On October 7th, we’re proud to turn the venue over to such a unique and fertile mind. Emerson curates and headlines 9000 Dreams, an indoor/outdoor, day/night double bill at Knockdown Center. She leads a live set with the Charm in the Ruins in the evening and plays a late night DJ set indoors. In addition, she’s invited a group of friends and peers for two outstanding lineups. We’d like to take a moment to walk you through some of the highlights on deck.
Fcukers are a new NYC group that has blasted into public consciousness with their ultra-infectious dance pop/electroclash-ish concoctions. Their recent single “Mothers” (nice) vamps with a lanky house swagger, calling to mind Junior Boys, classic Madchester club tunes and similarly silky/joyous strains of dance music. A riff on Beck’s “Devil’s Haircut,” abridged to “Devil’s Cut,” bounces the original’s slacker-hop affect off a rubbery groove worthy of Deee-Lite.
PLO Man is lowkey one of the best house music DJs in the world today. The Canadian-born, Berlin-based artist is part of the crew responsible for the Acting Press label, a hub for a small but dedicated crew of artists reworking the stylish dubby sounds of turn-of-the-millenium underground rave-adjacent electronic music. If his productions swirl with heady spaciousness, his DJ sets are barnstorming, vinyl-only throwdowns. Over the last few years, he’s become a household name for avid clubbers. PLO Man sets are the stuff of legends, whispered of like forgotten lore or gushed over by wide-eyed converts.
Yu Su moves between worlds: the Chinese-born composer/sonic sculptor/DJ conjures feverish environments and rocky, jutting landscapes. Reminiscent of 1970’s “fourth world” music, Yu Su’s intricate works have appeared on labels as unique as RVNG Intl, People’s Potential Unlimited and Music From Memory. Her “Yellow River Blue” album is awash with reverberant percussion, teeming atmosphere and lilting melodic contours. As a DJ, she expertly channels this rich ambiance into floor-twisting dankness.
Germany’s Elissa Suckdog challenges Fcukers for the raunchiest name on the lineup. Her very recent EP (it literally went up on Soundcloud yesterday) “History Will Condemn Me” continues her run of oversaturated, naughty club bangers. There’s a sense of garish play in her music that’s designed to grab you by the collar and drag you onto the dancefloor. Suckdog lets it rip to the n’th degree.
Strange Ranger, like Emerson’s work with the Charm, filters the wide-eyed longing of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s through a modern lens. The group’s soaring “She’s On Fire” calls to mind the biggest singalong moments of the swaying, baggy ballads of groups like the Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays. What sets them apart is a dark, brooding undercurrent that brings out a distinct dimension, cutting against the grain of nostalgia and verging into desperation.
In addition to these artists, Emerson has also invited musclecars, Tony Rainwater and Sadie to complete the lineup. As with the others, each artist contributes something unique to the mix: NY’s musclecars’ sumptuously soulful house, Rainwater’s blissfully freewheeling club sounds and Sadie’s delicate, intimate hyperpop all reflect aspects of Emerson’s oeuvre. In total, 9000 Dreams is a celebration of the unique, the slightly strange, and of course the bold.