Every October, it arrives in force. Those who aren’t affiliated with the music industry or live outside of New York may not know about it, but rest assured it is a big deal. It is the CMJ Music Marathon. Starting tomorrow and running through Saturday, this annual gathering of industry professionals results in what amounts to the SXSW of the East Coast. The hordes flock to NYC, and in addition to all sorts of panel discussions and conferences, there’s plenty of showcases at bars and clubs all over the city featuring acts you’ve both heard of and ones you hopefully will hear about in the coming years. CMJ can go a long way towards making or breaking a band, and if you’re lucky enough to get a spot on a good bill with a number of other noteworthy artists, it could mean your shot at stardom. Last year’s breakout act was Savages, and look how far they’ve come one year later. Several years back, I was lucky enough to attend CMJ. I’m proud to say that I attended zero discussion panels or conference elements. I spent the entire few days going to see live music and enjoying free drinks when I could get them. During the daytime I slept, and once the sun started to set I found myself wandering all over Manhattan ducking in and out of shows all over the place until the sun was about to come up. One of the best, if not THE best live show I’ve ever witnessed happened around 3AM one night at the Bowery Ballroom when …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, still hot off their “perfect” Source Tags and Codes record, came out on stage drunk and played an incredible set that ended with smashed instruments everywhere and half the crowd climbing on stage to sing with the band. That was a once in a lifetime moment. And so, as my inbox overflows with emails from promoters and record labels telling me all about what they’re doing for CMJ and encouraging me to party with them, I can’t help but feel a little wistful every year around this time. A little voice in my head says that maybe I’ll go again someday…like next year. I don’t know that I have the same fortitude to walk literally miles around Manhattan (I never once took a cab or the subway except to and from the airport), but it’d be great to get back to the city and discover some great new music at some classic concert venues. You should go too. Learn more about the CMJ Music Marathon by going here. Now then, in lieu of discovering new music through CMJ live shows, there’s always a fresh edition of Pick Your Poison to help you uncover the next great artist or band. In today’s set, you’ll want to keep an ear out for tracks from Eureka Birds, Ing, Super Adventure Club, Tic Tic Boom! and Trentalange. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Ejecta, Jeffrey Novak, No Joy, Yamantaka // Sonic Titan, plus James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem) remixing David Bowie.
Black Mekon – Jonny Diamond’s Pink Flamingo Club
Chromeo – Over Your Shoulder (Mr. Oizo Remix)
Die Antwoord – Evil Boy (Niko Javan Remix)
Grigori – What You Want, You Always Steal
pr0files – Call Yourself A Lover
The Relays – You Invented Horror
Super Adventure Club – 9 Times
Times Neue Roman – So Many Females
Victor Porfidio – Miami (Original Mix)
SOUNDCLOUD
Arp – Gravity (Peaking Lights Remix)
David Bowie – Love Is Lost (Hello Steve Reich Remix by James Murphy for The DFA)
Ejecta – It’s Only Love
Jeffrey Novak – Pictures On A Screen
No Joy – Last Boss
Yamantaka // Sonic Titan – Windflower
