers that go just a little too high. Guys can also be seen wearing cut-off shorts, often topped with homemade tie-dyed shirts. And, oh yeah: shaved temples.
Best Vintage For Everybody: Urban Jungle, 118 Knickerbocker Street
Best Curated Vintage: C O L L E C T I O N S, 16a Wilson Avenue
Best Vintage for Weirdos: Nouveau Vieux (at The Loom), 1087 Flushing Avenue

Carroll Gardens
A little preppy, a bit hippie, a little bit... other assorted throwbacks. We’d be hard pressed to say that people don’t generally look great on the streets of Carroll Gardens. The neighborhood has plenty of high-end vintage and antiques stores, so be sure to keep an eye out for the gentleman with the 1930s three-piece suit. Beyond vintage, some of Brooklyn’s best boutiques call Carroll Gardens and neighboring Cobble Hill home, guaranteeing that people here have an easy time looking good.
Best Vintage for Dudes Who Want to Look Old: Olaf’s, 453 Court Street
Best Shop for Tough Guys & Gals:Smith & Butler, 225 Smith Street
Best Womenswear: Article&, 198 Smith Street

Bed-Stuy
You might say Bed-Stuy’s style is a less annoying version of Bushwick’s or Williamsburg’s while retaining all the trendy edge. Cut-offs are common, but they generally stop at the knee, and people are totally into band T-shirts and dirty Vans. You’ll also see a ton of kids on skateboards with slim raglan sweaters and chunky skate shoes. There’s plenty of denim; even the Canadian tuxedo manages to look pretty good here.
Best Curated Vintage: Miss Master’s Closet, 1070 Bedford Avenue
Best Giant Thrift Store:Salvation Army, 22 Quincy Street
Best Vintage and Local Design Boutique: Vianova, 711 Myrtle Avenue

DUMBO
While there are plenty of tourists in T-shirts and jeans in DUMBO, the influx of all kinds of hip, young companies has brought the fashion here to a whole new level. What we mean is, sporting a funky take on a three-piece suit is totally cool at your new office job. And since cobblestone streets and stellar views abound in DUMBO, you’re likely to see a model or two tripping around in impractical shoes, looking great all the way down.
Best Boutique for Ladies Who Love Neutral Tones: Zoe, 68 Washington Street
Best Menswear: Modern Anthology, 68 Jay Street
Best Boutique For Fancy yet Breezy Styles: Nos, 81 Front Street

Brooklyn Heights
So. Brooklyn Heights may lean toward the more reserved and drab side, but that doesn’t mean there’s not great style to be found. With a handful of bespoke tailors and even more solid and reliable custom tailors, you’re likely to see everyone just a little bit more dressed up than they should be for a Sunday. But who doesn’t love a good $500 linen suit?
Best Shop for Couples Who Want to Have Twinsie Days: Steven Alan, 349 Atlantic Avenue
Best Place for Fancy Ladies:Tango, 145 Montague Street
Best Place for Fancy Dudes: Goose Barnacle, 91 Atlantic Avenue

Credit : BKMag.com

For Brooklyn’s New Arena, Day 1 Brings Hip-Hop Fans and Protests

After nine years as the focal point of a pitched confrontation over urban development, power and basketball, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn began its first day of life on Friday with the hip-hop superstar Jay-Z performing at a sold-out concert while activists outside the arena reminded attendees of the unfulfilled promises of the center’s developer.

Under weeping, sun-starved skies, the surrounding streets were animated from early morning. Curiosity-seekers without tickets staked out viewing spots in hopes of glimpsing notables and to bear witness to a milestone. 

“We thought Beyoncé was going to come out the side,” said Josie Mignone, 68, a lifelong Brooklyn resident who walked over to the center with her husband from their nearby apartment 11 hours before the start of the concert. After making a few detours to weigh bargains at some stores, they planted themselves in the Starbucks on the arena’s ground floor and had some free samples.

“This is a big event for us Brooklyn people,” Ms. Mignone said. 

By early afternoon, dozens of workers were filing through a back door, many of them reporting for their first day of a new job. 

There had been a frenzied push to complete the arena in time for this night, and even hours before the doors opened, hurried preparations were still going on. Ladders were evident everywhere, as workers scrambled up them to fiddle with light fixtures. Other workers were carting in big steel racks filled with bottles of red wine and high-priced vodkas. Larry Banks, 19, from Ridgewood, Queens, arrived to do janitorial work, probably restroom duty, still unsure of the assignment.

