Otis Hart

Carnal implications abound on "Sex Mission," a new techno track from the Brooklyn-based musician Laurel Halo. There's the not-exactly-subtle title, and the EP from whence it comes is called Behind the Green Door (out May 21), a nod to a ground-breaking porn flick from the 1970s. The music itself throbs ...

One of my favorite songs last year was a collaboration between a Sengalese drum collective and a German techno producer. The producer, Mark Ernestus traveled to the West African country to work with Jeri-Jeri, a group that plays a popular dance music called mbalax. The result was "

Sometimes all you need for a banging dance track is an unstoppable rhythm and a nuanced hook. Tweak the hook every couple bars, don't mess with the beat too much, and you've got a potential stomper on your hands.

That's the recipe on Kyle Hall's juggernaut "Dr. Crunch," the largest ...

The California duo Classixx treats dance music in much the same way Instagram treats photos: The band's full-length debut, Hanging Gardens (out May 14), feels vibrant and vintage, unmistakably young and unnaturally nostalgic, all at the same time.

It's a trick Michael David and Tyler Blake, both bred in the ...

It's not often that someone on the NPR Music team gets to see his or her favorite band perform a Tiny Desk Concert. After all, you can only have one favorite band, and NPR Music supports a staff of about 20; that means that, of the 250-plus Tiny Desk Concerts ...

There's something about Kurt Vile's voice that transcends whatever comes out of his mouth. He's not classically trained (not even close), and has no traditional range to speak of, but the laid-back Philadelphia guitarist is transfixing all the same. His mumbled words resonate with dogged determination. It's one of ...

We're just two months into 2013, and it's already been a huge year for living legends of British pop. David Bowie bucked the exaggerated reports of his decline with The Next Day, his first album in 10 years. Kevin Shields and My Bloody Valentine created an Internet frenzy by posting ...

There's a line tucked into "Coast to Coast," from Waxahatchee's new album Cerulean Salt, that makes for a great introduction to Katie Crutchfield. After perhaps the most anthemic moment of the record — an exasperated reference to a talk show that keeps truckers and touring musicians awake at the wheel ...

The Museum of Arts & Design is resuscitating chickens, anchovies and other once-animate objects in a new exhibition titled "Dead or Alive," which opens Tuesday, April 27. Check out the slideshow of photos from MAD below and listen to WNYC's Anna Sale preview the series that lends new meaning to the phrase "recycled materials."

Stephin Merritt and his Magnetic Fields are back on tour in support of the group’s new album, Realism. The tour touched down at BAM’s Howard Gillman Opera House for a special Valentine’s Day Eve concert, and you can stream the best four songs from that performance right here.

The great tenor saxophonist entertained a packed house at Park Slope's Barbès last month. Stream the entire concert here.

New York’s Greenwich Village scene of the 1960s gave rise to several talented blues and folk guitarists. One of them was Danny Kalb, who’s still pickin’ and recently performed a great set at Park Slope’s Barbès.

Download "Jim's Polish" by these forebearers of modern metal, then check them out at Le Poisson Rouge tonight.

Colombian neo-traditionalist ensemble La Cumbiamba eNeYé performed a rousing show at Barbès earlier this month. Stream the entire 70-minute set here.

New York, NY —

That's the sound of Rain Machine, one of bands featured in our latest Gig Alert. Every day WNYC's Culture Team helps curate the city's music scene for listeners, offering daily downloads from our website from artists performing in the city that night. And on the ...

Stream a set of Brazilian dance hits by one of New York's premier experts on the matter.

Stream this two-hour set from two of New York's top dance music producers.

Stream the long-awaited New York show by the band that spawned Franz Ferdinand.

Social Mixer is a recurring series of mixes by New York's finest DJs and producers. This week: a set by the fellas behind the weekly party Mister Saturday Night. Stream it here.

One of Brooklyn's finest drummers brought his jazz quartet to Barbès on January 6. Lucky for us, we had just finished installing our remote recording station at the Park Slope venue that day. Stream the show here.