Sunday 8/13

[Festival]

A Family Affair
Roots, rock, and reggae at Prospect Park

If the smells of jerk chicken, patties with coco bread, and baked gizzarda don’t lure you to the first annual New York Roots Reggae Family Festival, then the hip- moving sounds of dancehall and zouk will. Four years in the making, this all-day celebration brings the spirit of the Caribbean to Prospect Park. Sip fresh coconut water and hear Trinidad’s king of soca David Rudder; Flatbush’s dancehall singer—and one of Wyclef Jean’s influences—Bigga Haitian; Jamaica’s Muta Baruka, honoring political theorist Marcus Garvey; and many others. In between sets, check out theRock Steady Pavilion for free empowerment and health workshops and book signings featuring writers such as Bob Marley historian Christopher Farley. Since the day is supposed to be about family and unity, there are plenty of activities for elders and kiddies as well. Get there before noon; the first 1,000 people (and anyone over 65) get V.I.P. access. From 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Prospect Park, Nethermead, Brooklyn, 718-421-6927, $10–$40 KEISHA FRANKLIN

[Festival]

Solar Power
Revelers boogie for a greener city

Listen up nightlife lovers: Excessive partying can ruin the earth—just imagine how much juice it takes to power flashy lights, DJ equipment, and booming sound systems. Environmentalist group CitySol lets us get down without burning out the biosphere by using solar power instead. Soak it up outdoors while dancing to the hot-and-bothered electropop of vocalist and bassist Sylvia Gordon and drummer Deantoni Parks of Kudu. DJ and producer Marc-Alan Gray also joins the cause and spins house, nujazz, and more. Free Brooklyn Brewery beer for those who switch their electricity plans from nonrenewable sources to wind power. Remember to bring some greenbacks to the party and check out the green lifestyle marketplace for eco-friendly clothing and other organic goods. There are also interactive installations tackling issues such as traffic congestion and waste management. Just think of everything you could be doing. From 1 to sunset, Stuyvesant Cove Park, 23rd Street and the East River, citysol.org, free KEISHA FRANKLIN

Prefuse 73‘s Scott Herren guts hip-hop into a stuttering and disjointed electronic shadow of itself, masterfully creating a seamless palimpsest of broken-up vocals and beats that catch listeners by surprise. Blipping his way through highly engineered tracks, he cuts and pastes soundbites from films and songs, and has inspired many copycats. Hear the real deal today when he opens for India’s venerable DJ Talvin Singh, a one-time classical tabla player who churns out bhangra and drum’n’bass mixes infused with serene vocals and traditional Indian instruments like the duggis, lowha tarang, and kachi dhol. Also on the lineup are four-octave Indian singer Asha Puthli, who’s lent beats to P. Diddy, Jay Z, and the Neptunes, and the five-man punk and hip-hop group Outernational, known for their blazing political lyrics. Artist and remixer DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid (a/k/a Paul D. Miller) curates the show and will hopefully tease the crowd with tracks from his latest release, In Fine Style, which features a compilation of songs by reggae stalwarts such as Desmond Dekker and Dave Barker. At 3, Central Park SummerStage, Rumsey Playfield, mid-park at 72nd Street, 212-307-7171, free KEISHA FRANKLIN