Soul Connection

Who they are

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  Honey Bun

  New York City · 124 bookings since Aug 2023

  “Honey Bun is an interdisciplinary afro-futurist artist whose work aims to reclaim the black past, affirm the black present, and demand the black future.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  Honey Bun is an interdisciplinary afro-futurist artist whose work aims to reclaim the black past, affirm the black present, and demand the black future. Born in New York City, raised in Texas, and now based in Brooklyn, her selections blend the sounds of her east coast roots, southern upbringing, and the ever-evolving and interconnected sonic output of the global black diaspora. As a resident of Brooklyn’s iconic station, The Lot Radio, Honey Bun hosts her monthly show, ‘BUNTOPIA’, captivating listeners with an explorative monthly mix designed to "sonically journey through the cosmos". The sounds of BUNTOPIA extend into a party night often hosted by intimate NYC clubs, Le Bain and Mood Ring, featuring thoughtfully curated lineups of guest DJs, artists, and friends who share a similar future-forward approach to dance music. When on planet Earth, the sun sets, and the vibrant streets of Brooklyn come alive with the sounds of Soul Connection, a party series co-founded by Honey Bun and Lovie. Together and in community, they connect the mind, body and soul through an essential night of dancing and deep groove filled with glowing soulful house, disco, funk and r&b. Often selected as an RA pick of the week, the beloved party centers intergenerational Black femme DJs and prioritizes cultivating comfortable and love-filled dance floors between renowned Brooklyn clubs, Good Room, Nowadays and Public Records. Honey Bun is a highly sought after addition to any of NYC’s most exciting club nights, as a guest DJ alongside major touring international artists, and trusted by the underground scene to stand alone with the ever-precious all-nighter extended set. Her flexibility and fearlessness to take on any dance floor is reflective of her reputation as an “omnivorous selector” with a record collection and taste that runs wide and deep. While sensual and playful, she can carefully brew peak time moments of heady bass lines, famed drum breaks, and classic Detroit techno, all aiding in her natural inclination to buzz between universes with just a twist of a knob. A reputation that has earned her a newly minted residency at famed nightclub, Nowadays, in Queens, NY. Internationally recognized, Honey Bun has graced the airwaves of prominent stations such as Foundation FM, Rinse FM, Rinse France, and Balamii, along with highly-acclaimed club appearances across western Europe and the UK. Her style has earned her spots on esteemed festival lineups such as Sustain Release, Making Time, headlining the Brooklyn Mirage stage of Boiler Room Festival, and the Red Bull stage for The Governor’s Ball. She is often tapped as the local guest DJ to join international tours of artists like Disclosure, Nia Archives, HAAi, Palms Trax, Gerd Janson, TSHA, Benji B and more. Beyond her DJ work, she was previously the video host for Noisey's Questionnaire of Life and a producer of Emmy-award nominated music documentary series, The Story Of, showcasing her versatility in the music domain.
  SoundCloud ↗

  Recently at Knockdown Center, Mood Ring, Mansions · often with Ayanna Heaven, Sevyn, Stonie Blue, none of them here that night

