Jackfruit NYC
TSHA w. Elkka, QRTR by Gray Area
Knockdown Center52-19 Flushing Ave., Queens, NY 11378 · Map
This night happened — Sat 20 Jan 2024
GRAY-AREA and Knockdown Center
Press play
Who was billed4 artists
In the order the promoter listed them.
Set times were not published.
Most of these pairings were meeting for the first time that night.
the pairs that have met
3 of the 6 pairings on this bill were first meetings.
- Elkka and Honey Bun — 1 shared bill before that night, first on Sat 20 Jan 2024.
- TSHA and Elkka — 1 shared bill before that night, first on Sat 20 Jan 2024.
- TSHA and Honey Bun — 1 shared bill before that night, first on Sat 20 Jan 2024.
Who they are
“Tipped as “one to watch” by NME, Mixmag, Billboard, DJ Mag and BBC R1’s Pete Tong, TSHA is a London based producer who is quickly emerging as one of the most exciting young artists around.”
their own biography
the whole biography
Tipped as “one to watch” by NME, Mixmag, Billboard, DJ Mag and BBC R1’s Pete Tong, TSHA is a London based producer who is quickly emerging as one of the most exciting young artists around. Her forthcoming EP “Flowers”, without doubt her most ambitious and accomplished body of work so far, will be released on Ninja Tune on Friday 16th October, featuring collaborations with Gabrielle Aplin and Malian griot music group Trio Da Kali. “Flowers” EP is TSHA’s first original music since 2019’s “Moonlight” EP which earned her props from peers (Maribou State, George FitzGerald and Bonobo); radio support from Jamz Supernova (BBC 1Xtra), BBC R1’s Pete Tong and Danny Howard, Triple J, KEXP; and critical acclaim from the likes of Billboard, FADER, NME, Mixmag, FACT, DJ Mag and many more. Towards the end of 2019 TSHA played at the iconic Printworks in London alongside Hunee & Antal (Rush Hour) and Motor City Drum Ensemble, having previously played multiple sets across The Warehouse Project’s 2019 season including showcases by Mura Masa and Annie Mac. TSHA has also been commissioned to remix the likes of Foals, Throwing Snow, Qrion (Anjunadeep), Prospa and most recently, Lianne La Havas.Their RA profile lists Ninja Tune.Recently at Mister H, 40 C · often with JONNY, Disguised, Dj Norma, none of them here that night
“Vibrant releases for Local Action, Ninja Tune and her own label and party, femme culture, have marked her as an unstoppable force within the London underground.”
their own biography
the whole biography
Vibrant releases for Local Action, Ninja Tune and her own label and party, femme culture, have marked her as an unstoppable force within the London underground. This recognition metabolised when she was awarded BBC’s prestigious Essential Mix of the Year in 2021, spotlighting her radiant blend of classic house, breakbeat and experimental electronica to the world over. As the next curator of DJ-Kicks, Elkka is voyaging through rave euphoria. “This is a really special moment for me because DJ-Kicks has been a formative part of my musical education,” she says. An intoxicating journey through Chicago house and disco, leftfield techno, UK bass and electro-punk, Elkka conjures up an atmosphere that is as primed for the club as it is the listener’s interior world. Elkka’s spellbinding DJ-Kicks mix starts with a simple whispered phrase: “Attention, lovers.” As ethereal synths gently undulate out of view, the life-affirming stomp of Shade’s 1978 disco classic Music Is the Only Way (I Can Communicate) comes into sharp focus. “I use track titles to communicate feelings. Often, I can’t verbally express how I feel, but through music, I can,” Elkka smiles. Specially-commissioned originals from artists Elkka admires inject a revitalising power into the mix. Pioneering experimental producer Herbert’s Keep Time (Nobody) is a percussive sound collage helmed by a supernatural, pitch-shifted pop vocal. “The vocals in it sound like Britney or Timbaland, who I obsessed over growing up. To have Herbert involved is like all my worlds in the naughties colliding at once.” London producer Breaka’s Like Water to a Fish deploys d’n’b breaks over a syncopated synthline, whereas Villager’s Monocyclical invokes the bursting energy of its title, acid 303 bass swirling bouncing around a driving 4/4 beat. Elkka’s own exclusive DJ-Kicks contributions further this magpie-like approach, and uncannily ring out like sister tracks. Hands’ lead synth