Darmstadt "Classics of the Avant Garde" is the Brooklyn-based contemporary music series led by composer-musicians Zach Layton and Nick Hallett which presents the best of New York City's live experimental music and multimedia. Darmstadt began as a "listening party" of avant-garde recordings before quickly evolving into a live performance series, and in 2007 was included in the New York Times Best of New Music rundown. Darmstadt regularly hosts its concerts at ISSUE Project Room and Galapagos Art Space, while its founders both create and curate work for such institutions as PS1, The Kitchen, the New Museum of Contemporary Art, and The Stone. This past spring, Darmstadt mounted its first INSTITUTE of premieres, workshops, video screenings, and lecture-performances. Next up is DARMSTADT’s second annual historical survey of experimental music, ESSENTIAL REPERTOIRE, at ISSUE Project Room. Darmstadt's memorable DJ sets have been rendered at Performa’s Metal Ball, the Brooklyn Academy of Music for Steve Reich's 70th birthday and at the Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival.