Razor-N-Tape presents: A Joyful Noise

Who they are

• 

  The Illustrious Blacks

  New York City · 49 bookings since Aug 2023

  “Once upon a time in a galaxy not far away, there lived two kings.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  Once upon a time in a galaxy not far away, there lived two kings. Each was the ruler of his own deliciously glorious planet. The first king, Manchildblack, was well known throughout the cosmos for his ethereal vocals, celestial sonics and earthy musical messages. The other king, Monstah Black, was a star in the solar system for his gravity defying performances, gender­ bending fashions and spacey disposition. One magical night, an inexplicable ultra­magnetic pull forced the two planets to collide. A technicolored explosion occurred, turning night into day, with a feast of aural and visual delights. It was then that the universe was changed forever. Manchildblack and Monstah Black united and became The Illustrious Blacks. With inspiration from artists like Prince, David Bowie, Grace Jones, Boy George and George Clinton, The Illustrious Blacks have arrived with a mission to fuse futuristic funk, hypnotic house and cosmic pop into pulsating positivity for the planet. The real life married couple are not only co­-pilots on their artistic voyage, but are united in their fantastical journey through life. In 2017, The Illustrious Blacks released their highly anticipated debut EP, NeoAfroFuturisticPsychedelicSurrealisticHippy, on Concierge Records. The EP features the high energy single "Blast Off," the seductive "Red Light," the thought provoking "Delusions of Grandeur" and the anthemic "Black Like Jesus." In the same year, the dynamic duo also found time to work with producer Nickodemus on a remake of the 90s dance floor classic "Funk That!," which spawned a popular music video. The acclaimed couple found even more praise for their epic live shows and DJ sets, which fuse music, dance, theater & fashion as the ingredients to expand minds, shake bootys and save the world one beat at a time. Their infectious DJ set on Okayplayer’s Facebook live went viral and has put them on the global radar of emerging musical artists. The Illustrious Blacks have been featured at packed venues such as Central Park Summerstage (NYC), Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater (NYC), Output (NYC), Le Poisson Rouge (NYC), Performance Space New York (NYC), Brooklyn Bowl (NYC), C’mon Everybody (NYC), Afterglow Festival (Mass) and even found themselves touring to Bali, Indonesia. The Illustrious Blacks have been receiving praise from major media outlets including The New Yorker Magazine. Their celebratory music video “Black Like Jesus” was premiered in Billboard. Also, their single “Revolutionary Love” debuted in Paper Magazine, while its music video was featured on Out.com. They were also featured in a lifestyle article for the New York Times. 2019 is shaping up to be a busy year for The Illustrious Blacks. With a tour of Asia, Australia and the UK planned, they have been commissioned to create a brand new live show as part of The Shed's inaugural Open Call in NY. Simultaneously, they are recording their debut full length album to be released later in the year. Individually, Monstah Black and Manchildblack illuminate the galaxy with equal magnitude. As The Illustrious Blacks, they have combined their powers to save the world one beat at a time, and encourage all to LIVE THE HYPE LIFE!
  SoundCloud ↗Bandcamp ↗

  Recently at Le Bain, Jolene Sound Room Brooklyn · often with Niegel Smith, Amazonian Rockstar, Blaine Petrovia, none of them here that night