melody and rolling hi-hat is gloriously uplifting, summoning the euphoric physicality of its title. Body is darker, heads-down cut, its chuggy percussion eliciting movement that can only be found in the dance. “You need both sides to everything. I wanted to write music that moves you and instantly evokes feeling. I’ve never connected with music that feels sonically ‘cold’ to me. That's not to say that warmth is always joyful, either – warmth can be anything that pulls you in, making you feel a connection.” This sense of intimacy permeates Elkka’s DJ-Kicks mix. “You have to just trust your own feelings. That’s exactly how I do everything – making sure that my music has my DNA in it and I feel connected to it,” she asserts. This intuitive practice also embodies a message of self-acceptance and community building for the LGBTQ+ community and women, both groups that she has championed since the start of her career: the rapturous trance of Carli’s Lights & Strobes thrust us into peak-time, while Australian producer’s Surusinghe’s Bad Girls is a fast and unexpected ride through UK bass. “Women’s voices and queer voices are very important to me. They always find their way into everything I do really naturally,” she says. Above all, this is a brightly-hued universe for you to get lost in; a portrait of joy and connection, set to the heady sounds of Elkka’s making. “I wanted to make something that was euphoric and celebratory,” she beams, “of everything I love.”Their RA profile lists Ninja Tune, Local Action, Technicolour and Femme Culture.often with Eli Escobar, CLOSED SESSIONS, D'Marquesina, none of them here that night
“Meagan Rodriguez is QRTR, a musician, DJ, and film composer flourishing within modern electronic music, recognized as a top rising indie artist.”
their own biography
the whole biography
Meagan Rodriguez is QRTR, a musician, DJ, and film composer flourishing within modern electronic music, recognized as a top rising indie artist. Building music of conceptual depth, the tonality of QRTR’s productions pull from various ethos: the entrancing and pulsating waves of house rhythms, psychedelic scopes of space and layering, and immersive worlds of sound that utilize her vast film and field recording library. QRTR can activate the biggest of stages and can also immerse the mind into a menagerie of unfolding styles cascading over one another. A singular artist of her generation, QRTR first established her voice with two monumental releases within a 24-month window: Drenched (2020) and infina ad nausea (2021), described by Pitchfork as an “euphoric trip through the mind” filled with “alternative-universe club classics in pastel blues and sludgy blacks” (Paste Magazine). Both records explored themes of submersion, repetition, and endurance. These ideas reach their most realized form on her third album, ONDAS (2025), a deeply personal work that translates those patterns into explicit vocal and lyrical explorations. ONDAS, translating to “waves” in Portuguese and Spanish, reflects on cyclical grief and relief, drawing from QRTR’s multilingual upbringing and a poem written in 2017 to her religious Portuguese mother - an invocation to keep moving forward, again and again, despite the ebb and flow of the tide. The live resume and presentation of QRTR’s music has become just as exemplary, making her presence known at prestigious festivals such as Coachella, Electric Forest, and HARD Summer, while also performing at some of the most cutting edge underground shows and festivals around the globe. Most notable are her appearances at Philly’s Making Time, as well as A2B2’s sold out Night of Fire festival at the Knockdown Center in New York, featuring QRTR alongside Arca, Eartheater, Andy Morin, Machinegirl, and Kero Kero Bonito. Millions of plays across streaming platforms worldwide and a dedicated fan base that’s expanded far outside of her East Coast roots, QRTR has become an undeniable force within modern electronic music. For tour dates, merch + more: www.qrtr.partyTheir RA profile lists Ninja Tune, Dome of Doom, Headroom Records and .WAVCAVE.Last at The Brooklyn Monarch in Dec 2023 · often with Effy, Baru, Samantha Da Silva, none of them here that night
“Honey Bun is an interdisciplinary afro-futurist artist whose work aims to reclaim the black past, affirm the black present, and demand the black future.”
