Here at Remezcla, we have our own opinions of what was the best of Nueva York this year, but we also wanted to get a sense what artists, scenesters and regular nuyorkers thought about the cultural highlights of the year. So we had some of our favorite movers & shakers who call New York home weigh in on NYC’s hidden gems, new bars, local artists, dance parties and other good stuff that happened in 2013. Read on to find out where Bodega Bamz goes to hookup, Bocafloja’s favorite food truck, what DJ blew Nati Linares’s mind, & more.
Bodega Bamz
A rapper on the rise from Spanish Harlem and ringleader of the Tanboys movement, repping Latinos in hip hop.
Best Dance Party: Negro Claro
Best Restaurant: Tabaco Y Ron
Best Bar: Uptown Social
Best Venue for Live Music: Irving Plaza
Best Art Exhibit: El Museo del Barrio
Best DJ: DJ Lady Chellez
Best Chef: Action Bronson
Best Nightlife Personality: Jada Gil
Best Food Truck: Mr Nice Guy Truck
Hidden Gem of the Year: TANBOYS
Best Music Festival: Fun fun fun Fest
Best Street Art: Cope 2
Best Film: 12 Years A Slave
Best New Scene/Neighborhood: Washington Heights
Best Local Band/Singer: Youth Is Dead
Best Place to Hook Up: Mamajuana’s
Most Inspiring Person/Moment: Chang from Guerrilla Union telling me at Rock the Bells he believes in me
Best Sandwich: Chopped Cheese
Nati Linares
Founder of Conrazón, a hyper-connected, multi-purpose collective of Latin and African Diaspora artists like Los Rakas, Zuzuka Poderosa and La Mecanica Popular. Follow her on instagram at @naticonrazon and Twitter at @conrazon.
Best Dance Party: Bobbito’s Monday, monthly at Camaradas in El Barrio
Best Queer Party: Azucar! A Queer Latin Party @ One Last Shag
Best Venue for Live Music: Von King Park in Bed Stuy in the Summertime & Joe’s Pub
Best Art Exhibit: Wangechi Mutu at The Brooklyn Museum
Best DJ: DJ precolumbian blew my mind at #FutureRoots with Peru’s Dengue Dengue Dengue!
Best Chef: Eddie Huang–I’m not much of a foodie, but I love his “Off The Boat” Vice series
Best Nightlife Personality: Eugene David of Privileged
Best Food Truck: Rinconcito Paisa’s truck on Staten Island
Hidden Gem of the Year: Thinker Nilofer Merchant and her “On Being Seen” Talk
Best New Music Festival: I really enjoyed the vision of L.E.A.D.
Best Street Art: Cern, Mas Paz and Lorenzo Masnah aka Third World Pirate & Cekis
Best Instagram: @TheMikeSchreiber & @MikeShanePhoto. I love following photogs with purpose. Also @LadySoulFly because I love her jewelry and what she’s about. Oh and @PrincessNokia aka Wavy Spice, priceless artist subvHERsive fierceness.
Best Film: I loved “Mother of George” by Andrew Dosunmu and “An Oversimplification of Her Beauty” by Terence Nance
Best New Scene/Neighborhood: St George, Staten Island …though this category bothers me as a Native New Yorker.
Best Local Band/Singer: Staten Island’s Rising Sun All-Stars
Best Place to Hook Up: The Full Cup, one of SI’s only good music venues
Most Inspiring Person/Moment: Malala
Best Sandwich: Spicy lamb burger at Xi’an Famous Foods
Oscar Nñ
DJ and one half of Papi Juice–a dance party in Bed-Stuy aimed to celebrate male-identified queer people of color.
Best Dance Party: PAPI JUICE obvi
Best Queer Party: AZUCAR!!
Best Venue for Live Music: Bandshell at Prospect Park in the summer
Best Art Exhibit: ‘El Anatsui’ at the Brooklyn Museum
Best DJ: Geko Jones always gets the crowd going!
Best Nightlife Personality: Juliana Huxtable she is always so on point and lovely
Hidden Gem of the Year: Chinantla’s mexican bodega and restaurant on Myrtle Ave
Best Street Art: 5 pointz 🙁
Best Film: ’12 Years A Slave’ was the movie to watch this year
Best New Scene/Neighborhood: Queer Latin scene in Bed-Stuy, not sure how new it is but there’s definitely a lot of us involved, collaborating and creating together.
Best Local Band/Singer: Zuzuka Poderosa, Princess Nokia and Junglepussy. I am so here for these three artists!! The three are sooo amazing live!
Best Place to Hook Up: Brooklyn Bridge Park in DUMBO! The views, the nighttime, the summer, paletas and cervezas!
Most Inspiring Person/Moment: Not to be cursi peroooo BEYONCE and her secret album drop!
Best Sandwich: Choice Market in Clinton Hill they have the best beef burger!
Chris Video
DJ, videographer, editor and founder of the the Latin Electronic Alternative Dance (L.E.A.D.), bringing together artists, musicians and DJ’s for a two day music marathon in new DIY Bushwick space, Bossa Nova Civic Club.
Best Dance Party: Confused House
Best Queer Party: Dizzyland
Best New Bar: Bossa Nova Civic Club
Best Venue for Live Music: Baby’s All Right
Best DJ: Lloydski
Best Nightlife Personality: Trey LaTrash
Best Food Truck: El Fogon
Best New Music Festival: L.E.A.D.
Best Street Art: Nepo
Best New Scene/Neighborhood: Bushwick
Best Local Band/Singer: Fast Times
Best Place to Hook Up: Bossa Nova Civic Club
Bocafloja
Aldo Villegas is a rapper, poet and spoken word artist originally from Mexico City, known for his outspoken political and social views, he uses hip hop as a tool to create awareness within our communites and youth.
Best Dance Party: Saturdays at The Shrine Harlem
Best Queer Party: Black Weirdo
Best Bar: Apt 78
Best Venue for Live Music: SOB’s
Best Art Exhibit: Pace Prints present Kara Walker: Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War
Best DJ: Bobbito Garcia
Best Nightlife Personality: Tony Touch
Best Food Truck: Red Hook trucks
Hidden Gem of the Year: Maysles Documentary Center
Best Film: Fruitvale station
Best New Scene/Neighborhood: South Bronx
Best Local Band/Singer: Hache ST
Best Place to Hook Up: Uptown Juice Bar
Most Inspiring Person/Moment: Trayvon Martin protests.