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  Dee Diggs

  New York City · 70 bookings since Aug 2023

  “Dee Diggs is a DJ, music producer, and creative multi-hyphenate based in Brooklyn, NY.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  Dee Diggs is a DJ, music producer, and creative multi-hyphenate based in Brooklyn, NY. She is unapologetically black, queer, and a lifelong student of the tenets of House Music. Every single set by this connoisseur feels like a celebration – a celebration of club culture, of queerness, of community, of house and techno, and of house and techno's Black and Queer American innovators. Her energetic, yet deep approach to DJing has seen this Boston to Brooklyn transplant first garnering attention in the queer party scene of NYC and now lighting up dancefloors all over the world with regular European and international tours. Her aim has always been to contribute & sustain more spaces where marginalized groups are valued and thanked by name for their contributions to humanity. Thank the ORIGINAL Black innovators of House & Techno! Thank you, Disco and Ballroom Queens & Queers and Club Kids alike for the theatrics & fanfare of nightlife as we know it! There are homages to these origins alluded to in all things 'Dee Diggs', from the aesthetics to the sharing of the referential and varied tracks that fill her most noteworthy mixes, to her own original music! She’s known for releasing standout mixes for the likes of Daisychain, Honcho, and Dekmantel over the past couple of years. Her musical adventures spanning all possible genres, the common denominator here is Dee Diggs’ unrivaled taste. Her sound cuts an arch through dance music’s past and present to convey an interesting melding of Dee’s signature sounds: lyrical storied tracks, sensual club edits, soulful realness, sneaky grooves, passionate thumpers, and nostalgic endings. Her eponymous party, House of Diggs debuted in February 2020 to stir and settle the hearts of all the lovers of house, funk, soul, disco, and R&B in Brooklyn, before the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent club closings curtailed that momentum for 1.5 years. However, 2021, found her making strides again when she resumed curating House of Diggs as a semi-regular event series at Jupiter Disco, a rotary-focused intimate dance floor in Bushwick before her touring DJ schedule ramped up intensely. She currently holds and curates a seasonal DJ residency at a hi-fi nightclub in Gowanus, BK named Public Records. House of Diggs makes an appearance yearly around PRIDE to take over all 3 rooms of Public Records with Queer Imagination and Sonic Pleasure! Diggs' steady rise continues as she steps in to headline many club and festival lineups in 2023 and beyond. The east coast darling bares her soul on these decks — when you hear her, you feel her, and there is no mistaking the beauty and grit of this sound and this feeling!
  SoundCloud ↗
  House on 6, Deep House on 4, Techno on 1 and Broken Beat on 1. styles on their catalogued releases

  Released on toucan sounds (2), Dekmantel (1) and Find Your Own (1). labels on their catalogued releases

  Recently at Jolene Sound Room Brooklyn, public records · often with Kilopatrah Jones, Nita Aviance, Ron Like Hell, none of them here that night

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  Aaron Dae

  New York City · 23 bookings since Sep 2023

  “As co-head of Razor-N-Tape, his musical sensibility has helped shaped the sound of some of the most respected underground disco and deep house to come out of New York City in the past 10 years.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  As co-head of Razor-N-Tape, his musical sensibility has helped shaped the sound of some of the most respected underground disco and deep house to come out of New York City in the past 10 years. Aaron found dance music in the heyday of the 90's NYC rave & club scene and spent his formative years promoting famed New York Clubs Tunnel, Twilo, Vinyl and Limelight. Throughout the 2000s he made his home in Philadelphia and Chicago, but in 2010 he returned home to NYC where he soon connected with current partner JKriv to form Razor-N-Tape. Over the next 9 years and a catalog over 100 releases deep, RNT has come to define today’s sound of NYC disco and house, boasting an artist roster that includes Danny Krivit, Late Nite Tuff Guy, Dimitri From Paris, Ron Basejam, Lovebirds, Eli Escobar, DJ Vas and many more. In branching out into the Razor-N-Tape Reserve label as well as a 45 series, Dae’s ear-to-the-ground A&R skills have spawned success upon success with each new release, and has helped make Razor-N-Tape one of the most respected brands in underground music today. As a DJ, Aaron has shared the bill with dance music luminaries Dimitri From Paris, The Revenge, Kenny Dope, Josh Wink, Questlove, King Britt, Rich Medina, Mark Farina, Derrick L. Carter, Glenn Underground, Ron Trent, Terry Hunter, Ron Carroll, Todd Terry, and many more. He helped develop Philly’s long-running ‘Sundae’ party, as well as staple events of Winter Music Conference such as “Do You Wanna Boogie?” and “Afternoon Delight.” Along with partner JKriv, Dae currently holds down frequent Razor-N-Tape shows at Brooklyn dance destinations Public Records, Elsewhere, Good Room, and Black Flamingo, as well as regular nights at the illustrious Le Bain on top of the NYC Standard Hotel. Aaron’s career in dance music stretches over 2 decades, and as a DJ he draws influence from the classic likes of Masters At Work, Todd Terry, Larry Heard, Danny Krivit, Francois K and Joey Negro, while also infusing elements of modern electronic soul. Artists such as Crazy P, Spirit Catcher, Hot Toddy and Lovebirds have all defined an aspect of his playing style. The result is an infectious blend of deep house, disco, boogie, funk, and soul.
  SoundCloud ↗Bandcamp ↗Discography ↗
  Their RA profile lists Razor-N-Tape.

