The low lights, the simultaneously nefarious but comforting red walls and the general atmospheric qualities that Alex’s Bar exude were appropriate for the mind-altering ambient session that took place on Thursday night. Breatherrr took the stage first, delivering a mesmerizing, spacey sequence of songs. The instrumentals tended to lull you into a state of transcendence before bringing you back to reality with the unexpected. I/O’s dreamy, darkly bohemian songs each built up with intriguing layers and their set was truly dynamic, incorporating upbeat, dark, dreamy and aggressive elements.

Litronix closed the show with their interesting blend of psychedelic electronica, which created an enigmatic, energetic atmosphere reminiscent of a cult meeting (in the best way possible). Absorbed, the audience danced along to the beat and enthusiastically participated when the singer came offstage to dance with some and stare penetratingly into the eyes of many in the crowd. When the bright lights came back on, it took some time to adjust to the absence of other-worldliness that ambient music provided, and for a few moments we stood blinking, as if woken from a trance. - Lauren Weiherer

The most talented artists know how to make a lot from very little. R'n'B Songwriter I/O - a project we discovered through our Best of NYC Poll for Emerging Artists - seems to enjoy these limitations. Whether wondering where things went wrong in the reflective 'Wasted My TIme,' or caught in the throes of passion for popular track 'You Slay Me,' I/O is a constant tinkerer with his arsenal of audio toys, using his talents to extract the hidden humanity found just beneath the surface of a robotic playground of beatbox grooves. I/O will be supporting his latest full-length 'Isolation' when he plays S.O.B's tonight (8pm). Join him then to show him he's not as isolated as he might think. - Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

NYC Deli Readers,

The Deli's Best of NYC 2013 Readers and Fans' Poll for Emerging Artists is over, thanks to all those who cast their vote in support of the emerging local bands and artists in our list of nominees.

Congrats to Brooklyn's power pop trio Late Cambrian (pictured and streaming) for being The Deli Readers' Best Emerging NYC Artist of 2013!

Kudos also to Rap-Metal outfit PUSHMETHOD and lo-fi soul talent I/O (both bands spelled rigorously in all caps!) who placed second and third.

Here's this poll's top 15 chart, full results organized by genre can be found on the right hand side of this page.

BEST OF NYC 2013 - READERS' POLL RESULTS   Artists Reader Votes   1 Late Cambrian 1260 2 PUSHMETHOD 1037 3 I/O 813 4 NGHBRS 756 5 Whiskey Bitches 678 6 Active Bird Community 496 7 Dear Georgiana 482 8 Tall Tall Trees 417 9 Maginot 272 10 The Lovehowl 244 11 Stargazy 233 12 Twintapes 195 13 oddlogic 176 14 Bridget Davis + the Viking Kings 168 15  Belle Mare 132

MOST IMPORTANTLY THOUGH! Stay tuned for the composite chart, to be released soon, which will include the point nominees accumulated from the jurors and Deli writers' votes, and will crown The Deli's Best Emerging NYC Artist of 2013.

The Deli's Staff