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Unheard-of + Dredgers present videogame Funk band Discocactus
Cultural Ecologies Series: Unheard-of and Discocactus
Date: May 23rd, 2026, 7PM Canoe Launch, 7:30PM Music
Location: Gowanus Dredgers Bunker, 2 19th St, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Canoe Seats: $15 donation to Dredgers, Shore seating Free
Join Unheard-of Ensemble, the Dredgers, and special guests video game jazz-funk ensemble Discocactus to open the season! Unheard-of opens the show with new premieres written for them by Annika Socolofsky and Discocactus’s own keyboardist Ben Wallace. Unheard-of also performs new video game music arrangements from Ben and Unheard-of’s violinist Matheus Souza. Discocactus closes out the night performing some of their hits joined by members of Unheard-of!
Discocactus Bio:
DiscoCactus is a collective of composers, performers, and arrangers. They play video game music. Sort of. They use video game soundtracks as a jumping off point for a party, a nonstop display of kinetic musicianship that blends contemporary art music with dozens of pop styles, steeped in the language of the Internet.
Established in 2014, the band’s core is made of six game audio professionals that serve as the primary arrangers and performing mainstays. But, like a frightened cat, Discocactus can grow up to four times its normal size when threatened (or for big projects).
Each of DiscoCactus’s members is a world-class performer in their own right. Their members have studied at some of the world’s top conservatories, written music for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, toured the world with Video Games Live, and more. You’ve heard some of them in games like Celeste, Destiny 2, Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, and Final Fantasy XV. You’ve heard SEVERAL of them in Anew: The Distant Light and Mortal Kombat 11.
When it’s time to play as DiscoCactus, these six performers form like Voltron, bringing all of their experience and power down on one glorious purpose: To make you shake your ass. Some of us have debuted operas. Some of us study Brazilian pop. Some of us improvise. All of us combine our unique perspectives to make a show that transcends genre and transforms the music we play in fresh, exciting ways. You don’t have to know a thing about video game music to enjoy DiscoCactus. You don’t even have to know a thing about music! You just need to strap in for a rollicking, avant-garde nerd carnival.
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This performance takes place on the Gowanus Canal, from the 19th St. Bunker location. The audience can immerse themselves in the experience on the Gowanus, enjoying the program from on land or on water. Limited boat access and on-water support are provided by The Gowanus Dredgers. Attendees may arrive in their own vessels, as well.
Weather may postpone event.
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This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Unheard-of’s Cultural Ecologies Series is a recipient of a 2026 Chamber Music America Artistic Projects grant. The Artistic Projects program is administered by Chamber Music America and made possible with funding from the Howard Gilman Foundation.
Unheard-of was supported by New Music USA’s Organization Fund in 2025-26.
Unheard-of’s performances are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Weather may postpone event or move it to 165 2nd Street
