Us New Yorkers are oftentimes a bit spoiled, especially when it comes to access to amazing music festivals.
By the time November rolls around, we’ve had access to months and months of one-day and multi-day festivals dotted throughout the previous summer and into the fall. Not to mention the usual plethora of regular concerts we get access to, pretty much every night of the week.
But come November, the weather is starting to feel very much like winter, the city starts gearing up for its usual Christmas fanfare and the access to live music starts to dry up a touch. Most acts do the very sensible thing and start to migrate down south to the southern hemisphere to take on the summer music and festival scene that’s cranking up down there. Who can blame them?
But there’s one final last hurrah on New York’s multi-day music festival calendar. And in many ways the city somewhat saves the best till last. The Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival (BEMF) is pretty much the last multi-day music festival on the yearly calendar and, apart from being an excellent come-down after the amazingness that was CMJ two weeks earlier, BEMF is also one of the best music festivals in New York City.
It’s one of the best because it is an indulgence for those of us who adore electronic music. We’re the ones that know that it’s much more than EDM and want to see it showcased rather than wedged in between other genres at a large-scale festival.
The 2014 edition of BEMF took place last weekend. What was it like? Yeah, amazing. I had the fortunate gift of an all-access pass which I took full advantage of by jumping around between the various venues around Williamsburg to sample as much of the festival as possible -- not unlike how you might hop between stages at a regular outdoor festival.
Like it seems to every year, the 2014 edition didn’t disappoint in terms of the range and quality of electronic acts on offer. I saw and experienced a lot, more than I can possibly write about without boring you all to tears. Just know that my standout shows are featured in my playlist.
Also, be sure to check out the interview I did with Chris Malinchak just before his BEMF set here.
