Special Events

12/31/09: Blood & Thunder IV

Thursday December 31, New Years Eve
The Bunker presents Blood & Thunder IV

with
Alex Smoke (Soma, Vakant, Hum+Haw | Glasgow) LIVE
Adultnapper (Ransom Note, Audiomatique | Brooklyn)
Derek Plaslaiko (The Bunker, Spectral | Queens)
Spinoza (Beyond, The Bunker | Brooklyn)
Eric Cloutier (The Bunker | Brooklyn)
Jon Schmidt (The Ranch | Brooklyn)

18 HOURS OF MAYHEM!!
Starts: 10pm, Thursday, December 31, 2009
Ends: 4pm, Friday, January 1, 2010
$20 before midnight, $30 after
free champagne toast at midnight

Public Assembly
70 North 6th Street
Williamsburg, Brooklyn (Map)

Glaswegian Alex Smoke has made quite a name for himself and quickly moved up through the ranks of the techno elite since his debut release in 2004. At only 27 years old, he's already put out two albums on Soma and a slew of great mindfuck singles on the Berlin-based Vakant imprint. Being trained on the cello and piano, Alex's complex arrangements and production techniques really set his sound apart from the minimal masses. His music reflects his broad range of influences, including everything from grime to classical. Anyone who's seen Alex play live knows that his live set far surpasses anything you might expect from hearing his records. His first two sets at The Bunker are probably BOTH in the top five live performances we've ever presented (check The Bunker Podcast set for an excerpt of his set in November 2007). In March of this year, he passed throught The Bunker once again and blessed us with a set of the amazing material from his new album. We have a feeling that in the crazy environment that is Blood & Thunder, he's going to come out swinging and deliver something unforgettable.

We've watched Francis Harris (aka Adultnapper) rise through the scene from just another guy buying records at the local shops to an internationally respected DJ and producer. We've been waiting a looong time for just the right party to welcome this hometown hero into The Bunker family. Francis was resident DJ and co-founder of the infamous Matter/:Form boat parties, the first and best boat parties we've ever been to. Adultnapper has produced over twenty releases in the past three years on labels like Audiomatique, Dirt Crew, Mule Electronic, and his own imprint, Ransom Note. He has appeared at huge clubs around the world, including Circo Loco at DC-10, Weekend, The End, Sunday School for Degenerates, and countless events in NYC for Made Events.

It definitely wouldn't be Blood & Thunder without Derek Plaslaiko, ringleader of late night party antics. What can we really say about him that you don't already know? He pretty much blows up The Bunker every single month, often outshining the special guests. 2009 was a good year for Derek, as he continued to heavily tour the United States, and even made appearances at Berghain and Club der Visionaire in Berlin. Also, his mix of all Spectral material was part of the "Spectral 50" release, on, you guessed it, Spectral Sound. We expect a lot from him, but in 2010 you can expect much more as Derek focuses more energy into his own productions and finally releasing some music.

Bryan Kasenic (aka Spinoza) is known in the electronic music world for throwing many successful parties, playing adventurous DJ sets, launching an influential newsletter, and starting Beyond, his own booking agency. In addition to many sets at The Bunker and House-N-Home in Brooklyn, 2009 saw Spinoza travel for gigs at Watergate in Berlin, Unsound Festival in Krakow, Communikey Festival in Boulder, and Decibel Festival in Seattle. In 2010, he will be celebrating the seventh anniversary of his infamous party, The Bunker, and helping to organize the first Unsound New York Festival.

If you appreciate house and techno music with depth and sophistication played with tight technical skill and genuine feeling, Eric Cloutier should be on your radar. His recent sets around town have become an attraction for dedicated heads seeking a deeper shade of techno than your average weekend warrior. Aside from a few very memorable sets at The Bunker this year, Eric traveled to Japan to play at the Labyrinth Festival, and appeared in Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, Memphis, Vancouver, Boston, and Washington, DC. He put out several well received podcasts in 2008, and is working on a few new ones and delving into the studio for some original productions.

If you havent heard of Jonathan Schmidt by now, you should probably start paying more attention. He doesn't play out all that often, right now, but we think 2010 is going to be a good year for ol' Schmidtty. Born and bred in Philly, Jon started crafting his sound. During a 3-year turn in Boston, he has held residencies at the 808 and Future/Retro Parties. In 2006 he became a resident of the Montreal-base Statik parties and an offical DJ for Archipel of Canada. Since moving to New York, he has been a growing favorite amongst selectors and partygoers in this here town. We are all looking forward to kicking off the new year with one of our best pals and biggest supporters.