Atlanta loves a good dance party.
Although TomorrowWorld 2015 was a logistical disaster this year, the very existence of a 190,000-person EDM festival near Atlanta is a reflection of the city's incredible scope in modern music. Last year's iteration of TomorrowWorld triggered more than $70 million in economic activity in the Atlanta area.
Add to the EDM scene the global influence of Atlanta rap, and it's clear the city is at the forefront of music trend. Yet, perhaps the scene is underground by nature, there just isn’t a reliable place to seek out performance information … until now. Here’s the who, where and when of DJs spinning in Atlanta.
DJ Esco
DJ Esco was recently lauded in an extended GQ feature for possessing "a singular underground power in the American hip-hop industry." In the wide world of hip-hop, Atlanta's own DJ Esco may be the pre-eminent tastemaker alive today; this year he was nominated at the BET Hip-Hop Awards for DJ of the Year. Where might one take in a night of DJ Esco's work? Magic City, of course!
Find Esco at:
Magic City Mondays
Every Monday, 3:00 pm - 3:00 am
241 Forsyth St SW, Atlanta, GA 30303
On Twitter: @EscoMoeCity
Ployd
If you like to party on Monday, you might consider the ambient swag of Slow and Low, a monthly Aisle5 party led by Ployd, a self-described "vibe pusher," who skips the predetermined set list for a more jam-band like exploration fed by the energy of the crowd. You can catch him at Aisle5's next monthly Slow and Low.
"Ployd has been making an impression on the Atlanta music scene all year," said Keiran Neely of the Music Room. "It's been great watching him grow and hearing his sound progress out of the bass-dropping standards of EDM into something more substantial."
Find Ployd at:
Slow and Low, at Aisle5
Oct. 26, 8:00 pm – 3:00 am
1123 Euclid Ave Atlanta, GA 30307
On Twitter: @ploydatl
Treasure Fingers
Atlanta's own Ashley Jones, better known as Treasure Fingers, is making national waves. He recently signed with Fools Gold Records and just landed a residency in New York City that they're calling Psycho Disco. Last Saturday he brought the show -- with all its feel-good, house-funk energy – home to Atlanta; it is the second in an ongoing series of Atlanta shows. Fans of his act can see Treasure Fingers again in December at the Music Room. Time and date for the show are still to be determined.
Find Treasure Fingers at:
Psycho Disco, at the Music Room
December TBD
327 Edgewood Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30312
On Twitter: @treasurefingers
Kai Alce
Veteran producer and DJ Kai Alce brings quiet humility to an industry full of self-promotion. But don't be fooled; Alce is among the elite in Atlanta house music. His production company N.D.ATL (an acronym for the metropolitan trifecta of New York, Detroit and Atlanta) is behind the critically acclaimed The Floating EP. Alce was also co-founder of DEEP -- MJQ's contribution to the Atlanta house scene. You can check him out every fourth Friday as he hosts Distinctive at the Sound Table.
Find Kai Alce at:
Distinctive, at the Sound Table
Oct 23 and Nov 27, 11:00 pm – 3:00 am
483 Edgewood Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30312
On Twitter: @kaialce
Heroes x Villains
Among the originators of the trap music sound that Atlanta made famous through rappers like T.I. and Young Jeezy, Heroes x Villains have been providing instrumental tracks and production to big-name rappers for years. But the most exciting work HxV does is through VAVLT, the collaborative underground platform through which HxV and partners "bridge the gap between Atlanta rap and tasteful electronic music." That unique fusion can be enjoyed live at the Music Room when VAVLT resumes a regularly scheduled run in 2016.
Find Heroes x Villains at:
Q100's Big Wicked
Oct. 30th
200 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA 30303
On Twitter: @WE_ARE_HXV
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