SELECTED SOUL CLAP & MR JONATHAN TOUBIN QUICK PRESS BLURBS JONATHAN TOUBIN was just awarded 2015's "BEST DJ" in the VILLAGE VOICE 60th anniversary BEST OF NYC: "Jonathan is pretty much the only DJ we actually like." (VICE, 2014) "Particularly chic... one of the most popular spinners in Williamsburg and the founder of the New York Night Train dance parties. His fare is already cleaner and more appreciative of American pop music history than much of the rest..." (NY Times, 2013) "The most-liked man in the soul music scene" (Rolling Stone, 2012) "This 45 hoarder made soul music fun again with his Soul Clap & Dance Off parties, where five-hour sets of rare grooves and B-sides provided a fleshy alternative to the club scene’s industrial snarl. Instead of bucking the trends of American pop music for some underground alternative, Toubin has made his name by embracing pop’s connective tissue, tracing the rhythm and blues, soul, and rock and roll of the nineteen-fifties and sixties." (New Yorker, 2016) "NYC's hottest DJ" (New York Post, 2017) "Rare record raconteur Jonathan Toubin returns to L.A. this Saturday to DJ one of his superlative Soul Clap and Dance Offs, in which you the dance-crazy people go even crazier than ever" (L.A. Record, 2016) "Jonathan Toubin is a multihypenate in every sense of the word... Toubin fuses obscure rhythm and blues from the '50s and '60s, with rock 'n' roll and soul 45s. His ongoing New York Night Train parties easily draw those typically found sulking in corners of bars out onto the dance floor." (Interview Magazine, 2015) "Jonathan Toubin is seriously one of the best DJs on the planet." (Detroit Metro Times, 2015) "New York Night Train's Jonathan Toubin is a veritable NYC nightlife institution." (TIME OUT, "Best Parties in NYC Right Now," 2015) "BEST DJ" (Village Voice "Best of NYC" Readers' Poll 2014) "Jonathan Toubin is New York rock and soul DJ who plays his collection of original 45rpm records to packed dance floors all over the world." (Outlook, BBC World Service, 2014)" "The long-running Soul Clap remains one of the sweatiest dance parties to be experienced in New York City. Fueled by his rare and raucous 45s collection, DJ Jonathan Toubin draws on raw soul and the most feral strains of rock 'n' roll from the early 1960s to power the nights." (Wall Street Journal, 2014) "The world's PREMIERE soul DJ — on 45s, no less — no party is complete without a little Toubin." (MTV.com, 2014) "New York's best DJ" (VICE, 2012) "Widely acknowledged as the mother of all soul jams" (Time Out New York, 2010) "The best soul DJ in the land" (Flavorpill, 2013) "Every Friday night from 10:30 P.M. to 4 A.M., this subterranean dive bar on the Bowery morphs into an ecstatic, sweaty time portal to the swingin' sixties. Drinks are beside the point, but they're cheap enough (seven-dollar draft; five-buck bottled Lone Star). Get something, finish it soon, and let the siren call of Chuck Berry seduce you onto the dance floor. The d.j. Jonathan Toubin has been spinning rare nineteen-fifties and sixties records weekly here since 2008, and the crowd is a melting pot of punk bartenders, twenty-somethings, and a couple of pepper-gray heads, who swivel and smile under the peeling disco ball. Few people recognize the roaring, crackling songs; even fewer can really dance the blues. It doesn't matter. The evening's not about proving you know the most obscure records or looking good; it's about some kind of soul-shaking alchemy. Before you know it, it's the opening scene of "Dirty Dancing," all swerving hips and bare shoulders—you would've sworn you'd be the last to dance, but there you are, breathless. A lady hops on a faux-leather banquette to get a closer look at Toubin's handiwork. He conspires with her, "This is too fast, isn't it? How about this one? Do you think they can handle it?" And Eddy Jacobs comes on, crooning like a young Sam Cooke: "We're having a Friday night get-together / 'Cause I just got paid / Don't have to work Saturday / And tonight I'm going to have my way." Spellbound bodies slip into the song's shuffling rhythm, and Toubin reaches for the next bit of black magic" (New Yorker, 2016) "The tireless DJ Jonathan Toubin keeps dancers moving at his Soul Clap parties" (New Yorker, 2013) "DJ Jonathan Toubin is creating his own kind of dance revolution" (Village Voice, 2011) "Most fun ever!... Jonathan Toubin is one of our all time favorite DJs who spins rare 45s and travels around the world making people happy" (BUST Magazine, 2014) "Jonathan Toubin is the reigning king of the