“It’s history right here,” he said. “And I’m working, keeping it together.” 

Dozens of opponents staged protests throughout the day. At dusk, thousands arrived to see the show — to hear a superstar rapper who grew up in a Brooklyn housing project. Many wore T-shirts and caps that suggested the new arena’s role in invigorating pride in this borough. 

Then there was Daphne Carr, 34, uncomfortably straddling two worlds. She slept outside the arena on Thursday night and held a sign: “Brooklyn Sold but We Ain’t Buying.” But unlike other protesters who have sworn never to enter the Barclays Center for an event, she acknowledged with a shrug that she was attending Jay-Z’s concert on Saturday. 

“It makes me complicit in a world of evil,” she said. “I know that.”

But she said she got tickets free and was a quiet connoisseur of Jay-Z’s music.

This was more than an inaugural concert. It was also a demarcation point in a searing battle that took on the contours of a morality play. 

The long-delayed $1 billion arena — which as the home of the transplanted Brooklyn Nets returns a major-league sports team to Brooklyn for the first time in more than half a century — has become a metaphor for the trials of change in an already changing borough. 

More than 14,000 fans representing a broad assemblage of people funneled into the center. At the insistence of Jay-Z, nearly half of the tickets were priced at $29.50, plus fees, while choice seats sold on the resale market for thousands of dollars. The true upper end were the 11 superluxurious floor-level suites, known as the Vault, which lease for $550,000 a year, with a three-year minimum contract. 

The developer Bruce C. Ratner watched from one luxury suite, while Mikhail Prokohorov, the Russian billionaire who owns the Nets, occupied his own suite. Most of the Nets players attended, many of them at the invitation of Deron Williams, the star point guard, who has a luxury suite as well.

The arena left little free of corporate sponsorship. There were phone-charging booths from MetroPCS and entrances named for Geico and EmblemHealth. Women in gowns handed out $5 gift certificates to the Foxwoods casino. 

As the 8 p.m. concert time came, lines outside the main entrance were still hundreds deep, as entry was slowed by everyone’s passage through metal detectors. The start of the concert was delayed while a D.J. entertained the crowd.

The crowd was growing fidgety as the lights finally dimmed at almost 9:45. A slide show recounted aspects of Brooklyn’s history, including the Brooklyn Bridge, the Beastie Boys, Ebbets Field and finally the Brooklyn Nets. Jay-Z took the stage in a white Nets hat and a black Nets jersey — No. 4, with “Carter,” his actual last name, across the back. Before a projection of city projects, he said, “Today is a celebration, a celebration of the place where I’m from. When I say, ‘Is Brooklyn in the house,’ I want to hear everybody. Is Brooklyn in the house?” The crowd roared.

Meanwhile, many residents of the surrounding neighborhoods of Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Fort Greene and Boerum Hill remained apprehensive about the arena’s opening. 

The swooping glass-and-rusted-steel structure, at the intersection of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues in the heart of New York’s most populous borough, is the first element of a proposed $4.9 billion, heavily taxpayer-subsidized Atlantic Yards development, the biggest ever tried in Brooklyn. The project is designed to squeeze 15 housing towers and a possible hotel or commercial building onto a 22-acre plot, adding thousands of permanent jobs and affordable housing units. 

Yet none of the other buildings have risen, and many concerns persist about them and the levers used along the way by Mr. Ratner and his Forest City Ratner Companies. 

Forest City Ratner, which also built the headquarters of The New York Times in Midtown, imagines completion of the project may span 25 years, far more than its original 10-year estimate. Groundbreaking on the first residential tower is scheduled for December. 

After so much queasiness and competing prophecies of just what it will mean to put a big arena on this Brooklyn plot, the concert was the first chance to see how it works. Would the traffic be impossible? Would the food satisfy the borough’s increasingly exacting standards? Would drunken fans wake up sleeping families and their dogs? Would enough people come? 

But before any of those questions could be answered, the protests — a staple of the construction zone for years — went on. 

The protests outside the center throughout Friday were, for the most part, modest in size and often included farce as a means of expression. They involved a news conference beneath the entrance canopy, sermons, bits of street theater and coordinated Twitter posts. 

The demonstrators, some of whom slept on the street the night before, rarely numbered more than 50.

Several women, done up in outlandish wigs, rhinestone jewelry and garish sunglasses, wore sandwich boards that said: “Billionaires for Barclays. Who’s in Your Pocket?” 