their own biography
the whole biography
Honey Bun is an interdisciplinary afro-futurist artist whose work aims to reclaim the black past, affirm the black present, and demand the black future. Born in New York City, raised in Texas, and now based in Brooklyn, her selections blend the sounds of her east coast roots, southern upbringing, and the ever-evolving and interconnected sonic output of the global black diaspora. As a resident of Brooklyn’s iconic station, The Lot Radio, Honey Bun hosts her monthly show, ‘BUNTOPIA’, captivating listeners with an explorative monthly mix designed to "sonically journey through the cosmos". The sounds of BUNTOPIA extend into a party night often hosted by intimate NYC clubs, Le Bain and Mood Ring, featuring thoughtfully curated lineups of guest DJs, artists, and friends who share a similar future-forward approach to dance music. When on planet Earth, the sun sets, and the vibrant streets of Brooklyn come alive with the sounds of Soul Connection, a party series co-founded by Honey Bun and Lovie. Together and in community, they connect the mind, body and soul through an essential night of dancing and deep groove filled with glowing soulful house, disco, funk and r&b. Often selected as an RA pick of the week, the beloved party centers intergenerational Black femme DJs and prioritizes cultivating comfortable and love-filled dance floors between renowned Brooklyn clubs, Good Room, Nowadays and Public Records. Honey Bun is a highly sought after addition to any of NYC’s most exciting club nights, as a guest DJ alongside major touring international artists, and trusted by the underground scene to stand alone with the ever-precious all-nighter extended set. Her flexibility and fearlessness to take on any dance floor is reflective of her reputation as an “omnivorous selector” with a record collection and taste that runs wide and deep. While sensual and playful, she can carefully brew peak time moments of heady bass lines, famed drum breaks, and classic Detroit techno, all aiding in her natural inclination to buzz between universes with just a twist of a knob. A reputation that has earned her a newly minted residency at famed nightclub, Nowadays, in Queens, NY. Internationally recognized, Honey Bun has graced the airwaves of prominent stations such as Foundation FM, Rinse FM, Rinse France, and Balamii, along with highly-acclaimed club appearances across western Europe and the UK. Her style has earned her spots on esteemed festival lineups such as Sustain Release, Making Time, headlining the Brooklyn Mirage stage of Boiler Room Festival, and the Red Bull stage for The Governor’s Ball. She is often tapped as the local guest DJ to join international tours of artists like Disclosure, Nia Archives, HAAi, Palms Trax, Gerd Janson, TSHA, Benji B and more. Beyond her DJ work, she was previously the video host for Noisey's Questionnaire of Life and a producer of Emmy-award nominated music documentary series, The Story Of, showcasing her versatility in the music domain.Recently at Mood Ring, Mansions, Good Room · often with Lovie, Ayanna Heaven, Sevyn, none of them here that night
names these artists often play with — not that night
- Lovie23 with Honey Bun
- Stonie Blue8 with Honey Bun
- Ayanna Heaven6 with Honey Bun
- beewack5 with Honey Bun
- Rose Kourts5 with Honey Bun
- Sevyn4 with Honey Bun
- Marco Weibel3 with Honey Bun
- VARSHA3 with Honey Bun
117 said they were going — much quieter than a usual Saturday at Knockdown Center.
how this compares
- Median final count, Saturdays at Knockdown Center268
- Middle half finished between121 and 553
- Past Saturdays at this venue counted86
The room
Knockdown Center — 251 events and 819 distinct artists since Aug 2023.
Most-tagged here: Techno (11), House (9), Tech House (7), Garage (6) and Deep House (4). genre tags on this room’s listings
Who put it on
GRAY-AREA — 429 events and 994 artists since Aug 2023.