sweaty, non-stop super-fun dance party" (Paper Magazine, 2014) "DJ and diety" (BlackBook, 2014) "Guaranteed good times... Wild soul all-nighter" - (The Rough Guide to New York City Top Club Nights), 2014 "One of our favorite DJs EVER, slash the brains behind the best DANCE PARTY EVER" (Brightest Young Things, 2014) "Soul Clap is the most popular soul dance party in the world, playing to more people in more places than any other… Toubin plays all original soul 45s from the 1960s and uncommon upbeat cuts perfect for dancing the night away." (SXSW Music News, 2014) "A legend among Lower East Side entertainers and fans" (ABC News, 2012) "Jonathan Toubin is the only person we can call a "professional DJ" without involuntarily making a jack-off motion with our hand... His parties are like what Ancient Stonehenge was like if it was, as archaeologists theorize, filled with people dressed many times better than you completely losing their shit." (VICE, 2010) "To friends and fans, Mr. Toubin is the man behind New York Night Train, whose musical arsenal is made up of lesser-known artists from the 1950s and 1960s, captured on 45 r.p.m. records, with an occasional hit-maker like James Brown or Chuck Berry thrown in." (NY Times, 2012) "New York Night Train's Jonathan Toubin throws the raddest underground rock parties in New York" (Paper Magazine, 2008) "Jonathan Toubin is the reigning king of the sweaty, non-stop super-fun dance party" (Paper Magazine, 2014) "The much loved New York soul DJ" (Pitchfork, 2012) "New York's suavest DJ" (Chronogram, 2013) "Indeed, Toubin's 45 r.p.m. record-fueled, rock-and-soul heavy dance parties were some of the best, sweatiest nights we've had in this city." (Gothamist, 2011) "I'm not one of the Schmucks who will lament over New York not being "what it used to be", but I will say that we're not fans of this dismal wasteland of Eurotrash tourists and guidos with polo shirts unbuttoned down to their navels grinding to the repetitive pounding of bad electro... Enter Jonathan Toubin, and his simple-yet-visionary approach to revamping the entire lanscape of New York and Brooklyn from midnight till the after hours. His New York Night Train parties have become stuff of sheer legend do to the simple fact that Toubin actually seems to care about what he is producing. His meticulous approach has paid off quite handsomely as pretty much each and every party with the Jonathan Toubin stamp on it seems to be the biggest party going on for that given night." (Impose Magazine, 2009) "Most DJs rely on hits and recognizable songs to keep the dance floor moving, but Toubin relies on quality." (Boston Phoenix, 2013) "A shimmy-worthy mix of maximum rock'n'soul" (New York Post, 2009) "One of our favorite DJs EVER, slash the brains behind the best DANCE PARTY EVER" (Brightest Young Things, 2014) "Toubin is trying to bring a sense of community back to nightlife, fighting against the alienation that's seeped into cool culture. And if there's anyone who can do it, it's Toubin, soaked in charisma, honestly able to tout grandstand titles like America's Favorite Soul Dance DJ" (NY Press, 2011) "Jonathan Toubin is a local DJ with a penchant for two things: soul obscurities and making people move. He spreads his gospel by way of tireless sets at bars and clubs across the Lower East Side and Brooklyn, at which he'll host dance-offs, invite artists and other musicians to contribute to the merriment, and spin a heady blend of what he calls " Maximum Rock and Soul."... Expect even more music, dancing, and rambunctiousness than usual, knowing full well that "the usual" is already pretty hard to top." (The Onion A.V. Club, 2009) "One of the best DJs in the world." (Vanyaland, 2013) "His party throwing abilities and booty-shaking music selections are legendary" (Metromix NYC, 2011) "Jonathan Toubin might be the crown prince of American soul-funk DJs. Obsessed with obscure 45s from the '50s and '60s, the New York icon aims to produce the energy and pacing of a modern club night, but with gritty, raw tunes that almost no one except a few crazed collectors and spinners have heard before." (SF Weekly, 2012) "DJ Mr. Jonathan Toubin is known for single-handedly revamping NYC nightlife with his fun/sweaty New York Night Train Soul Clap dance parties" (Portland Mercury, 2010) "DJ and diety" (BlackBook, 2014) "Jonathan Toubin is the undeniable King of the Dance Party" (The Audio Files, 2013) "The DJ who has developed cult status around the country as a music preservationist, tireless record collector, and walking musical