The activist performer Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping appeared in a white suit, white boots and clerical collar and lamented that “Bruce Ratner figures” are destroying neighborhoods around the world. 

About 6:30, a small group of protesters spied Marty Markowitz, the Brooklyn borough president, heading toward a side entrance. They chased him down the block shouting, “You can’t negotiate with a monopolist!”

In reaction to the protesters, Joe DePlasco, a spokesman for Mr. Ratner, said, “We are 100 percent committed to the affordable housing, jobs and other benefits of Atlantic Yards and welcome those who were against them at the start to work with us to achieve them going forward.” 

Jay-Z, who will perform eight concerts to open the Barclays Center, has left his imprint throughout the project. He has leveraged his tiny stake in the Brooklyn Nets and the arena into an outsize presence as one of the public faces of the project, including helping design the team’s insignia and uniforms. He also owns an upscale club called 40/40 inside the center. 

The Nets are the center’s principal tenant, the first major sports team in Brooklyn since the Dodgers broke the borough’s heart by leaving for the West Coast in 1957. On Oct. 15, the Nets will play their initial preseason game at the 18,200-seat arena, and on Nov. 1, they will take to the court to start the basketball season against the Knicks, from the borough next door. 

Some of those who came by for a look on Friday were already revisiting their team allegiances. Niema Saunders, who lives 10 minutes away, pushed her daughter, Sierra, past the building in a stroller. A Knicks fan, she said proximity had forced a re-evaluation. “It’s finally finished,” she said in explaining her intention to root for the Nets. “And it’s closer.”

Marcus Bruny, 24, a security guard from Canarsie, was unconflicted. He arrived for the concert wearing a Nets jersey, Nets jacket and Nets hat. “It’s only right,” he said. “I’m going hard for Brooklyn, that’s where I’m from.” 

To get a sense of the center’s impact, Stephen Levin, a city councilman, patrolled the blocks around the arena with constituents as concertgoers arrived. In the hours before the doors opened, though, traffic on the main avenues did not seem unusually heavy. One fan who drove to the arena said he had no trouble parking four blocks away. 

At one point, a Columbia University class on urban design collected outside the front entrance to contemplate the stew of issues the new building raised. 

Local businesses near the center, any number of which have gravitated to the area recently, were keen on attracting the extra passers-by for themselves. 

At the Italian restaurant Va Beh’, an extra worker had been recruited for the evening to prepare pasta. The place expected to remain open as late as 1 a.m., two hours later than customary.

A neighbor, Yayo’s Latin Cuisine, planned on an even longer night, because of a different concern. It operates a small parking lot across the street for its customers. 

“Even friends are going to come here and say, ‘I’ll have dinner, leave my car there, go to the Barclays Center,’ “ said Robert Garcia, the manager. “That’s not going to happen.”

Mr. Garcia said the restaurant had assigned two bouncers to guard the lot. 

Credit : NY Times

On Opening Night, The Barclays Center Becomes Jay-Z’s House

Entertainer Jay-Z performs on stage at the newly built Barclays Center.

Jay-Z has less than a 1% stake in the Brooklyn Nets, but he claimed ownership of the Barclays Center on its opening night Friday in New York.
“Welcome to my house!” he shouted near the beginning of his two-hour set, wearing a black and white Nets jersey emblazoned with the number 4 and his last name, Carter. He stalked a narrow strip of stage, which banked upward behind him to where members of his band occupied slots in the surface. The smooth surfaces formed a sort of open mouth behind the rapper and a glossy screen for cascading lights and video.
Before he took the stage, snapshots of Brooklyn slid across the backdrop, bridging moments in history that included the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge (1883) and the opening of Ebbets Field (1913). There was also an image of the late rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard, who was born in the borough.

Last night was the first of eight inaugural shows at the venue for Jay-Z. A sold-out crowd of about 18,000 people filled the hulking building, sheathed in panels of steel. Inside, a cross-section of New Yorkers jostled along the passageways of muted gray, some joking about “the new arena smell” as they loaded up on beer, burgers, sushi and sweets from the Brooklyn cheesecake mecca, Junior’s.

Credit : WSJ Online

Barclays Arena Rivals the Garden’s Glow

The Barclays Center is scheduled to open on Friday.

WHEN Jay-Z takes the stage on Friday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, it will be more than the triumphant homecoming of a native son, performing eight sold-out nights in a sparkling new arena near the housing project where he grew up. It is also the official opening of an 18,000-seat performance space that will fundamentally transform the music scene in New York City.

