Here Are the Ten Best Electronic-Leaning Shows Happening In New York This CMJ Week

Just like fashion week in NYC, CMJ, the yearly festival that's now celebrating their 35th year, is pretty inescapable once it's in motion. When the leaves start to change color, indie acts from all over pile into the Big Apple to play more shows in the span of a week than you could possibly fathom. If it's making you feel overwhelmed (we feel overwhelmed), then rest assured, because we've got your back.

Below, we've compiled the ten most essential "electronically-leaning" acts and events to catch, some of which are not "officially" linked up with the festival, making things just a little easier for you. Because we love you too!

Le1f

Le1f finally has a proper album coming, called Riot Boi, and we're quite excited about it based off its killer lead single "Koi," produced by PC Music-affiliate SOPHIE, as well as his incredibly solid previous mixtapes, Fly Zone, Tree House, and Dark York. You can catch him Friday night at the Cymbal X Terrible Records X Cameo CMJ showcase.

Cameo Gallery, Friday night (Saturday morning) at 12:30 AM, RSVP here.

Xeno and Oaklander

One handy thing about fall is that rejuvenates the appeal of your moody darkwave MP3s. Xeno and Oaklander are one of the finest contemporary acts in that style, and their live performances are all-analog, to. Catch them Thursday night at Ghostly International's label showcase.

Cameo Gallery, Thursday night (Friday monrning) at 12:30 AM., get tickets here.

Cakes da Killa and Princess Nokia

At Rogue Agency X UNO NYC X CAMEO Official CMJ Showcase's, they've done well by our standards and put two stylistically versatile acts on their bill that we really love: Cakes da Killa and Princess Nokia. The former's #IMF EP came out earlier this year, and you can stream Princess Nokia's Metallic Butterfly here.

Cameo Gallery, Saturday night (Sunday morning) 12 AM, get tickets here.

Unofficial #PerreoNYC CMJ Showcase Featuring NAAFI

Mexico City's NAAFI crew has certainly made their presence felt in NYC lately, and we're too psyched for Saturday when two of the crew's DJs, Zutzut and Imaabs, make an appearance at Perreo NYC's unofficial CMJ showcase.

Santos Party House, Saturday at 11 PM, RSVP here.

Neon Indian

It's been a few long years since Neon Indian put out his last album in 2011, but the rollout for his forthcoming record VEGA INTL. Night School is in full swing. It'll definitely be interesting to see how Alan Palomo handles the new material in the live setting: be sure to catch him Wednesday at Webster Hall.

Wednesday night, 8 PM, buy tickets here.

Ryan Hemsworth and Lucas

Ryan Hemsworth just put out a collaborative EP with a Seattle producer called Lucas (who previously released a track through Hemsworth's label Secret Songs) called Taking Flight, which you can stream in full here. On this special occasion, we're definitely psyched to see the duo perform at Palisades on Friday.

Palisades, Friday at 11:45 PM, RSVP here.

DonMonique

DonMonique is one of NY's undeniable up-and-comers, known for the pretty epic single "Pilates (Kendall, Kylie, Miley)" as well as the terrific, recent Thirst Trap EP, produced by Stelios Phili. She'll be playing SOB's tonight with Post Malone.

SOB's, Tonight at 10:30 PM, buy tickets here.

Kero Kero Bonito

There are countless artists working with a saccharine, plastic, and cute aesthetic right now, but with all the tunes in that on SoundCloud, it can be hard to care. The difference with Kero Kero Bonito is that they back up their surface aesthetic with really good pop songs—they'll be playing at Palisades tonight, so definitely be there for that.

Palisades, Tonight at 8 PM, buy tickets here.

Nina Sky

You definitely remember Nina Sky, even if you're not sure that you do. They're known for the iconic '00s single "Move Ya Body," but they're still putting in work, performing at the aforementioned Perreo NYC parties and putting out hits with Smoke DZA. Check them out tonight at Arlene's Grocery.

Arlene's Grocery, Tonight at 7:30, RSVP here. THUMP Presents: Omar-S/Actress

Detroit legend Omar S is joined by Britain's Actress for an all-night throwdown of raw machine funk. Over in the Panther Room, catch THUMP's very own Free Magic's Discovery party with DJ Nature and local talents Soul 2 Seoul.

Output, Friday, 10PM. Tickets

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