encyclopedia... Part of what makes Toubin's delirious DJ sets so seductively enticing is the depths of selections, noting people can "expect hours of dancing to the best music they've never heard." Most DJs rely on hits and recognizable songs to keep the dance floor moving, but Toubin relies on quality." (Boston Phoenix, 2013) "DJ Jonathan Toubin is a hero to record snobs, barnstorming partiers, and entrepreneurs alike. His event imprint, New York Night Train, is based around fierce, lusty dancing and socializing that never resorts to stale music and fits like a glove with the finest in underground rock and soul. In his hands, an evolving collection of 7-inch singles from five decades ago becomes a splatter of sweat-soaked color and the catalyst for countless hearts skipping a beat simultaneously." (City Pages MInneapolis, 2012) "The guy's energy and enthusiasm for soul-grinding sounds is truly infectious." (LA Weekly, 2012) "Guaranteed good times... Wild soul all-nighter" - (The Rough Guide to New York City: "Top Club Nights"), 2014 "A couple weeks back, I was at the awesome Beachland Ballroom in my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, when I was lured into the venue's adjoining tavern by a throng so frenzied I thought Lady Gaga must have made an impromptu drop-by. Nope -- it was New York City DJ Jonathan Toubin, whose Soul Clap & Dance-Off has grown from its humble Brooklyn-underground beginnings to a national phenomenon. Armed with an exceptional collection of vintage soul and R&B 45s, Toubin has been crisscrossing the country, spinning tunes while dancers compete for the grand prize (in Nashville, $100). The scene in Cleveland was bonkers, as sweaty contestants -- identified by numbers on their backs -- writhed, squirmed, shimmied and bounced the night away, while onlookers cheered, laughed and gawked at the incredible display of flailing bodies." (Nashville Scene, 2011) "Hip-shaking, head-bobbing beats" (Daily Candy, 2013) Jonathan Toubin, the New York City DJ who turns ho-hum rock shows and tin-canned dance parties into transcendent nightlife experiences. Spinning rock and soul on 45, Toubin gets the rock kids to dance and the clubbers to rock, meshing together live music, performance, film and dance, dance, dance!" (Detroit Metro-Times, 2009) "He spins nothing but 45-rpm records. He eradicates inhibitions. He induces mass hysteria. And sometimes, he even stuffs his vinyl into antique suitcases, gases up the Winnebago, and roadtrips to various American outposts of hipsterdom." (Miami New Times, 2011) "Jonathan Toubin, the internationally famous DJ behind the New York Night Train parties, has built his career on a vast collection of obscure 45 rpm records and the "ultimate sonic boom" sound that they provide." (Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, 2013) "Jonathan Toubin grew up punk in Texas and learned some lasting lessons--like play hard, play fast, play loud and play with people's expectations. So when he started his own all-45s DJ night in New York City, he brought out something different than sweet Northern soul or slo-mo funky grooves. Instead, his New York Night Train Soul Clap Dance-Offs showcase the raw and wild soul 'n' roll that connects the r 'n' b shouters of the '50s and the hard-ass funk freaks of the '70s." (OC Weekly, 2011) "Toubin is the most popular, prolific and highest-earning DJ of his kind in America" (Digital Journal, Toronto, 2012) "The Austin-born, Brooklyn-based DJ Jonathan Toubin is known worldwide for his wild, sweaty, all-vinyl "Soul Clap" dance parties, which feature vintage and obscure soul and rhythm and blues sides scored from deep in the crates." (New Orleans Gambit, 2011) "He's a vinyl junkie in the best sense; spinning unique and rare 1960s soul 45s exclusively, yet comes off as cool and unpretentious. Toubin has been changing the world, with one wild 45rpm banger at a time." (PBS Australia, 2014) "On the New York club scene, no disc jockey is more boss than Toubin, whose Night Train dance parties make the faithful flock from the boroughs and beyond." (Connect Savannah, 2013) "Famed DJ Jonathan Toubin spun an amazing shimmying mash of Halloween-themed dance tunes from his bottomless 7″ collection" (CMJ.com, 2013) "Toubin has been spinning his collection of poppin' Soul and R&B 45 rpms for six years, starting originally in the L.E.S. and ending up at festivals and clubs across the globe. Soul Clap is one of Toubin's babies. It's a party straight out of yesteryear, where the DJ is the spiffy emcee and the dance floor a hot