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DJ Spooky; Forro in the Dark
“Arguably no one is more responsible
for propagating and embodying the idea
of the deejay as 'artist' than
DJ Spooky. ” –Chicago Tribune
A Halloween party with a downtown NYC twist, featuring drinks, dancing, and the rhythms of DJ Spooky and Forro in the Dark. DJ Spooky (Paul D Miller) is a composer, multimedia artist, writer, and DJ who has remixed artists from Wu-Tang Clan to Metallica and Steve Reich, and has rocked parties, clubs, festivals, and opera houses around the world. A mainstay of New York City clubs like Nublu and Joe’s Pub, Forro in the Dark offer a passionate, updated twist on the infectious Brazilian dance music, called “the party music of Northeastern Brazil” (Village Voice) that has cast a spell on tastemakers like David Byrne, Bebel Gilberto, and Beck.

The New Groove Lounge, an informal nightclub at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum, offers a bar, limited seating, and the best new music.

A Halloween party with a downtown NYC twist, featuring drinks, dancing, and the rhythms of DJ Spooky and Forro in the Dark. DJ Spooky (Paul D. Miller) is a composer, multimedia artist, writer, and DJ who has remixed artists from Wu-Tang Clan and Metallica to Steve Reich, and has rocked parties, clubs, festivals, and opera houses around the world. No ordinary DJ, Spooky is a hip hop theorist who uses the concept of remixing to deconstruct and reimagine American cultural landmarks. He’s toured widely with his multimedia performance piece, “DJ Spooky’s Rebirth of a Nation,” a live re-mix of D. W. Griffith’s controversial silent film landmark The Birth of a Nation (a project commissioned by the Lincoln Center Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, and the Vienna Festival). His latest book for MIT Press, Sound Unbound, is a collection of essays by leading conceptualists such as Brian Eno, Jonathan Lethem, Chuck D, Pierre Boulez, and Moby.

Forro In the Dark is a mainstay of Manhattan clubs like Nublu and Joe’s Pub. Led by Brazilian-born percussionist Mauro Refosco, the band has honed a passionate, updated twist on forro, a genre from northeastern Brazil that combines zydeco-like propulsion with the humor and fatalism of the blues. With the release of its first U.S. album, Bonfires of São João, Forro has won a devoted following, including Beck, Bebel Gilberto and David Byrne, who makes a guest appearance on Bonfires. More than anything, Forro plays party music, full of joy and irresistible grooves.

Close program notes

DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid (turntables)
Forro in the Dark: Guilherme Monteiro (guitar), Jorge Continentino (flute and saxophone), Davi Vieira (percussion), Itaiguara Brandao (guitar), Jorge Amorin (zabumba)