Jay-Z is scheduled to perform eight concerts at the new arena.

The arena’s opening is being closely watched in the music business, and perhaps nowhere more so than in Manhattan, at Madison Square Garden, which for generations has been the only game in town for arena acts and has earned a reputation as a career-defining concert hall. 

Though Garden officials and Barclays executives are both careful to say that the arenas are not in direct competition for big-name bands, concert promoters and booking agents say such competition is inevitable, and Barclays has already positioned itself as an alternative, booking several marquee performers who have played the Garden in the past. 

“Barclays is going to say, ‘Hey, if you want to play New York City, you have two choices,’ ” said Jim Glancy, a partner in the Bowery Presents, a New York concert promoter. 

With three professional sports teams and St. John’s basketball, the Garden’s calendar has long been extremely crowded, making it a headache for tour planners seeking an open night in the city; its calendar has been even tighter over the last two years as it has undergone renovations. 

And while the Garden is considered a prestigious place to play — a high-profile arena in the media capital of North America — it is not always a lucrative one. The costs of doing a show there are high and profit margins low, promoters say. What’s more, it is hard to get two nights in a row there, even if the band or performer is capable of selling out two dates. 

“I consider it a godsend Barclays arena is there,” said Randy Phillips, the chief executive of AEG Live, one of the largest promoters in the country. “Prior to this we were really kind of held hostage on a tour to the availability of Madison Square Garden.” 

The new $1 billion arena rises at the intersection of Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues like a modern sculpture, evoking a crashed alien spacecraft with its rusted-steel-and-glass facade and swooping lines. Inside, it is a sleek study in gray and black broken only by bright digital banners, with steeply raked rows of black seats that descend from the street level into the arena’s bowl. With clear sightlines and acoustic panels over hard surfaces to minimize reverb and noise, the space seems intimate yet open. For some, it is a symbol of Brooklyn’s cultural and economic renaissance, a sign the borough has come back from the long slide that started when the Dodgers left in 1957. But it is also a symbol of the borough’s growing stature as center for the arts. 

Several big acts have added a night in Brooklyn in addition to planned dates at the Garden, among them Neil Young and Crazy Horse, the Who, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and Leonard Cohen. Others who have played the Garden in the past are foregoing it altogether and playing Barclays instead, among them Bob Dylan, Green Day, John Legend, Rihanna and Rush. 

Brett Yormark, the chief executive of the Brooklyn Nets, who will call the arena home, and of Barclays Center, said he did not see it in competition with the Garden. He said there was a demand in New York City for far more arena concerts than the Garden could accommodate.

“We knew there was a void, and a new venue in Brooklyn could be supported by a lot of events that weren’t coming here,” he said. “I don’t look at this as cannibalization in any way. I look at it as truly additive to the market.” 

Melissa Ormond, the president of Madison Square Garden Entertainment, acknowledged that the Garden’s tight calendar has meant it has few dates to offer artists, and that Barclays has benefited, as have the suburban arenas. But she said in an e-mail statement: “We always respect any competition, but the Garden will always be the Garden. We’ve been privileged to be at the center of New York City for more than 130 years, with 400 annual events, the most of any arena in the country. It’s the pinnacle of an artist’s career to play Madison Square Garden.” 

Historically the market for concerts has expanded every time a new arena has been built in the region, a testament to the enormous population within commuting distance of Manhattan. The arrival of the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y; the arena now called the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J.; and the Prudential Center in Newark did not damage Madison Square Garden’s profits.

But the new arena is the first challenge to the Garden’s dominance, and it underlines a growing rivalry between Brooklyn and Manhattan as cultural centers, not to mention the competition between the Knicks and the Nets. “The big question is: Will Barclays expand the marketplace?” said John Scher, a veteran New York City promoter. 

Mr. Scher said the Garden would remain a steppingstone for young artists who need the prestige of a show there to further their careers, even if it means earning less. One such client of his is Jason Mraz, who is playing his first show there on Dec. 11. 

“Not unlike the Yankees, you can’t trade that tradition and that sense of accomplishment for something that’s newer,” Mr. Scher said. “No one can compete on that level with the Garden. But you can compete on cost and efficiency.” 

Not surprisingly, Barclays has undercut the Garden’s prices for performers, which are among the highest in the industry. Several promoters said a band stands to earn between $150,000 and $250,000 more for a sold-out show at Barclays than for one at the Garden. For concertgoers that means ticket prices for some shows will be lower at Barclays as well: Neil Young fans can buy a seat for $58 at Barclays, versus $63 at the Garden, according to Ticketmaster. Yet tickets to other big shows — the Who and Justin Bieber for instance — are roughly the same price at both places. 