mess of scuff marks and smiles. There is no booming bass, only throwback tunes and swinging hips. Toubin has redefined the modern dance party. Here, people groove with each other rather than submit to the glass enclosed DJ above." (The Villager, 2013) "Toubin will delve deep into his finely honed collection of '50s and '60s soul and R&B - the grittier, the better - to help you get over the hump by shaking your rump." (Houston Press, 2009) "Jonathan Toubin has long been a fixture in the New York City nightlife scene and these days he's host of the wildly popular New York Night Train." (MTV Hive, 2013) "Famed soul DJ Jonathan Toubin travels the states with his various dance parties, all of which are now fueled solely by vintage 45s--first pressings at that!" (Atlanta Music Guide, 2012) "The hottest 45s on earth." (Fast Forward Weekly Calgary, 2013) "Everybody's fantasy wedding DJ" (Impose, 2013) "By 1 am the club was quite literally steamy from all the dancing bodies, the man has the golden touch when it comes to getting people to shake their booties. Dance partners Sam Rockwell and Marisa Tomei shimmied it up like the best of Brooklyn hipsters, and all of a sudden we were at the kind of party we all thought we'd be going to when we first moved to New York. Now if only someone had thought to invite us to the house party where Bill Murray showed up one night, our party lives would be complete." (Metromix, 2011) "Sporting a collection of 45s worthy of the Library Of Congress, Toubin cuts good old R&B jams with Northern soul, garage pop, funk, and beyond, seamlessly blending the classic with the obscure. His Soul Clap & Dance Off has become infamous for setting a funky fire in peoples' hearts and orchestrating a hostile takeover of dance floors across the nation." (The Onion Milwaukee, 2011) "The mid-'60s to early-'70s r &b and funk will have you dancing with the stars." (Village Voice "Voice Choices" 2007) Brooklyn's finest soul DJ, party promoter, and all-around fantastic specimen of humankind. (VICE, 2011) "An eve of 45-rpm soul sizzlin' and expressive dance." (LA Weekly, 2009) "It was ridiculous and fun and had me hoping Soul Clap returns" (SF Weekly, 2009) "Our festival experience began with an oh-so-soulful DJ set by New York genius Jonathan Toubin." (Exclaim! 2009) "Toubin's gig on the decks at Green Room during last year's Pop was a major rager, so if you're into incredibly rare Northern and raw soul, this night will definitely have you shakin' it like a bowl of soup." (Montreal Mirror, 2009) " (The Soul Clap) matches a burgeoning star of NYC's DJ underground (Jonathan Toubin) with a more organic, infinitely more sweaty-fun stack of sounds (a long-awaited alternative to the ever more stodgy and conservative realm of "dance" music) and a fervently followed format that features a dance contest judged by a distinguished panel of local celebs" (Red Bank Orbit , 2010) "A post-punker with a penchant for sweet soul DJ Jonathan Toubin throws New York's premier dusty 45 party" (Time Out Chicago, 2010) "(Toubin's) finely honed collection of '50s and '60s soul and R&B - the grittier, the better - to help you get over the hump by shaking your rump."(Houston Press, 2009) "If you've been heating up the dance floor at one of San Francisco's many soul nights, tonight is the night to graduate to the big leagues - DJ Jonathan Toubin, the "soul proprietor" of the New York dance scene, is in town. (Flavorpill San Francisco, 2010) "New York Night Train's Mr. Jonathan Toubin has solidified his reputation as the premier soul party engineer and the hardest working guy in New York with packed parties at underground venues." (Heeb, 2009) "Have you ever thought 'I wish I could be on Soul Train'? You have your chance this Saturday." (Huffington Post "Best Events In New York City", 2011) "Jonathan Toubin knows how to make people dance like it's the 1960s. In a society where bumping uglies on the dance floor is totally the "thing to do" Jonathan manages to bring us back to our roots, with pure dance moves." (Campus Sounds, 2011) "Even thought Toubin isn't entirely unique in using only 45s, his skill at transitioning one song into another ("segueways") is seamless, and his depth and range of choice songs, primarily from the mid-1960s, are far from the mainstream yet extremely danceable. " (North Coast Journal, 2009) "But by the end of the night, I got Toubin's joke: He and Svenonius know how to make people freak out. I mean really lose it. They can access a primal human circuitry that somehow prefigured the advent of 