In the Mix: ‘Soul Clap’ 4-year anniversary
July 30, 2010 by Star-Advertiser Staff
Filed under In the Mix, More from TGIF, Nightlife
By Jason Genegabus
jason@staradvertiser.com
If you believe the hype in Chinatown, the latest and greatest wave to hit the neighborhood in 2010 is the return of the good old fashioned dance party.
Instead of posting up against a wall and looking cool, these days it’s more about busting out the dancing shoes and showing off your moves — no matter how sweaty it may get. Epic rug-cutting sessions have been known to take place regularly at Manifest and SoHo Mixed Media Bar; elder Chinatown neighbors NextDoor and the Loft have also raged.
For the Nocturnal Sound Krew’s DJ ESKAE, however, the phrase “dance your face off” has applied monthly at thirtyninehotel for the last four years. “Soul Clap” started out kind of shaky, but over the years has established itself as a fun place to spend the last Friday of the month.
“It was kind of crazy because it was supposed to be a one-off,” he said last week. “It started off really slow, maybe 15 people? It was kind of weird like that for the first year — it was kind of whoever just showed up.
“But it was always me there.”
FOR ESKAE, hosting “Soul Clap” was the creative outlet he was looking for in a club scene too highly segmented for his tastes.
“It was either you played neo-soul and commercial hip-hop, or you were a house DJ,” he explained. “For me, ‘Soul Clap’ was always my vehicle to do what I wanted to do, since I was always stuck between being a hip-hop DJ and playing electronica or ’80s music.
“I don’t think me or the guys who play at my party should be characterized as a certain type of DJ. We’re party-rock DJs in the traditional sense that we came from the mobile (disco) scene and can play anything, so why not bring that style of DJing back into the fold of things?”
At the time he got started in 2006, thirtyninehotel had the most appeal as the “best vechicle for the party” he wanted to throw. Tonight, he’ll be joined by fellow NSK DJs SSSOLUTION and Compose; doors at thirtyninehotel open at 9 p.m. with a $10 cover in effect all night and featured cocktails at the bar.
“We’ll play all kinds of music, with just a little hip-hop spin,” said ESKAE. “There will be a wide assortment of music that touches different people and shows off our flexibility.”
Get pumped for tonight’s fun with a special anniversary mix developed exclusively for TGIF.
Click this link to listen and/or download.
