“Techno Summit, 1992” by Jason Bentley, URB, July 1992

Bentley, Jason. “Techno Summit, 1992.” URB, July 1992.

Jason Bentley covers the first annual “Techno Summit” at the 1992 New Music Seminar held at the Limelight. Panelists include Frankie Bones, Juan Atkins, Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson, Moneypenny, Ritchie Hawtin, Jeff Mills, and Lord Michael with other techno personalities in the audience. While the panelists tried to maintain a positive attitude about the present and future of techno, the audience quickly brought it back to the petty, divisional disputes about what is techno, what’s responsible for its success, and divisions between techno and house.

“Landscape!” by Todd Roberts, URB, July 1992

Roberts, Todd. “Landscape!” URB, July 1992.

This is the travelog of the URB staff’s adventures in New York City during the 1992 New Music Seminar. The URB staff described the various parties they have attended as well as shared some of the misadventures they had on their way to and from those parties. They also provided some observations about the differences between the music and club scenes in New York and in Los Angeles. Among their observations, the house music scene is bigger in New York than in Los Angeles, with deep soulful house being the dominant sound. New York techno tends to be harder and less emotive than in Los Angeles. Between their observations of the NYC club scene and of NYC in general, this travelog provides a good snapshot of New York City in the early nineties.

Back issues of URB (unfortunately not a complete run) are available at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City.

“NYC DJ Lineup” by Jason Bentley, URB, July 1992

Bentley, Jason. “NYC DJ Lineup.” URB, July 1992.

Jason Bentley gives his impression of DJs Tony Humphries, David Morales, Moneypenny, Kevin Saunderson, and Keoki, whom he saw during his visit to New York during the 1992 New Music Seminar.

Back issues of URB (unfortunately not a complete run) are available at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City.

“Boom! NYC Vibes” by Jason Bentley, URB, July 1992

Bentley, Jason. “Boom! NYC Vibes.” URB, July 1992.

Jason Bentley reviews records that he heard in New York clubs while he was attending the 1992 New Music Seminar.

Back issues of URB (unfortunately not a complete run) are available at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City.

“Boom! NMS+Big Apple=Boom!” by Jason Bentley, URB, July 1992

Bentley, Jason. “Boom! NMS+Big Apple=Boom!” URB, July 1992.

URB’s resident record reviewer, Jason Bentley from California, offers his impression of the New York City dance music scene after attending the 1992 New Music Seminar. He mentions that while every New Yorker he met stated the city’s club culture was lacking, from his perspective, New York’s club culture was thriving. Also features record reviews.

Back issues of URB (unfortunately not a complete run) are available at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City.

“NYC Dance Party Heats Up the Park” by Michael Paoletta, Billboard, August 28, 1999

Paoletta, Michael. “NYC Dance Party Heats Up the Park.” Billboard, August 28, 1999.

Billboard reviews Body & Soul at Central Park Summerstage held on August 7, 1999.

“Joe Claussell Works the Beat on Many Fronts” by Craig Roseberry, Billboard, April 24, 1999

Roseberry, Craig. “Joe Claussell Works the Beat on Many Fronts.” Billboard, April 24, 1999.

Billboard profiles Joe Claussell on the eve of the release of Mix the Vibe: Joe Claussell compilation on King Street Records. The profile provides an overview of Claussell’s career including his stint working at Dance Tracks record store, the formation of his record label Spiritual Life Music, his early remix work, and spinning at Body & Soul. Claussell also provides a glimpse of his upcoming projects.

This is Our House: House Music, Cultural Spaces and Technologies by Hillegonda C. Rietveld

Rietveld, Hillegonda C. This is Our House: House Music, Cultural Spaces and Technologies. Brookfield, VT: Ashgate Publishing, 1998.

Based on her PhD dissertation, This is Our House is an ethnographic study of how house music has developed and changed from its origins as music for gay African Americans in Chicago to its importation to England and the Netherlands, where the audiences are quite different and the music has changed as a result of the different socio-cultural environment. She also looks at the ways in which DJs and technology has shaped how the music is experienced. Even transporting the music from Chicago to New York has changed it in the sense that New York house tended to be slower, less tracky, and less influenced by Italo disco than its Chicago counterpart.

“Disco Double Take: New York Parties Like Its 1975” by Simon Reynolds, Village Voice, July 10, 2001

Reynolds, Simon. “Disco Double Take: New York Parties Like Its 1975.” Village Voice, July 10, 2001. http://www.villagevoice.com/2001-07-10/news/disco-double-take/ (accessed June 10, 2013).

Simon Reynolds examines New York house music parties that are inspired by parties of yesteryear like The Loft and the Paradise Garage including Bang the Party and Body & Soul. Reynolds notes that while this subscene of parties may have been inspired by these legendary parties they lack the musical progressiveness of these older parties. Instead of embracing leftfield musical choices like Liquid Liquid and Nina Hagen, this form of NYC house solidified into a genre called “garage” characterized by soulful, “organic” sounds that are often marked by Latin percussion and a jazzier sound. Reynolds feels that this “retro” New York disco-house tradition has been too conservative by its emphasis on “musicality” and has prevented the New York’s dance music scene from having the musical breakthroughs that other cities with thriving dance music scenes had made in recent years.

“Boite: No Groping: We’re Family” by Julia Chaplin, New York Times, April 21, 2002

Chaplin, Julia. “Boite: No Groping: We’re Family.” New York Times, April 21, 2002. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/21/style/boite-no-groping-we-re-family.html (accessed June 10, 2013).

A review of the 20 West 39th Street incarnation of Club Shelter shortly after its opening appears in the Boite column. The emphasis is on Shelter being a club for those who just want to go out and dance without the pretension associated with nightlife.