Frontyard FM’s Nightlife Oral History Project documents 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 music and dance scene, particularly around house music, 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 late ‘90s, drawing from experience as a partygoer, DJ, event curator, and urban planner. She also discusses 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. He also criticizes the rise of bottle service and other profit-maximizing practices, and discusses their impacts on club culture and community.
Marv shares his memories, from hanging out at WKCR to opening for artists like Prince and Erykah Badu. He also criticizes the rise of bottle service and other profit-maximizing practices, and discusses their impacts on club culture and community.