Queen's Yard Summer Party 2022

London, United Kingdom
May 1
Some of UK dance music's most beloved crews, including Local Action, Eastern Margins, Wigflex and Earful of Wax, will be present at this day and night party happening across 16 Hackney Wick venues. There will be sets for all types of club music fans from eclectic DJs like Mr. Mitch, Madam X and ELLES, who will jump between grime, UK garage, acid, post punk, techno, electro and everything in between. In the free time between blissful dance floor moments at outside canal spaces or dark, anonymous club spots, enjoy the 15-minute walks between venues and delve into the food stalls and local art programming on offer.

RA Pick: "Percussive, racy, ravey and rhythmic sounds," as she recently described her more club-oriented sets, from DJ and Black Artist Database cofounder NIKS.

Sounds from the Other City

Salford, United Kingdom
May 1
Returning after an over two-year long hiatus, 2022's Sounds from the Other City is shaping up to be one of the inner city's biggest and most eclectic events yet. Sounds from the Other City have made a name for themselves throughout the UK as ardent supporters of Manchester's local talent, promoters and venues, as well as bookers with a keen eye for emerging stars. Get to know Salford's most iconic club spaces while traversing the city from set to set, catching live acts like Lovescene, Akemi Fox, a back-to-back among several members of Daytimers or a DJ set from Ayy Den on the way.

RA Pick: A night of Amapiano, Afro-tech and house from Manchester's much-buzzed-about DJ and party collective Piano in the City.

Bang Face Weekender

Southport, United Kingdom
May 5 - May 9

Bang Face—pretty much the last dance that happened before large events were banned in the UK in 2020—is back, but this time it's happening a little later in the year than usual (it normally takes place in March). The chalets at Southport's Pontins are open for rave business again in 2022. The theme? "Rave New World." Bang Face regulars like Luke Vibert and Ceephax Acid crew return, joined by guests like SHERELLE, India Jordan, LCY and Evian Christ. Expect things to get fast, weird and Buckfast-fuelled with a music policy that spans acid, jungle, hardcore, techno, '90s rave and gabber edits of Katy Perry.

RA Pick: Saint Acid & The Bang Face Hard Crew's closing ceremony.

Slingshot Festival

Durham, United States
May 8, May 13 - May 15

Recently moving from its historical home in Athens, Georgia to Durham, North Carolina, the young Southern festival returns with an expanded lineup, taking place at the Durham Fruit warehouse complex on May 8th and again from May 13th through 15th. This edition delivers on Slingshot's promise to offer a diverse cast of artists, from techno legends like Carl Craig to New York's younger guard—like Mutual Dreaming head Aurora Halal—and Debit, who will perform her latest LP The Long Count live. The festival is also tapping artists with roots in the state, so North Carolinians Nick Boyd and Rose Kourts will also drop by, displaying the East Coast Club sound with a dash of Southern flair.

RA Pick: Andy Stott and Debit kick off the opening night with bold displays of experimental electronics.

BAUM Festival

Bogotá, Colombia
May 20

Bogotá's BAUM crew is back. Following the closure of their namesake club in early 2020, the team is now focusing on festival programming. Their flagship gathering, a leading techno festival in Colombia, returns for the first time in two years with a potent lineup of regional heroes and old-school dons. The two-day affair is set to be a reunion for regulars as the local live music industry finally gets back to business.

RA Pick: Live sets of electro and new wave electronics by homegrown talents Gladkazuka and Retrogade Youth.

WIRE FESTIVAL

New York City, United States
May 20 - May 21

Ridgewood techno club BASEMENT are the organizers behind this two-day-long festival at sister venue Knockdown Center, also located in Queens. Boasting a truly exciting lineup, WIRE is equal parts internationally-renowned legends and local rising stars, with an adjacent discourse program that's meant to encourage inter-community conversations. LSDXOXO, Etapp Kyle and VTSS are a few of the artists joining the lineup from Europe, while Juliana Huxtable, Akua and Umfang are among those representing the local scene. In step with their mission to merge international techno with New York talent, the festival's two stages will be curated by Tblisi club Bassiani and queer Parisian collective Possession.

RA Pick: Brooklyn-based KYRUH's hard, fast and first-rate techno selections.

CTM Festival Part Two

Berlin, Germany
May 24 - May 29

When Berlin's clubs shuttered this winter due to COVID restrictions, the city's most challenging and innovative annual music event was forced to split its January program into two parts. The first half of this year's edition was forced to go on sans dancing, but the second half, finally taking place over six days in late May, will centres the dance floor. The theme this year is 'Contact,' and with essential DJs like Yung Singh, Nene H, Yazzus and Ifeoluwa on the bill, it's not difficult to imagine how the act of bodies touching and interacting with one another will stir up widespread, teary-eyed ecstasy at this second half of the festival.

RA Pick: Witness Yazzus's brilliantly multifarious mixing style at Panorama Bar, spanning techno, footwork, '90s hardcore music and donk.

Nuit Sonores

Lyon, France
May 25 - May 29

For the past two decades, Nuit Sonores has heralded the beginning of festival season in France. This year's edition is no different. Across five days, the festival will include a series of talks, panels, masterclasses, radio broadcasts and more called NS Lab. Resident Advisor will be hosting an exchange with DJ and producer BADSISTA as part of the May 26th programming. By day, the festival will return to the Fagor-Brandt Factories, a former industrial powerhouse at the heart of Lyon’s working class history. Notable acts include KiNK and Bawrut, SHERELLE and Gabber Modus Operandi, plus live sets from Nicola Cruz, Bicep and a new live audiovisual show from SUBREAL mainstays Amazondotcom & Siete Catorce. After dark, the festival will move to a former factory warehouse, La Sucrière, on the banks of the Saône where four artists—Lala &ce, DJ Harvey, Helena Hauff and Honey Dijon—have each curated one night.

RA Pick: The new live AV set from SUBREAL co-founders Amazondotcom and Siete Catorce.

Flesh Queer Festival

St Albans, United Kingdom
May 28 - May 29

This year marks the first edition of Flesh Queer Festival, a new two-day event taking place on Springfield Farm near St. Albans, just north of London. As the name suggests, it’s a festival intended for LGBTQIA+ folks with a lineup that's predominantly made up of women, trans, non-binary and queer artists. Across three stages in the farmland and the woods, queer collectives like Pxssy Palace, Boudica and intervention will be in situ with lineups that span house, techno, drum & bass, hardcore and everything inbetween. Chippy Nonstop, Hannah Holland, Jossy Mitsu, Juliana Huxtable, LSDXOXO and NIKS are just a handful of many highlights.

RA Pick: Angel D'lite's frothy headrush blend of acid, breakbeat, speed garage and more.

Movement Music Festival

Detroit, United States
May 28 - May 30

Every year on Memorial Day weekend, punters from around the world make the pilgrimage to the birthplace of techno for this iconic Detroit festival. This year marks the first iteration since the onset of the pandemic. Unfolding over three days at the city's legendary riverfront destination, Hart Plaza, 2022's lineup features Motor City mainstays Jeff Mills, E-Dancer, DJ Minx, Ash Lauryn and more alongside mainstream acts like 2-Chainz and Skrillex.

RA Pick: Detroit rising star and T4TLUVNRG affiliate BEIGE.

See our full festival listings for May right here