Higher!: Nita Aviance, Cakes Da Killa LIVE, Rush Davis, 550am
About This Event
Higher at Signal assembles Nita Aviance, Cakes da Killa (live), Rush Davis and 550am, four DJs and performers who work within club formats and prioritize rhythmic control and tight transitions. Their sets move through electronic, ballroom and hip‑house vocabularies, favoring disciplined pacing and structural clarity over spectacle.
About Higher!
“Higher!” arrives at Signal as a DJ-centered night that treats dance music as living archive. Tony Humphries, a key figure in the rise of American house through the ’80s and ’90s, shares the room with DJ Miss Parker and Karim Olen Ash, whose NYC-based live electronics are built from programmed rhythms and layered textures. The program isn’t framed as an NYC premiere, but it carries local cultural weight by placing a foundational selector beside contemporary production practice. One clear takeaway: the bill argues for continuity over novelty.
About the Artists
Nita Aviance
Nita Aviance is a New York–based DJ and producer whose work moves between electronic club music and performance-rooted disciplines, drawing on experience as a dancer, percussionist, and vocalist. She is part of the Carry Nation with Will Automagic, and collaborates through projects including BOOKWRMZ, Brooklyn Is Burning, and the production team Pyramide.
Cakes da Killa
Cakes da Killa is the stage name of rapper and electronic artist Rashard Bradshaw, first associated with New York’s early-2010s wave of openly queer hip hop. His work threads hip house and ballroom vocabulary into club-ready rap, moving easily between live vocals and DJ-driven structure.
Rush Davis
Rush Davis is a New York City–based electronic DJ whose sets move through club electronics with a clear line on rhythm and pace. At Cargo at Dead Letter No. 9, Davis has appeared on late-night bills alongside Peter Napoli, David Ohana Aviance, and Daniro, placing their work in conversation with techno and ballroom-adjacent currents.
550am
550am is a New York City–based electronic artist who has appeared at Paragon, a venue known for late-night club programming. Their sets sit in conversation with peers such as LOVEFOXY, DJ SWISHA, Kilopatrah Jones, and HARD NYC, including the bill “Paradiso: LOVEFOXY, 550am, Kilopatrah Jones + HARD NYC.