1960s boogaloo, international freakbeat and garage rock. All that "nntzuh-nntzuh" Euro syncopation, all that New Order, even ol' Marr and Morrissey, were little queefs of ozone compared to the voltage that these two have amassed over years of rummaging through record bins. They've learned how to incite a kind of bond breaking, a freedom claiming, in young psyches." (New York Press, 2008) "With his impeccable taste and extensive vinyl collection, Jonathan always seems to know exactly the right track to get bodies moving on the dance floor. " (L Magazine, 2008) Jonathan Toubin has played over 300 gigs a year and has been melting the face off of crowds with his "maximum rock and soul" approach to DJing. If there will be anything to give you more hipster street cred this week, it'll be this 50s and 60s revival that the rockabilly guys will be jealous of." (TheChiGuide, 2010) "New York party promoter and soul DJ Jonathan Toubin plays the best boogaloo, 60's garage rock, blues, psych, and just about any other music that comes finely pressed on 45. The kids who fill the dance floor are girls with thick bangs and tight sweaters, and boys who wish they were a Rolling Stone - no wall flowers. (Hearty, 2010) "Jonathan Toubin is the dude who made NYC dance parties fun again. Tonight is the third anniversary of what may be the best party of the past few years, Soul Clap and Dance Off at Glasslands." (Brooklyn Ski Club, 2010) "I remember the first time I walked into one of DJ Jonathan Toubin's Soul Clap and Dance-Off parties at Glasslands Gallery. Wiggly mamas were shaking their manes and hitting the splits, gangly boys were swinging from the balcony, and the two dance contest finalists, having already ripped their shirts off, were vibe-a-ratin' like washing machines in the middle of a cheering crowd. And the music, man! I was getting hit by squall after squall of screaming, crackling soul tracks, some pitched so fast that I hardly knew how to move to them - so I did like everyone else and just let the music jerk my body around, flailing with the breathless abandon of a toddler. I'm a big fan of sixties soul music, but every song was new to me, each so raw and greasy and BIG and palpable that they had me scrunching my nose up and torquing my neck in this ecstatic frenzy. Now, I make a point of seeking out those rowdy shows and crazy parties that leave you sweat-soaked and grinning uncontrollably, but I've been hard-pressed to find anything that can top the roaring bliss of a New York Night Train Soul Clap."(Jezebel Music, 2009) "As previously noted in this here reputable rag, Jonathan Toubin's Soul Clap and Dance-Off shindig is truly New York City's most stimulating all-night dance party, easily trumping all other soul or retro nights." (MyOpenBar.com, 2010) "Dance-offs aren't just for b-boys and Britney anymore" (The Phoenix, Portland, ME, 2009) "One of the biggest dance parties we've seen" (HaveFaithInWorthlessKnowledge.com, Portland, ME 2010) "Uno de los mejores selector que mis ojos hayan visto y mis oidos excuchado." (We Shall Be Free, Monterrey, Mexico, 2009) "'Dogzstar'in gundemimize fizyolojik bir bomba gibi dusen New York'un en hip adamlarindan biri masasinin basinda oturup yazmayicizmeyi birakip Istanbul'a gelecek ve kalemi yerine dondurdugu plaklarla hunerlerini gosterecek. " - (Entertainbul, Istanbul 2009) "Hela grejen blev sa ra, ful, osammanhangande, provokativ, meningslos, rastlos, drogad och hemmagjord i sanna vanners gemenskap. Det var liksom antligen lite punk over New York City igen." (Denimzine, Sweden, 2009) "Hey man, I get it. I don't know what foul hell fire stokes your engines but this is good work you are doing. In this stale city that makes even the richest poor, and the poorest gone; in the shadows of the newly birthed and vacant luxury condominiums that rise around us, in the crush of drunken NYU students hiking up their skirts to piss in the gutter and belligerent senior account executives furious that people are having fun downstairs from their loft-style 300sqft railroad apartments, we need this sound you're summoning up--this primal music howling out the past like the voice of everything that needs saying. We need it and we'll take it on every night that you'll bring it..." (Cheap and Plastique, 2008)
Follow New York Night Train on JONATHAN TOUBIN/NYNT PARTY BOOKING Listen to JT's mixes on soundcloud or his NYNT DAILY PARTY PLATTER on youtube Buy Jonathan Toubin's NY Night Train "Souvenirs of The Soul Clap" on Norton Records
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