The 2012 CMJ Music Maraton took place last week in New York, and the operative word is “marathon.”
CMJ boasts over 1,300 performances across 80 venues in Manhattan and Brooklyn. It’s come a long way from its humble college radio beginnings, and for thousands of artists, fans, and journalists, it is one of the must-attend music festivals in the US. FACT was in New York for the festivities; here are a few of our favorite under-the-radar performances.
MISUN
The young DC trio continues to impress after debuting this summer. Comprised of smokey-voiced Misun Wojcik and multi-instrumentalist producers Nacey and William DeVon, the pop act has followed up The Sea with the synth pop ballad ‘Met You’ and the trembling ‘Sharpshooter,’ which channels M.I.A’s ’20 Dollar.’ From their head-turning spot opening The Couch Sessions Circus showcase, you’d never know it was only the band’s third performance.
Photo: Celso White
AVA LUNA
The New York six-piece facetiously refers to their music as “nervous pop,” which turns out to be a surprisingly apt description of their fusion of angular post-punk and soulful harmonies. The band released Ice Level earlier this year, and their second album finds the band’s sharp songwriting focused on their pop leanings. Even when things gets messy, as is wont to happen when wrangling six individuals, a swooning vulnerability shines through.
Photo: Celso White
MYKKI BLANCO
With each successive song, the fierce New York rapper continues to move beyond the superficial intrigue of his crossdressing persona. His performance in the cramped basement of the Cake Shop owed as much to old school rap battles as it did to performance art and poetry slams. An imposing figure, Blanco nearly hit the ceiling while vamping and gesticulating through a set that spanned the industrial noise of his Mutant Angels project and his recent dancefloor-rap anthems. (Video from Blanco’s Tumblr Party performance.)
MALUCA
The Dominican partystarter first made waves back in 2009 with the sinewy mambo of ‘El Tigeraso,’ releasing a Mad Decent mixtape and contributing vocals to moombahton bangers by Diplo, Dillon Francis, Tittsworth, and Alvin Risk. Yet despite the growing interest in Latin-influence dance sounds, Maluca (born Natalie Yepez) has not been able to breakthrough like fellow melting pot stirrer (and former Diplo muse) M.I.A. She hopes to change that with her upcoming mixtape, due out this fall.
NINA SKY
After spending nearly a decade dealing with the vagaries of the music industry, Nicole and Natalie Albino are back with their second album Nicole & Natalie, self-released this summer. “Your favorite twins” have a gift for self-assured harmonies and earworm hooks, and over beats by Brenmar, Salaam Remi, and Slimmy Neutron, the twins have transitioned from their early reggaeton sound to contemporary dancefloor pop. The pair’s onstage presence and chemistry is evident, after years of inciting crowds to dance.
MR. MUTHAFUCKIN EXQUIRE
The Brooklyn freakazoid took the stage some time after 1am, but didn’t stay there for long. The ‘Huzzah’ rapper jumped into the crowd, which had been amped up on a steady diet of trap hits for hours, and proceeded to bring the ruckus. The highlight was a sing-along of the anti-romantic grinder ‘Telephuck.’ Gucci Mane wasn’t there to provide his verse, but the kids didn’t seem to care.
MAIN ATTRAKIONZ
A little off the CMJ radar, Main Attrakionz anchored a solid bill at Mishka’s Brooklyn headquarters. The streetwear/culture brand released the breakthrough album by the Bay Area duo. MondreM.A.N. and Squadda B were hyped to play the packed room, opting for the G-funk meets cloud rap of their upcoming album, Bossalinis & Fooliyones.
Photo: Kaitlin Parry
