Most of us in New York have experienced a Verboten party in one way or another. Playing host to some of today's most prolific and up-and-coming artists, including Amine Edge & DANCE, Maceo Plex, and Carl Craig within the last year and the former Trouble and Bass crew in its earlier days, Verboten solidifies itself as a piece of New York music history. This weekend, the brand responsible for the hasty growth of New York's electronic music scene raises a toast for its ten-year anniversary with VerboTEN.

Let's backtrack to about a decade ago, when four-on-the-floor beats were a little harder to come by in the city. If you wanted to hear legitimate dance music, you only had a handful of options. Pacha, among others, gained steam as one of Manhattan's megaclubs, booking mainly big-name acts to headline. It was clear that New York needed a bit more spice, some more underground flavor in the mix - so in came Verboten, a local promotional group that set out to change the city's musical landscape. Soon, lofts and warehouses were overtaken by the brand's prominent parties. Dancing Astronaut regarded Verboten as "true risk takers and music enthusiasts... developing the underground scene in NYC" while "bringing deep and tech-house to the masses." The collective's hard work paid off two years ago, when they spawned a club of the same moniker in the center of Williamsburg. The club grew into more of a destination than just simply a venue after mere months of opening. From being local promoters to acting as festival stage curators for Mysteryland 2015, it's clear that Verboten's spot on top is well-deserved.

We consider ourselves heavy investors in the New York dance music sphere, and we have much to thank the brand for - such as bringing techno to the hipper side of the waterfront (StageONE Festival Series); record label nights (Brodinski's Homieland Tour with Bromance Records); and a healthier physique (Wilkommen Deep House Yoga).

Celebrate Verboten's decade-long tenure as New York's leading electronic music curator at VerboTEN. This unique musician has stuck by Verboten's side for years - Saturday, February 27th, Damian Lazarus takes over the House of YES with Eduard Castillo. Advanced tickets are sold out; tickets will be available at the door. Doors open at 11PM.

"I realized that I'm most happy as an artist when I'm DJ-ing outside in the open air, under the stars," Damian Lazarus quipped to LA Weekly last May about his motivation for his latest project, Damian Lazarus and the Ancient Moons. A nomad by nature, he and his recently formed band paint ethereal musical compositions, all of which show off their adoration for globetrotting. But he became one of dance music's most one-of-a-kind figures long before siding with The Ancient Moons. Taking into consideration his long-standing record label, Crosstown Rebels, Lazarus might as well be a modern sort of Midas, with everything he touches - or curates - turning into gold. Fascinatingly, he helped to launch the careers of chart-toppers like Maceo Plex, Jamie Jones, and Art Department, all while splitting time between his Los Angeles home and the world's myriad of nightclubs and deserts.

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