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Gather for free house music every week: With the summer season finally heating up, there’s a plethora of free outdoor events in Detroit’s neighborhoods heating up as well. One extra hot offering is the weekly House Music Thursday, hosted at The Congregation cafe and bar near Boston-Edison and Virginia Park. DJ Eternal Student and Mr. Tony Dennis spin soulful house music into the evening, as the tunes pulsate throughout The Congregation’s adjacent garden and out into the neighborhood. The two veterans usually invite a rotating guest DJ to step up, with local legends such as Eddie Fowlkes, the AMX, and Mike “Agent X” Clark taking a turn on the patio in the past. This is the fourth year for the summer series, and while there are usually plenty of seats at the picnic tables during a typical weekday, the garden is packed out with lawn chairs and picnic blankets during House Music Thursday. Food trucks pull up and The Congregation opens an additional bar outside to keep the vibes and drinks flowing. Music typically goes from 5-9 p.m., every Thursday through August. —Joe
The DSO activates its Sosnick Courtyard: Here’s more outdoor mid-week fun, this time hosted by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in the compound’s courtyard. SuperNATURAL is a “shared and safe spiritual experience” curated by Vespre, the musical project of Kaylan Waterman. Happening on this year’s summer solstice, the event will span the universes of R&B, jazz, and deep soul for an evening of human connection and emotional authenticity. Local talent includes Vespre herself, innovative producer/musician Na Bonsai, jazz maestro Ian Finkelstein and the reliably good DJ and producer Meftah. The event will also feature a set from dreamcastmoe, a lifelong resident of Washington, D.C., who has been releasing some very expansive and affecting modern R&B via Ghostly International. Influences from the old guard can be heard in each of these artists, while they also add something wholly fresh and distinctive to their individual sounds. It’s an apt concert to be hosted on the DSO grounds, during the solstice when the barriers between planes are the thinnest. SuperNATURAL starts at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 21, in the DSO’s Sosnick Courtyard. Register for free admission via dso.org. —Joe
Detroit-Berlin Connection Fundrager: This description is just too good not to include, so I’ll share it here: “Since the genesis of the art form, techno’s sibling cities (Detroit and Berlin) have shared a deep connection. A trans-Atlantic fellowship in futuristic dance music that soundtracks the renegade spirit of these two places. This is a musical bond in our shared hope for places that rise from the ashes.” Of course we all know where techno really started, but it’s undeniable that Berlin and Europe helped make the sound global. In the spirit of earnest and constructive collaboration, the Detroit-Berlin Connection organizes an artist residency exchange with their counterpart in Germany, Musicboard Berlin who have together been responsible for over a dozen residencies between the two cities — and counting! The groups have organized a joint fundraiser on Thursday, June 22, at Marble Bar, headlined by current artist resident from Berlin, Souci, with direct support via live sets from Kesswa, Gusto, and DBS. DJs for the evening will include DJ Etta (Blueprint, Submerge), John “Jammin” Collins (UR, Submerge), and a special set from the legendary Detroit Techno Militia. Tickets are available via Resident Advisor! —Broccoli
Liber8 touches down in Detroit for Juneteenth party: There are all kinds of great events taking place this weekend in Detroit to celebrate the Black liberation holiday of Juneteenth (if you’re not familiar with the holiday, there is a great Smithsonian article about it that you can easily find on Google).This year, the organization Black Techno Matters is presenting Liber8, a multi-city Juneteenth celebration that will take place simultaneously in multiple cities, each organized by and featuring black artists. Liber8 313 is taking place on Sunday, June 18 at Spot Lite Detroit, and will feature both some of the city’s established and up-and-coming DJs in an all-femme lineup, beginning with an hour-long panel discussion with the DJs where they will discuss the meaning of liberation for black artists in Detroit, followed by a two-stage event that celebrates the home of techno, the originators of Ttechno, and the next generations to come. Featured artists include Something Blue b2b Kindle, Sabetye b2b DJ Etta, AK b2b Blackmoonchild, and AMX (fka The AM). Also, can we just say that we love a 6 p.m. start time that ends at midnight on a Sunday? You can have some fun while still getting your beauty sleep, all while supporting the important work of Black Techno Matters and some of the incredible artists that call Detroit home. Tickets available via Resident Advisor. —Broccoli
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