Frontyard FM’s Nightlife Oral History Project aims to document the past and present of New York City’s nightclub scene, creating a working archive and place for collective memory.
The stories we gather from interviews with DJs, promoters, dancers, artists, venue owners, and community members paint a collective picture of nightlife spaces from the 1980s until the present moment. We document and celebrate the places and people that shape(d) New York’s vibrant dance and music scene, particularly around house, hip-hop, soul, disco and R&B. We also discuss how gentrification, policing, capital and other racialized dynamics have forced the closure of many beloved nightlife spaces, altered nightclub culture, and impacted the communities around it.
Tara shares her observations on how NYC club culture has shifted since the 80s/90s, drawing from experience as a partygoer, DJ, event curator, and urban planner. She also talks about gentrification, displacement, and policing as drivers of a changing nightlife scene, for Black & Brown communities in particular, highlighting the rapid disappearance and forced closures of music/dance/gathering spaces.
Read/watch the full interview
Qool DJ Marv (Marvin Coleman) discusses his come up as a young DJ in ‘90s New York City, the people and places which shaped his experience, and how/why club culture has shifted since.
Marv shares his memories, from hanging out at WKCR to opening for artists like Prince and Erykah Badu at legendary venues. He also critiques the shift toward profit-maximizing practices like bottle service, and its impact on club culture and community.
Marv shares his memories, from hanging out at WKCR to opening for artists like Prince and Erykah Badu at legendary venues. He also critiques the shift toward profit-maximizing practices like bottle service, and its impact on club culture and community.