New York’s only full-time professional DJ of his ilk, Mr. Toubin’s success, first, in compelling rockers to cut a rug and, now, introducing clubbers to rock, is a major blow to the dominant post-1970s dance floor status quo (electro, house, “80s,” etc.). Rejecting the predominant infinite beat-stretching aesthetic, his carefully selected 45s emphasize a dynamism ideal for the short attention span of today’s cultural landscape – stopping, starting, sputtering, and segueing their way into one another to form a broader party narrative. Throwing down roughly 150 songs in a full set, New York Night Train rejects fashionable club trends, plunging dancers into an ocean of deep soul, garage, rockabilly, British Invasion, European freakbeat, New Orleans beat, glam, punk, girl groups, ye ye, boogaloo, contemporary underground singles, and everything else that’s simultaneously solid and shaking.

And, despite this foray into sonic classicism, New York Night Train advocates an exquisite musical experience where the dumbed-down popular hits are few and far between – a paradise of jams vibrant enough to be seductive while unfamiliar. It’s no accident that this wild ride deliberately dismantles all of the primary principles and aesthetics of the last thirty-five years of the DJ’s art - taking up from where the 1960s discotheque left off - applying its sounds and concepts to contemporary underground nightlife. Less a Quixotic act of rebellion against the bland, disposable, and barren nature of digital culture, but more a firm religious belief in the supreme sonic medium ever created, the authentic 45rpm 7-inch single has become the exclusive tool of Mr. Toubin’s dance parties. New York Night Train’s high-speed punk aesthetic employs these classic tools in a nostalgia-free manner to create a post-modern 60s beat collage that is decidedly fresh, alive, and contemporary enough to exist outside of the retro world - but rather where the wild things are – NOW!

The DJ/promoter/conceptualist behind the multimedia Glasslands Animal Train and Santos’ Party House Declassified! parties, as well as the ever-popular Soul Clap and Dance-Off, Mr. Toubin’s unprecedented sold-out success of these parties blew up the previously amateur underground rock/soul DJ arena and, in the process, made Mr. Toubin the 21st Century’s first full-time professional of his ilk. Mr Toubin currently spins four weekly gigs at Motor City, Beauty Bar, Home Sweet Home, and afterhours at The Shank. 2009 also not only finds Mr. Jonathan Toubin touring the world as both a DJ and party conceptualist in everywhere from rock venues to dance clubs to art galleries, but also working with HBO on a series based on his uncommon lifestyle and occupation.

Jonathan Toubin from New York Night Train throws the raddest underground rock parties in New York. - Alex Thompson, Paper Magazine

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. - Bree Dillon, L Magazine

DJ Jonathan Toubin, from underground music zine (and label of the same name) New York Night Train, spins the 45s. The mid-‘60s to early-‘70s r&b and funk will have you dancing with the stars. - Sharyn Jackson, “Voice Choices” (Village Voice)

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