If a price war ever develops with the Garden, owned by the publicly traded Madison Square Garden Company, the new arena has deep pockets. Though Jay-Z has a tiny stake in the Nets and the arena, the principal partners behind the new building are the developer Bruce C. Ratner and the Russian billionaire Mikhail D. Prokhorov. 

Mr. Phillips, the chief executive of AEG Live, said the lack of competition in the city’s market had turned the Garden into an exorbitantly expensive space many performers are grudgingly compelled to play. “You’re lucky to break even,” he said. “Now we have a building where we can play and actually make money and the press will come. That’s big for us. That’s going to make the Garden more honest.” 

Still, Marsha Vlasic, the booking agent for Neil Young and several other top-tier performers, said the Garden retains an advantage. She said Mr. Young and his band only decided to play a second concert at Barclays because two dates could not be found at Madison Square Garden. 

Some bands, however, are betting that playing both arenas is a winning strategy, promoters and agents said. The thinking is that Barclays can tap Brooklyn’s 2.6 million residents and, because the arena sits at the junction of several subway lines and a Long Island Rail Road station, it can draw fans from Long Island and Staten Island, while Madison Square Garden tends to pull people from Manhattan, New Jersey and the northern suburbs, promoters said. 

Barclays is likely to develop its own personality as well, as promoters and arena officials discover what sort of acts resonate there. Jay-Z’s run of eight shows and involvement may cement it as a popular hip-hop stage. It also could become a forum for emerging acts that cannot yet command high ticket prices, older artists who want a larger profit margin or performers with ties to Brooklyn’s vibrant indie-rock scene. 

Mr. Glancy said it will take time for the positions of the arenas to become defined. Barclays will enjoy a honeymoon period, as bands and their promoters give it a try, and the Garden’s renovations will not be completed until late next year. “The true test is years away,” Mr. Glancy said. 

Credit : NY Times

EDM Event : Dayglow hits Brooklyn July 15th: tickets on sale at Noon ET

The last time Dayglow came to New York City, it was Alesso and Benny Benassi going hard in the paint at Pier 94 — on New Years Day. Dayglow is returning to the Big Apple on July 15th, and it is relocating to to Brooklyn. The festival will be taking place at the new BK Festival Grounds on Stillwell Avenue. Like another Brooklyn-bound festival — and continuing a trend we are not exactly fond of — Dayglow isn’t announcing the headliners just yet. However, given the number of events taking place, you might be able to figure it out by process of elimination. Tickets are on sale today at Noon EST, and we’ll have the lineup info ASAFP.



Update: Chuckie has taken to Twitter and declared: “Dayglow party in NYC?! Count me in…” It’s still not a 100% confirmation, but things look likely, especially considering his followup Tweet of “Where Brooklyn at!!!!!”

Credit : Dancing Astronaut

Sensation USA: October 26-27th at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, tickets on sale June 8th at Noon EST

It’s official. As we told you earlier this week, Sensation is coming to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center for two shows October 26th and 27th. The event will be a version of Sensation’s “Innerspace” show, which includes “seven intense experiences, an interactive happening full of dazzling show elements and a heart racing production.”
Tickets for the first stateside Sensation event go on sale Friday June 8th at Noon EST through Ticketmaster.com and Sensation.com. Deluxe tickets, regular tickets, and travel packages will be made available, with more information to come on the official Sensation website. Interestingly, the entire event is 21+, and the mandatory dress code is, of course, all white.

Credit : Dancing Astronaut

Hotel BPM brings hip hop-influenced lodging to Greenwood Heights

Hotel, motel, Holiday Innnnnnnn?
Nope, it’s the Hotel BPM — the borough’s, and perhaps the world’s, first hip hop hotel.

