Jonathan Toubin

Jonathan Toubin is a New York-based DJ, party promoter, and nightlife organiser best known for his New York Night Train events and for playing 45rpm records exclusively. He works with a large collection of obscure 7-inch singles and builds sets around rock and soul, with related sounds including garage, rockabilly, doo wop, R&B, psych, punk, rocksteady, and early rock’n’roll.

New York Night Train and party formats

Toubin runs New York Night Train as a party-production enterprise and uses it for a series of recurring events. These include Soul Clap and Dance-Off, which he conceives in March 2007 as a monthly outlet for his soul 45s and a dance contest; Shakin’ All Over Under Sideways Down, a weekly “maximum rock and soul” dance night; Land of 1000 Dances, a dance party and dance class built around 1960s dance-craze steps; New York Night Train Happening, a multimedia party with visuals, guest DJs, live bands, and performance; Polyglot Discotheque, which focuses on international 1960s freakbeat and psych; Boogie Night, an electric boogie and blues event with a live band; and James Brown Night, where James Chance and the J.C.’s play James Brown covers while Toubin plays original James Brown-related 45s.

His earlier and former residencies include NY Night Train Wednesdays at Motor City Bar, Sit-Down Soul at the Ace Hotel, Summer Soul in outdoor New York locations, Ya Ya Yacht on The Half-Moon, Thursday Thump at Enid’s, Boogaloo Shampoo at Beauty Bar in Manhattan and Brooklyn, Animal Train Happening at Glasslands, Secret Santo and Declassified at Santos’ Party House, Ants in Your Pants Dance Party at Savalas, and Loose Caboose at Club Midway.

Style and career

He begins DJing punk, garage, and noise rock weekly at Motor City Bar in the Lower East Side in 2006, then becomes a full-time DJ and party promoter within a year. He moves away from digital formats and LPs and performs on 45rpm vinyl, mixing by sequencing, pitching, EQ, and transitions rather than relying on obvious hits. His approach is shaped by a focus on dancing, especially in spaces such as punk bars, DIY basements, loft parties, art galleries, music venues, shady afterhours spots, clubs, museums, colleges, fashion events, and festivals.

Toubin’s Soul Clap and Dance-Off grows from a neighbourhood underground event into an international nightlife format, with a broad reach across North America and beyond. His parties feature guest DJs, live music, visuals, and performance, and he works with a long list of musicians and DJs from punk, soul, noise, hip-hop, and indie rock scenes, including Andrew WK, Black Lips, Dum Dum Girls, King Khan, Quintron and Ms. Pussycat, The Oh Sees, Screaming Females, Sky Saxon, The Slits, Wreckless Eric, Calvin Johnson, David Johansen, Genesis P-Orridge, Gibby Haynes, Ian Svenonius, James Chance, Jello Biafra, Jon Spencer, Kembra Pfahler, Kyp Malone, Moses Archuleta, Sean Yseult, Nick Zinner, Kool Herc, and many others.

Other activities and appearances

Before becoming a full-time DJ, Toubin is a small record label owner, musician, published academic, and professional writer. He also performs at shows and events alongside a wide range of acts, including the Black Keys, Bon Iver, Dinosaur Jr, Erykah Badu, Faith No More, Fucked Up, Interpol, Jack White, LCD Soundsystem, MGMT, M.I.A., Mission of Burma, Odd Future, Rick Ross, Ty Segall, and Vivian Girls, among many others. He DJs at festivals and special events including All Tomorrow’s Parties, CMJ, Fashion Week in New York, First Saturdays at the Brooklyn Museum, Fun Fun Fun Fest, Midsummer Night’s Swing at Lincoln Center, MusicFestNW, Northside Festival, Nuits Sonores, Pitchfork Festival, Ponderosa Stomp, Pop Montreal, Sled Island, SXSW, the Village Voice 4Knots Festival, and the WFMU Record Fair.

In December 2011, a runaway taxi crashes into his hotel room in Portland, Oregon, leaving him with serious injuries and a long recovery. After a period in intensive care and physical therapy, he returns to DJing and continues to work on his regular parties and selected festival dates.