DJ Jonathan Toubin Resumes Signature Residencies at Glasslands Gallery Today, 5/6

After a welcome-back event-the New York Night Train Happening at Brooklyn Bowl today, May 6-Jonathan Toubin, rock and soul party DJ, will return to performing the recurring New York City parties that form the foundation of his singular career: the monthly Soul Clap & Dance-Off, at Glasslands Gallery (289 Kent Avenue, Brooklyn), and the weekly Shakin' All Over Under Sideways Down, Friday nights at Home Sweet Home (131 Chrystie Street, Manhattan).

The reappearance of these parties follows five months of recovery Toubin has accomplished since a vehicle struck him in his Portland, Oregon hotel room and left him in critical condition in ICU. Toubin is slowly returning to his previously packed schedule, performing about half as much as he did before the accident.

The Soul Clap and Dance-Off, an all-soul 45s party and dance contest, began as a way for Toubin to play his records to a small north Brooklyn underground art/rock social community in the spirit of the mid-1990s indie/punk scene. In five years, the humble makeshift neighborhood effort has evolved into a soul party. It tours not only across the U.S., but also around the world, getting people to dance to music most of them have never heard before.

The Soul Clap brings communities together not only on the dance floor, but also on stage via with the Dance-Off judges Toubin selects. Juries have included popular locals as well as cultural figures like Satanic Priestess Karla LaVey, Green Party vice-presidential candidate Matt Gonzalez and musicians like Mike Watt, MGMT leader Andrew VanWyngarden, Royal Trux's Jennifer Herrima, Jello Biafra, the Avengers' Penelope Houston, and Monotonix' Yonatan (who has judged in three countries), Yeah Yeah Yeah's Nick Zinner and more.

Toubin's weekly residency at Home Sweet Home, Shakin' All Over Under Sideways Down includes  rare 45s of 1950s and 1960s r&b, garage, doo wop, rockabilly, British invasion, girl group, and dance craze recordings.

In addition to these New York engagements, returns to touring this summer, performing at  festivals and headlining clubs across the U.S. 

Toubin's New York Night Train enterprise, which puts on all of his parties, is an attempt to offer a different approach to nightlife. While his concepts often include bands, performance, and visuals, his DJ'ing is typically the most vital component and the biggest draw. Toubin eschews obvious hits, contemporary trends, and tinny mp3s to focus on high-quality, mostly forgotten, but timeless, dance music-exclusively on authentic 45rpm records. 

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