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  Jenifa Mayanja

  New York City · 23 bookings since Aug 2023

  “JENIFA MAYANJA Ugandan born Jenifa Mayanja has been deeply entrenched in the underground deep house music scene for more than 25 years since the early 90's staking her claim in New York.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  JENIFA MAYANJA Ugandan born Jenifa Mayanja has been deeply entrenched in the underground deep house music scene for more than 25 years since the early 90's staking her claim in New York. Steadily rising through the ranks Ms. Mayanja's profile has maintained an underground buzz that has her earned her a revered place as the “first lady of deep house” and a reputation for being an innovative, fearless and respected musical ambassador for women in house music. The underground culture that Jenifa Mayanja planted roots in began in New York for her as a serious music selector and music buyer at the now defunct legendary record store “Dancetracks”. This also led to an opportunity to learn firsthand about running a record label working for “Spiritual Life” owned by Joe Claussell. They say New York djs know how to be able to work any kind of situation because crowds are tough to please, well Jenifa got an education that built her into the kind of fearless dj she is today. Holding down weekly residencies at major clubs and as a main stay of the East Village thriving lounge scene of the 90s honed her technical skills and ability as a dj to move seamlessly through genres. Jenifa’s creation of the Bumako Recordings label in 2007 introduced the world to the naturalistic deep house sound she is known for as an artist and has led her musical vision for the Bumako label. From inception to now, Bumako has developed a devoted fan base that religiously follows the diverse releases on the label to date almost 25 of them including full length albums, cds and digital releases. The “Woman Walking in the Shadows” album in 2011, really set her apart from the fray and brought a new kind of attention to her signature world infused house music. She has also been at the helm of a variety of signature remixes for artists and labels of the likes of Nina Kraviz, Ethereal Sounds Anton Zap's label, Soul People Music Fred P's label, Altered Mood Recordings, Street Knowledge while also providing original productions for labels like Big Bait, Abstract Theory and recently Orbits Records run by the Bass Cadet Crew. While other djs value quantity, Jenifa Mayanja’s DJ ethos has been about bringing music culture, quality and love to the game. She has played multiple times at Panorama Bar, Fabric London, Output New York, along with appearances at Concrete Paris, Djoon and beloved events like “Freerotation”, “Horse meat disco”, and Heidegluhen”.Her dj appearances have also included stops at underground events in Tel Aviv, London, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Cologne, Brooklyn, Helsinki and Moscow. Jenifa Mayanja is also involved with two other labels EDJ and Sound Warrior. The EDJ label she co-owns with her famous other half DJ Jus-Ed. They have to date 5 releases with “Love it or Leave it” EP being premiered on the “ED & Jen” tour at the Freerotation Festival. The Sound Warrior label she co-created with Dakini 9 to showcase music production exclusively produced by women now boasts 4 major release including a double vinyl compilation featuring 9 other incredible women to be released April 2017. With her 3rd album “Stranger things have happened”coming in the summer of 2017 and upcoming long players on Sistrum, & Deep Art, Jenifa Mayanja continues to be a force to be reckoned with in her own right as an artist, dj and label owner with a distinct musical signature
  SoundCloud ↗Discography ↗
  Their RA profile lists Underground Quality, Deep Explorer Music, Altered Moods, Bu-Mako Recordings and 6 more.

  Recently at public records, Jupiter Disco, Jolene Sound Room Brooklyn · often with Scott Grooves, Francis Harris, Julion De'Angelo, none of them here that night

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  Kfeelz

  New York City · 40 bookings since Aug 2023

  SoundCloud ↗

  Recently at Good Room, Nowadays, 99 Scott Ave · often with RAQX, Eden Aurelius, Andrew Devlin, none of them here that night

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  Lovie

  Washington DC · 90 bookings since Aug 2023

  “Lovie's musical discovery began in the digital music age: a young lover of local radio and after-school MTV marathons, her early mixes took shape in the form of burned CDs she made for her friends.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  Lovie's musical discovery began in the digital music age: a young lover of local radio and after-school MTV marathons, her early mixes took shape in the form of burned CDs she made for her friends. After relocating from her hometown of Washington, D.C. to New York in 2020, Lovie's unique selection of soulful, spiritual music swiftly ushered her into New York's local music scene. At the taste-making Brooklyn radio station, Lot Radio, she gave birth to her homey platform, summer school radio. For five years Lovie's radio mixes—now being offered as one of the station's few weekly residencies—have thumbed through the intimate corners of her music collection. She saunters through slow-groove disco, dusty '70s funk and groovy '80s jazz at a studied pace that makes it easy to marvel at every timeless chime, trill, and drum beat. She's as tempted by the bedroom pop of Clairo as much as the cosmic funk of Lonnie Liston Smith. Outside the Lot, Lovie presents summer school radio as soothing listening sessions around Brooklyn, providing warm balms for city fatigue with artists like alt-jazz harpist muva of Earth and New Age legend Laraaji. As co-founder of Soul Connection with long-time friend and collaborator, Honey Bun, she imbues the power of friendship and Black femme empowerment into sumptuous house music and '90s R&B spun with the patience and musicality associated with the East Coast house tradition. Connecting the mind, to the body, to the soul, her club sets inspire the warmest, most community-minded dance floors you'll find in the city. Her diligence to the craft, musical curiosity, and deep focus on the listening experience earned her a spot on Mixmag's Top 25 Breakthrough DJs of 2024. She now holds a coveted residency at Brooklyn club public records, and has played at art centers like MoMA, Brooklyn Academy of Music and The Beacon Theater, where she opened for Kamasi Washington. Her work has also brought her to international gigs at Paris's Djoon, London's Spiritland, and more. Whether playing on her stomping grounds or rocking dance floors overseas, Lovie creates honey-sweet dance floor memories you'll want to replay again and again.
  SoundCloud ↗

  Recently at Eavesdrop, public records, Good Room · often with JADALAREIGN, Analog Soul, BLKshine, none of them here that night