We have spoken several times about the importance of New York City in dance music history. We are so lucky to have so many legends living among us in this place we call home. But this week, we’re going to take a bit of a different look at local DJs for our listings. 

We have decided to focus on up and coming DJs who are vital contributors to the NYC scene. If you haven’t heard or seen them before, we recommend canceling all your weekend plans and hitting the dancefloor hard. You can sleep when you’re dead.

8.11 - Love Trunk NYC with Rissa Garcia at TBA Brooklyn

Rissa Garcia has been on the scene in NYC for a long time but rarely gets the credit she deserves. She came up at a time when she had to fight the boys club to get DJ slots. But she persevered and has been rinsing her vast stack of vinyl at clubs across the city for the past 15 years. She is a DJ, producer, NightChild Records label founder and most importantly, a house head. Over the years she has shared the decks with icons like Danny Tenaglia, Danny Krivit, Tony Humphries and Kenny Dope, and this Friday you can catch her on a more intimate stage at TBA.

8.12 - Public Service at Herbert Von King Park

Public Service is a party for the community by the community. Hosted by Toribio and Mickey Perez, the monthly, outdoor, family-friendly gathering aims to celebrate life and summer in the city. The pair started throwing block parties together in 2021, while nightclubs were still closed due to COVID but people yearned for a safe, outdoor space to dance. Since then, the party has become a monthly summer ritual in Bed Stuy and Bushwick parks. This Saturday, Toribio and Mickey will be behind the decks sharing the sounds of their Latin heritage mixed with the house and disco beats of New York at Herbert Von King Park.

8.12 - That Matt at Jupiter Disco

That Matt is a long-time lover of NYC dance music culture who has jumped behind the decks in the past few years to share that love with the world. Since making the leap from dancer to DJ he has co-founder the Peer Pressure parties and become a resident of the monthly Queer party Wet Noise. One thing that makes Matt’s sets stand out is the special attention he pays to lyrical storytelling through his record selections - classics, leftfield, sleazy disco, house, and funk. If you like the sound of that head to Jupiter Disco this Saturday where Matt will be playing with Peter Madden.

8.13 - Ru on The Roof at Le Bain

DJ RuBot is an Indian American queer DJ and co-founder of the NYC-based DJ duo, Occupy The Disco. His sound is permeated by a collective love of nightlife’s past and present; it’s underground-inspired, unabashedly gay, and always eclectic. Ru has a musical repertoire that defies the confines of a single genre but we would put money on the fact that he’ll be playing lushious house and daytime disco when he takes over the rooftop at Le Bain for a Sunday session this weekend.