“It’s sleek, trendy and sexy, just like me,” said Bijal Panwala, also known as DJ Bijal, the visionary behind the six-story, 76-room getaway on 33rd Street in Greenwood Heights.
The 29-year-old mix master, known for his work on Sirius Satellite Radio, named his lodge after the phrase “beats per minute” — the pace count of a song — and it’s undeniably a rapper’s delight.
There’s a Bijal-crafted playlist ringing out in the halls, a green-and-black color scheme (even the facade has green streaks), and a stash of Vibe, The Source, Rolling Stone, and SPIN magazines in each room.
When guests make reservations, they also make track requests so that they’ll hear their favorite Biggie jam in the bathroom’s speakers. Don’t worry, the mirrors are steam-proof in case guests want to bump the whole album in the bathroom.
The beat don’t stop, but thankfully the rooms are soundproofed.
Hip hop experts say it could be the next big hotel — if it can attract the right mix of old-school events.
“Hip hop culture is already dominating the world,” said James Bernard, a Park Slope resident and founder of hip hop mags The Source and XXL. “I’d like to see this work, but you’ll need to have more than just magazines, murals, and music in the hallway.”
To wit, the young deejay would have to cater to the older generation of hip hop fans who have money and still love old-school parties, according to Bernard.
DJ Bijal, who’s collaborated with the likes of Akon and Che’Nelle, says he’s ready to take on that challenge.
And Brooklyn’s the perfect place to give it a go, according to the turntable wiz.
“I figured what better place to start my career than Brooklyn,” said DJ Bijal, who lives in New Jersey but graduated from Long Island University in Fort Greene. “It’s about music, arts, fun, and being who you are — and so is this hotel.”
Indeed, Brooklyn has been home to some of hip hop’s finest, including Jay-Z, Mos Def, who now goes by the name Yasiin Bey, and the Notorious B.I.G. — natives of Bedford-Stuyvesant.
DJ Bijal said that he opted for Greenwood Heights, however, because it offers respite from the hustle and bustle of the borough’s better known rap hot spots.
“In the words of Jay-Z, ‘You could’ve been anywhere in the world, but you’re here with me,’” said DJ Bijal. “‘I appreciate that.’”
Rooms at Hotel BPM start at $139 for a king bed.
Hotel BPM [139 33rd St. between Fourth and Third avenue], opening May 1. Visit, www.hotelbpmbrooklyn.com.

 

 
 
 

Nightlife : The Hottest Place To Be In Brooklyn Is 2FL

GRAND OPENING OF 2FL !!!!!! WWW.DJJOVE.COM from Mills Supreme on Vimeo.

Video: Russian Dolls, Brighton Beach's Answer To Jersey Shore

You may be fist-pumping in excitement over the upcoming return of Jersey Shore, but will you be saying da or nyet to Russian Dolls? Russian Dolls is Lifetime's new reality show about Russian women (and men) living in Brooklyn. Sheepshead Bites got a hold of the trailer, and it does seem to live up to the producer's promise, "There will be plenty of vodka, techno music and guys wearing Adidas pants, leather jackets and gold chains, and driving souped-up cars. There will also be a lot of hot, decked-out Russian girls." Added bonus: Cocktail weiners in puff pastry!



Lifetime calls the show a "rare and entertaining look at Brighton Beach’s colorful multi-generational families whose dramas and dreams contend with their Russian heritage while living in this famous, alluring, vibrant and highly protective community." Which sort of fits the initial casting call for the show: "Are you the Russian Snooki or The Situation? Are you a super outgoing and fun-loving Russian-American that sometimes sneaks kalbaska, pel'meni and vodka from the fridge? Can people hear the Euro/Techno/Russian music blasting from your car before they see you pull up? ... The cameras will roll as you do what you do best—eat, drink and PARTY."

DP's 1st Annual Polar Bear Swim For Autism

Take a few minutes to register as an individual, team captain, or to join an existing team. Customize your personal web page and invite family and friends to visit it. Login to your personal web page and start fundraising. Or simply make a donation to a participant.

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My Personal Page Welcome to the Donation Page of DP's 1st Annual Polar Bear Swim for Autism My Team Page Thank you for your involvement! Enter Donation Amount Here: *Currency shown: US Dollar $ The minimum on-line donation is $10. This minimum is set to maximize the use of your generous donation. If you would like to make a donation less than $10, please use the donation form link on the bottom left of the page. My Fundraising Goal: $1,000.00 Money Raised to Date: $500.00 If you are unable to donate online, please print out a donation form. Join our team captain, Keith "Sham" Gill and the rest of the DP family in our efforts to support Autism Speaks! ***A $25.00 donation will earn you a t-shirt with the DP Polar Bear Autism Swim logo on it! Email us your address and t-shirt size so we can get it out to you. Our email address is dppolarbearswimforautism@gmail.com. Your support for us and for this important cause is greatly appreciated!Thank you for supporting Autism Speaks. Your contribution is greatly appreciated.