Akumandra brings a 14-hour Fourth of July run to Knockdown Center

Akumandra, the record label and party series founded by Sainte Vie, will throw its first festival on Saturday, July 4, a 14-hour run at Knockdown Center across two of the venue’s spaces. Mateo b2b Eli, Rezident, Betical, Ivory, Brina Knauss, Mano Le Tough, and Sainte Vie fill out a lineup that runs from afternoon to sunrise.

Akumandra started in Mexico City in 2013 and played its first New York show two years later, to a room of 75 people.

Eleven years on, it has become one of the city’s most durable underground institutions, with biannual showcases at Knockdown Center and label nights from Istanbul and Berlin to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Miami.

Those showcases have made the party a New York home for melodic dance music, hosting Acid Pauli, Jan Blomqvist, Âme, Booka Shade, Adana Twins, and Denis Horvat.

The festival opens outdoors at The Ruins, Knockdown Center’s open-air courtyard, from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Longtime residents Mateo and Eli, with the party since that first 2015 show, open with a b2b set.

German producer Rezident follows with a live set of deeply melodic, euphoric house. Sainte Vie takes the sunset slot with a live performance built around remixes from his debut album, “Pablo.”

French duo Betical, brothers Max and Martin, close The Ruins as the festival moves indoors, marking their New York debut. Their rework of “Back on 74” topped Burning Man’s most-played list and drew support from Keinemusik and Adriatique.

Once the sun goes down, the festival moves inside to the Main Hall from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Mateo and Eli return to open, handing off to Milan producer Ivory and then the classically trained Slovenian producer Brina Knauss.

Irish producer Mano Le Tough, who founded the Maeve and Passion Beat labels, takes the 2 a.m. slot. Sainte Vie then brings the night full circle, returning behind the decks for the closing DJ set.

Knockdown Center has long been Akumandra’s home, and the Maspeth, Queens industrial complex is one of New York’s more architecturally distinctive dance music venues. Its cavernous Main Hall and open-air Ruins give the brand room to scale up its production, with custom lighting built for both spaces.

“It was always a dream of mine to organize a festival, and I couldn’t be happier to be doing it with Akumandra in my favorite city, New York, and at my favorite venue, Knockdown Center,” Sainte Vie said. “We’re going to celebrate the Fourth of July outdoors at The Ruins during the day, then move it inside to the Main Hall at night.”

Day tickets for The Ruins run $35 to $55, with a $30 option for guests arriving before 5 p.m. Night tickets for the Main Hall are $30 to $40, and day-and-night passes for the full run go for $55 to $75.

Day ticket holders can upgrade at the venue depending on capacity. The festival is 21 and older, and tickets are available now through DICE.