Tony Humphies is a bona fide house music legend. The DJ and producer launched his professional career back in 1981 and had a hugely influential Friday and Saturday night residency on New York’s WRKS 98.7 Kiss-FM radio that lasted over a decade. His residency at the hallowed Club Zanzibar in Newark, New Jersey was just as seminal, helping to forge the Jersey club sound — raw, soulful, gospel-infused house music — that spread across the US and all over the world. His Colombian father was also a musician who played with greats such as Tito Puente, and young Tony started collecting records at the age of ten years old. By the time he started DJing professionally, coming up at the same time as Paradise Garage, Humphries was determined to bring Larry Levan levels of stamina to New Jersey. He would play sets three times as long as regular nightclub sets, challenging himself to do it without ever playing the same record twice. In New York in the ‘80s, this was the norm for any DJ who wanted to stake their claim at a major club.
“Competition to get that superclub residency in a city of 9 million people, plus the other four surrounding boroughs, was fierce back then,” Humphries told Stamp the Wax. You had to be diverse, versatile and knowledgeable of all types of music happening in the city, and yet be distinguishable from everyone else.” The longer Humphries plays, the better he sounds. He’ll be in his element playing all night long at Le Bain this Saturday night.
5.31.24
Tony Humphries All Night at Le Bain
The legendary Jersey club pioneer is bringing his magic to Le Bain this Saturday for a marathon set of disco, house, soul, funk, garage, and more. OG Greats like Humphries won’t be around forever, and now’s as good a time as any to tick him off your bucket list.
6.1.24
A Rolling Skating Jam Called Pleasure
Come on everybody, wear your rollerskates today. Jacques Renault, Pleasure Jams, Lauren Murada and Party Dad are bringing their finest disco, house, soul, funk and hip-hop tunes to soundtrack your spin around the rink at Prospect Park. A modest $10 includes skates, and if you’re prone to falling, just remember: you gotta get up to get down.
6.2.24
DVS1 open to close (house set) in The Nursery
Most people know Zak Khutoretsky, aka DVS1, as a superb techno DJ from Minneapolis and current resident at Berghain/Panorama Bar. On Sunday, you have the rare opportunity of seeing him play a house set at Public Records’ Nursery, where he’ll be presiding over the decks from open to close. Bouncy and groovy, his house sets channel the Midwest rave energy that had a formative influence on him as a teenager.
