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Weekend Guide: Soul in The Horn, Mike D, DanceAfrica, and More
Make this Memorial Day weekend one for the books with cookouts, block parties, club nights, festivals, fairs, comedy, and so much more
Memorial Day weekend is upon us, and with it, the unofficial beginning of summer. So, appropriately, we’ve got plenty of holiday-themed festivities for you this weekend, from a Carnival celebration to a dance party and a boat ride. There’s also a lineup of incredible DJs, including one former Beastie Boy; plus, our usual array of fascinating, only-in-Brooklyn odds and ends. Check it all out in the Weekend Guide below.
Courtesy of Bossa Nova Civic Club
Thursday, May 21
Life, Death, and Bioethics @ Center for Brooklyn History
6:30 p.m.
The podcast playing god? deals with the thorniest of issues in bioethics, places where medicine collides headlong with morality. The show is kicking off its second season with this live event, where three experts from the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics tell stories, engage in conversation, and debate the issues that affect all of us.
8 Ball Radio Presents: Ass Action Lawsuit @ Bossa Nova Civic Club
7 p.m.
8 Ball Radio is assembling a mighty lineup of associated selectors to litigate the rules and regulations of the dance floor. Pull up ready to party, and leave the cross-fading examinations to the pros.
Afters: Stories of So-Called Endings @ Salon on Kingston
7:30 p.m.
This themed storytelling event, where people tell the stories of what unfolded after an ending while backed by a live jazz band, absolutely blew up recently. Akilah Hughes’ tale from the April edition of the show (if you haven’t seen it yet somehow, it’s here) is about her attempt to make a TV show with [code names ahead] “Lock”—formerly of the sketch comedy duo “Lock” and “Banana”—and how the whole thing fell apart because of “Lock”’s notoriously awful wife. If you want to catch the next crazy Hollywood story before it goes viral, get yourself to this month’s show.
Redirect: DJ Miss Parker, Henry Chow, Mos, Peter Madden, Erik Braun, HNDRNC, skoglund @ Good Room
10 p.m.
DJ Miss Parker’s “encylopedic knowledge of dance music” serves as the the basis for their genre-leaping sets. But those sets are for dancing; they never feel like a history lesson, even when they are. Peter Madden, Mos, and Erik Braun support, and the venue’s “Bad Room” is headlined by Henry Chow.
Courtesy of 99 Scott
Friday, May 22
Why Are You Single? A Singles Game Show with Marie Faustin @ The Bell House
7 p.m.
Faustin puts an unusual spin on the live dating show format with this event, that doesn’t look for the best potential mates, but instead, through questions, games, and outright interrogation, exactly why the players are single. And yes, she hands out literal red flags.
DanceAfrica: Uganda: Umoja/Mirembe/Obulungi (Unity/Peace/Beauty)! @ BAM
7:30 p.m.
The DanceAfrica festival is back for its 49th year. This year’s Uganda-themed program showcases the country’s dance and musical traditions. Performers include Uganda’s Ndere Troupe, Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater, the DanceAfrica Spirit Walkers, and The Billie’s Youth Arts Academy Dance Ensemble.
Soul in the Horn: Natasha Diggs, RES, Osunlade, and more @ 99 Scott
10 p.m.
Any night at Natasha Diggs’ Soul in the Horn series is a good one. But this incarnation is bound to be extra special. Not only is Diggs herself DJing, but the one and only RES is on the bill. Osunlade, Ian Friday, and Karizma also join.
Shivers @ Nitehawk Cinema Williamsburg
11:55 p.m.
Come on out and see an early-career Cronenberg masterpiece the way his movies should be seen: at midnight, with a bunch of fellow obsessives. Shivers (1975) was made after the original Crimes of the Future (not Cronenberg’s unrelated 2022 movie of the same name), but before the films like Scanners and Videodrome that would cement the director’s reputation in the 1980s.
Courtesy of Xanadu
Saturday, May 23
$1 Book Sale, Vintage Gift Shop @ Sheepshead Bay Library
10:30 a.m.
Get that one book you’ve always wanted (you know the one!), along with some cool unexpected gifts. Every dollar you spend goes to help free library programs. If you like what you see, the library is putting on the sale sporadically for the rest of the month. Dates are here.
Fun with Friends Carnival @ Duggal Greenhouse
2 p.m.
It’s our first Memorial Day Weekend event: a day-long Carnvial-themed festival at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. There will be games, food, and tons of DJs including Vashtie and DJ Miss Milan. They’ll be spinning soca, dancehall, hip-hop, R&B, house, Afrobeats, and more.
Mike D @ Xanadu Roller Arts
7 p.m.
The special individual and former Beastie Boy is at Xanadu on both Friday and Saturday. These are the last two of a small handful of shows in NYC and L.A. that he announced earlier this month. Before you go, make sure to check out his brand new solo single “Switch Up.” And if you can’t grab a ticket, there are free after parties following both performances.
Sayako @ Baby’s All Right
7 p.m.
Sayako is a real international act: a German-Pakistani rapper and producer whose visual and musical style is heavily inspired by Japanese manga. He headlines a packed bill that includes Mental, Sprinks, Kumosai, and more.
Why Not Now? Festival @ Industry City
7 p.m.
This new festival is celebrating the best in house, drum & bass, and UK garage on Saturday and Sunday. Tonight’s lineup is headlined by Gorgon City, with Genesi, Linksa, TOBEHONEST, and Dreya V in support.
Courtesy of Laziza
Sunday, May 24
Tingo Retro: Boatride @ Brooklyn Army Terminal
10 a.m.
Dance to the best retro soca and dancehall while on the water. If that isn’t enough of an enticement, BYFARMega will be spinning a two-hour set.
Memorial Day Backyard BBQ + Get Down @ Laziza
3 p.m.
The good folks at Laziza in Stuyvesant Heights are pulling out the grill and a pair of turntables to host the neighborhood this Memorial Day weekend. Music will be provided by Jay Esko and Selly F, cocktails come courtesy of Madre Mescal, and there will be all sorts of deliciously charred food on offer.
THE AFRORAVE @ The House
8 p.m.
The Afrorave promises to bring you “on a journey through the heartbeat of global Black music.” To that end, they’re playing pretty much any diasporic sound you can imagine in a “dance-floor-first environment.” DJs include Kofiama, BringYourFriends, DJ YB, and more.
If you’re a regular Weekend Guide reader, you know we’re a sucker for live film scores, and this one might just take the cake. Films by Buster Keater and Bill Morrison, with music from the legend Bill Frisell, accompanied by Luke Bergman and Tim Angulo. If you can’t make it in person, the screenings will also be livestreamed.
Soca Vs Reggae : Memorial Day Edition @ Brooklyn Roots Collective
10:30 p.m.
Get ready for the borough’s biggest soundclash, as the two genres face off in what is billed as an “epic showdown.” Billionaire Pat, DJ Chris John, DJ Mad Russian, and Khallil NYC will spin.
