Together Boston is back, and the festival isn’t showing any signs of slowing. In fact, it’s doing quite the opposite, grabbing some of electronic’s biggest names so that the city can experience underground techno, gorgeous minimalism, and throbbing house without having to travel to Barcelona or Los Angeles. The week-long series of live performances, panels, art installations, and film screenings scattered in different venues kicks off this Sunday and lasts on through the 22nd. To help make scheduling easier, we chose eight acts you should pencil in with Sharpie because, trust us, you won’t want to miss them.
LYCHEE
BOSTON
5/19 @ Lilypad
EARMILK columnist and Virtuality crew member Lychee can beat you in a disc-spinning contest, so don’t bother challenging her. The Boston DJ selects everything from melodic house to dark bangers to build an emotional atmosphere that overtakes you in minutes.
NATASHA DIGGS
NYC
5/21 @ Zuzu
Party like you’re in Tokyo… or Sydney… or Prague. Natasha Diggs has been soundtracking events around the world for over a decade, dressing an old-school sound in modern twists—so well that Erykah Badu, Mark Ronson, and more have asked her to play beside them.
FLOATING POINTS
UK
5/15 @ The Sinclair
Last year, Floating Points’ debut LP won critics over across the board, but he’s been garnering a cult following ever since 2009. He’s finally bringing that melting pot of deep house, slow funk, and disco to Boston, possibly with instruments to be played live in tow.
RIOBAMBA
NYC
5/17 @ Phoenix Landing
Taste the tropics before summer hits. The Ecuadorian-Lithuanian DJ spends her time in Brooklyn building artistic beats that recall bodega yelps as much as they do Colombian dance, urban bass, and traditional Spanish guitar.
BEN UFO
UK
5/22 @ Middlesex Lounge
The Hessle Audio co-founder drops ground-breaking mixes with ease nowadays. Living in the UK allows him to keep close tabs on what’s rising, which, in turn, earned him the title of Fourth Best DJ in the World on Resident Advisor.
BYOOSIK
BOSTON
5/17 @ Middlesex Lounge
Thanks to her Boston-via-Philippines origins, Byoosik imbues hints of psych rock and orchestral sweeps into her underground dance music without crowding the beat, the end product of which is a perfect fit for Berlin clubs at 3 am.
JPHLIP
SAN FRANCISCO
5/21 @ Middle East Downstairs
Jessica Phillippe uncovers rare gems in record stores and brings them to life in new form at her turntable. No one works harder in the game than her, and she pushes you to bring equal game to the dance floor with her warped beats in return.
ACID G
BOSTON
5/20 @ Middle East Upstairs
A local beatmaker too shy to flaunt his work. See him live and you’ll soon do all the street team shouting for him, his unrelenting basement house winning you over immediately since it’s tailor-made for posh club outings.
TOGETHER BOSTON. SUN-SUN 5.15-5.22. VARIOUS VENUES AROUND BOSTON. TOGETHERBOSTON.COM.
