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Music

MK, Armand Van Helden, and Julia Govor Share Their Favorite NYC Haunts

Ahead of Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival, we asked some of our favorite headliners where they like to party—or grab a slice.

There are nights when Brooklyn just feels too lit—like there's too much crazy good shit happening on every corner, and you're helpless to fight off the waves of FOMO no matter where you go. Next weekend (November 6 and 7) will be one of those, thanks to the eighth edition of Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival (BEMF). A pass grants you access to all of the borough's top venues, which will welcome a hundred DJs from around the world, plus a veritable buffet of discussion panels and afterparties. The open-ended schedule presents endless options—which can be thrilling or overwhelming, depending on how good you are at making decisions. And then, of course, there's always a whole array of cool, non-BEMF-affiliated events happening around the city as well.

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With all of this choice, sometimes you just need someone to tell you where to go. So ahead of the festival, we asked three of our favorite headliners to share their favorite haunts in Brooklyn and beyond—the places they have to check off every time they're in town. Read on to find out the pizza spot you're most likely to see MK eating a slice in, the underground dance party where Julia Govor goes dancing, and the street corner Armand Van Helden stands at when he wants to watch the city go by.

MK (11/06, Output)

Favorite Record Shop: Turntable Lab 120 East 7th Street in Manhattan; Rough Trade, 64 N 9th St in Brooklyn

Favorite Club: Output

Favorite Underground Party: Bushwick A/V's Rooftop

Favorite Pizza Spot: L&B Spumoni Gardens, Gravesend, Brooklyn

Favorite Street Corner: Bedford and North 7th in Brooklyn. It's where the main subway stop is in Williamsburg, and it's great people-watching—from freaks to hedge-fund bankers.

Favorite Neighborhood: Greenpoint, Brooklyn. It still has the feeling of coming up, changing and becoming more of an artsy hipster hub, but it still has lots of Polish immigrants. That makes for great food and a weird culture clash, and despite it being a government superfund site, it has a great view of the Manhattan.

Julia Govor (11/05, Output)

Favorite Record Shop: Rough Trade NYC looks like a record shop from a futuristic movie. All the boys who work there have a specific look. Long curly grey hair, leather jackets and massive rings on their fingers. Their look is not inviting, but when you start talking to them they become very amiable people and sharing the best records hidden for collectors. ­

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Favorite Club: OUTPUT ­ "the only good system is a sound system" ©. ­

Favorite Underground Party: The Bunker New York and If I would like to get wild, I go to Resolute. ­

Favorite Pizza Spot: I prefer baked goods and coffee instead of pizza. There is a tiny coffee shop in East Village called Abraco. Also, It's the best cafe where you can hear great collection of jazz records. ­

Favorite Street Corner: The corner of Lafayette and Mulberry street facing Bleecker street. With a clear weather you can see beautiful geometric moving shades and reflections. ­

Favorite Neighborhood: I am an East Village girl. I am in love with cute Japanese restaurants and vintage stores around. We have lots artists and photographers living here who pass by with big smiles. Of course, the architecture around East Village and Alphabet city is pretty outstanding.

Armand Van Helden (11/07, Verboten)

Favorite Record Shop: Academy Records

Favorite Club: Pyramid club

Favorite Underground Party: Not out much these days but Mobile Mondays at Bowery Electric sets it nice for me.

Favorite Pizza spot: La Pizza Fresca

Favorite Street Corner: 14th and Broadway, Union Square—a good chunk of my life spent there.

Favorite Neighborhood: Alphabet City

Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival is running on November 6 and 7. More info on their website, and get your passes here.