PAN_ACT at The Bunker

Friday June 21
Beyond Booking presents
PAN_ACT Festival NYC at The Bunker

featuring
Regis (Downwards, Blackest Ever Black | Birmingham)
Lee Gamble (PAN | London)
Keith Fullerton Whitman (eMego, PAN | Cambridge) LIVE
Laurel Halo (Hyperdub | Brooklyn) LIVE
Bill Kouligas (PAN) LIVE

at K&K Super Buffet
341 St Nicholas Ave, Queens
21+, 11p-6a
$15 advance, $20 door

In June 2013, ISSUE Project Room and the Goethe-Institut New York present PAN_ACT, a multi-faceted series of performances, talks, and installations exploring parallel strategies in conceptual art, underground dance, and experimental music. Curated by ISSUE Project Room’s Lawrence Kumpf and Berlin-based designer and founder of the PAN label Bill Kouligas, PAN_ACT presents a diverse array of artists working in Berlin, London, Boston, and New York, drawn largely from the PAN roster. Sixteen events span multiple venues including ISSUE Project Room and the Goethe-Institut Wyoming Building, as well as collaborative presentations with MoMA PS1, The Bunker, Make Music New York, and Non-Event (Boston).

more info on PAN_ACT

Regis is the pseudonym of Karl O'Connor, best known for his influential Downwards label that he has run with fellow art terrorist Peter Sutton (Female) since 1993. His work with the recently disbanded Sandwell District collective also turned a lot of heads in recent years. Unconventional and single-minded to say the least, by decentralising the focus on the DJ/producer personality, he remains one of the more highly regarded creative forces within the British techno/electronic scene. Regis has not appeared in New York since he played at The Bunker in 2009.

check out Regis live on the Boiler Room

Lee Gamble came on to our radar last year with two amazing LPs on PAN. One of these albums, "Diversions 1994–1996," was built entirely from samples of breakdowns from Lee's extensive collection of Jungle mixtapes, and heavily lauded as one of 2012's best albums. While these albums showed Lee's strength as a producer of more outsider sounds, we could not help but notice some of the podcasts linked below, which show off Lee's considerable skills as a DJ for educated dancefloors.

check out Lee Gamble's FACT mix
check out Lee Gamble's other mixes on Soundcloud

We are long time fans of Keith Fullerton Whitman, so with his recent album on PAN, his inclusion on The Bunker lineup for PAN_ACT was a no-brainer. Keith is one of the most important figures in modern electronic music, not only because of his own albums and performances which always push at the boundaries of what music can be, but also because of his efforts at Mimaroglu Music Sales, his online store that helps keeps innumerable labels and artists operating on the fringes afloat. We have never heard Keith do the same thing twice, but his current set up involves a modular synthesizer, quadrophonic sound, and a lot of improvisation. Keith usually plays to his environment, so will be interesting to see what he comes up with at a place as offbeat as K&K Super Buffet.

check out KFW's Soundcloud
check out KFW's Vimeo

Higher harmonic energy is the keystone of Laurel Halo's music, which challenges the boundaries between techno, ambient, pop concrete, dub and synthetic psychedelia. Fixed stylistic territories fold in on themselves, time quickens - it’s music for transit and body listening. Meanwhile Halo’s live set has electrified clubs, DIY venues, festivals and museums both in the States and Europe. In the live context Halo’s music becomes heavy, looming and dancefloor driven. As Jon Caramanica of the New York Times has written, "she’s a sharp, and sometimes tantalizing performer who knows how to deploy wobble, drone and nervous energy in refreshing fashion." Laurel's set at The Bunker's event at Unsound last year was a clear highlight of the festival.

check out Laurel's soundcloud

Bill Kouligas is the man behind PAN. He does all of the A&R, the eye-popping graphic design, and a ton of other less glamorous work it takes to keep the DIY label afloat. While Bill's efforts have been more recognized in recent years because of PAN's success, he recroded and performed as Family Battle Snake for many years, and is a fixture in the experimental music world. He is going to open the night's festivities with a live set.

check out PAN's soundcloud

The Bunker presents Hi- Kicks and Neck Snaps

Friday June 28
Beyond Booking and Output present
The Bunker: Hi-Kicks and Neck Snaps edition

featuring
Magda (Items & Things | Berlin)
Mike Servito (The Bunker, Ghostly | Brooklyn)
Carlos Souffront (Interdimensional Transmissions | SF)

at Output
74 Wythe Avenue
21+, 10p-6a
$20 advance, $30 door
Tickets available on RA

Magda of course really needs no introduction. We're pretty sure you're all familiar with her achievements, the huge label she was closely associated with throughout the 00s, and her rise to prominence. What many of you may not know is how Magda is connected to Mike Servito and The Bunker. We first became aware of Magda in the late 90s, when we caught her opening for Richie Hawtin at various events in Detroit and New York. We fell in love with her style of DJing and gave her a Friday night DJ residency the week she moved to NYC at Openair, the short lived but infamous DJ lounge on Saint Mark's Place and Ave A. It was through Magda's bookings for this residency that we made early contact with Daniel Bell, Zip, Sammy Dee, John Tejada, Theo Parrish, Troy Pierce and many other artists. Magda also brought in Mike Servito to play her party, 10+ years before he became the resident DJ at The Bunker. This is how we met. We also met BMG from Interdimensional Transmissions, who we collaborate with on the No Way Back event, through his booking at Magda's Openair party. Turns out she was also tight with Derek Plaslaiko.

Lately Magda has taken Mike Servito under her wing to open for her at a series of events across Europe's biggest clubs called Hi-Kicks and Neck Snaps. These events have been a huge success and Servito wont shut up about how insanely good Magda's DJing was on all of these dates.

Now things have really come full circle. We just got word from Carlos Souffront that he's in town for the Cheesemonger competition (yes, he competes) so we've added him to play the opening set. Carlos has DEEP roots with both Magda and Servito, and everyone is thrilled to have him on board. For those who don't know, Carlos is one of the most creative, visionary DJs in the world. He's made many appearances at The Bunker, Kiss & Tell, and No Way Back over the years; every one different, educational, and extraordinary.