  Last at The Sultan Room in Sep · often with JKriv, Jason Lindner, Miss Gypsy, none of them here that night

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  Brandon Markell Holmes

  New York City · 11 bookings since Sep 2023

  “Brandon Markell Holmes, a "slow-burning vocal-house juggernaut," (Rolling Stone), is a formally-trained theatre actor and self-trained vocalist that works within themes of social observation and the symbiotic relationship between art and history.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  Brandon Markell Holmes, a "slow-burning vocal-house juggernaut," (Rolling Stone), is a formally-trained theatre actor and self-trained vocalist that works within themes of social observation and the symbiotic relationship between art and history. Described as an "invigorating artist’s artist," (Chicago Tribune) and a vocalist that can go "from a low simmer to a boiling passion," (Billboard) he’s also a musician working his own art into history, having appeared as a vocalist on the GRAMMY-nominated Gorillaz album ‘Humanz’, as well as being featured in Afropunk for his visual EP ‘Inertia’. Born and raised in Chicago, but now living in Brooklyn, Brandon has brought performance art to the club, becoming a go-to vocalist for the house music underground. He's a social butterfly, known for dropping in and doing impromptu performances with friends and collaborators (musclecars, JKriv, Robert PM). In the studio, Brandon has worked with musical luminaries, Mauro Refosco, Joey Waronker , Anthony Nicholson, with mentions on the BBC, NTS, Rinse FM, Lot Radio, and more. In Brandon’s words, “My prayer is to always create, speak and express with an authentic understanding of what I’m saying and why I’m saying it.”
  Their RA profile lists Razor-N-Tape and Toucan Sounds.

  often with JKriv, Olatunji Ojore, Jason Lindner, none of them here that night

• Disgonuts

  New York City · 28 bookings since Sep 2023

  “D I S G O N U T S is a Brooklyn / Mexico CIty based vinyl-centric DJ with an insatiable passion for moving dance floors.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  D I S G O N U T S is a Brooklyn / Mexico CIty based vinyl-centric DJ with an insatiable passion for moving dance floors. Cutting his teeth in the disco scene of New York City, Disgonuts developed a unique style blending club music of all decades: soulful New York, Detroit, and Chicago house, obscure disco, electro, boogie, afro-latin, and nu-wave. Disgonuts is co-founder of The Funky Seshwa, one of Brooklyn’s biggest rising DIY party & music programming collectives focusing on sharing psychedelic dance music from around the world. He is also the co-founder of Discoteca, a roaming DIY party currently making waves in the underbelly of NYC & Mexico City. He is also label manager and A&R at internationally celebrated disco/house music label Razor-N-Tape as well as the manager for afro-punk-funk cult dance band Underground System. With a knack for continuously producing better & more evolved events, only time can tell what magic Disgonuts & crew will be up to next.
  SoundCloud ↗
  Their RA profile lists Razor-N-Tape.

  often with JKriv, Willy Soul, Omer Mil, none of them here that night

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  Greg Paulus

  New York City · 48 bookings since Sep 2023

  Deep House on 49, House on 44, Tech House on 19 and Downtempo on 14. styles on their catalogued releases

  Released on Slacker 85 (2), AirFunk (1) and Opulence (1); their RA profile also lists Wolf + Lamb and Double Standard Records. labels on their catalogued releases and on their RA profile

  Last at Apollo Studio in Sep · often with Morgan, Chuwee, SOLANA, none of them here that night

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  Peter Matson

  New York City · 18 bookings since Aug 2023

  “Peter has toured internationally and produced records on Soul Clap, Hell Yeah, Planet e, with forthcoming releases on Razor-n-Tape and Heavenly Sweetness.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  Peter has toured internationally and produced records on Soul Clap, Hell Yeah, Planet e, with forthcoming releases on Razor-n-Tape and Heavenly Sweetness. His recent solo 12" releases are finding their home on Brooklyn label Bastard Jazz as well as Dam Swindle's Heist Recordings As a performer and DJ Peter has seen it all: from The Apollo Theatre to Central Park NYC Summerstage, from the basement of Black Flamingo and Good Room in BK, to loft parties of Mexico City, to Eurockeenes de Belfort, Fusion Festival in Germany, or headlining Laurent Garnier’s ‘Festival Yeah!’ In Lourmarin, France.
  SoundCloud ↗Bandcamp ↗Discography ↗
  Their RA profile lists Planet E, Hell Yeah Recordings, Razor-N-Tape, Soul Clap Records and 2 more.

  Last at Le Bain in Aug · often with JKriv, Domenica, Jim Orso, none of them here that night

• Jim Orso Morgan Wiley Olatunji Ojore

• Stuart Bogie

  15 bookings since Sep 2023

  often with Buck McDaniel, Olatunji Ojore, JKriv, none of them here that night