HARDER Ball 1-18-25

Who they are

• GIDEÖN

  London, United Kingdom · 12 bookings since Aug 2023

  “GIDEÖN (HOMO-CENTRIC RECORDS / NYC DOWNLOW / ADONIS / R3 SOUNDSYSTEM / BLOCK9) GIDEÖN has a background in music spanning 30 years.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  GIDEÖN (HOMO-CENTRIC RECORDS / NYC DOWNLOW / ADONIS / R3 SOUNDSYSTEM / BLOCK9) GIDEÖN has a background in music spanning 30 years. In addition to his practice as a recording artist, stage designer and curator, he is a touring DJ and is an avid collector of vinyl. Since his first set of turntables in 1990, GIDEÖN has devoted his life to collecting vinyl from the US, Jamaica, Latin America, Africa, and the UK. He specialises in Northern Soul, Latin, Reggae, Gospel, and Disco rarities. House Music, above all, is his first and greatest love. He has a degree in Music with Visual Practice (BA Hons) and is currently guest Creative Director of Music for London Borough of Culture 2022. GIDEÖN co-founded, co-created and curates Block9’s festival nightlife institutions NYC Downlow, Genosys, Maceo’s and IICON and is also resident and co-booker at London’s hottest queer club night Adonis. As a radio DJ, GIDEÖN has been actively involved in broadcasting for many years now. After cutting his teeth on London’s pirate stations in the late nineties, he has hosted a weekly show on London’s Soho Radio for 3 years. He is a frequent guest on London’s Rinse FM and has recently contributed to BBC Radio One, NTS and BBC 6 Music. GIDEÖN has been very involved in political activism over the years and is now increasingly focussed on organising hybrid cultural-political events partnering music and protest, often under the banner of R3 Soundsystem. Together with Love Music Hate Racism, GIDEÖN has organised major sound system interventions on many of the Stop Brexit and Stop Trump and Anti-Fascism protests. He is actively involved with fundraising for several LGBTQ+, human rights and social justice organisations including AllOut, Prepster, Human Dignity Trust and Refugee Community Kitchen. Gideon sits on the advisory committee of The Right to Dance, part of War Child’s NGO Network. R3 Soundsystem is a consortium of DJs, musicians, producers, record labels, festivals, nightclubs, sound systems, activists, and cultural organisations, all united by love of music and the rejection of right-wing nationalist values. R3’s three Rs stand for RESIST / REJECT / REVOLT. https://www.instagram.com/gideon_dj_official/
  SoundCloud ↗
  Their RA profile lists HOMO-CENTRIC RECORDS.

  Recently at BASEMENT, Good Room, Paragon · often with The Carry Nation, Yvonne Turner, Victor Calderone, none of them here that night

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  Manny Ward

  Pennsylvania · 14 bookings since Sep 2023 · Nervous Records rooftop house

  “Manny Ward has always been around music, as most musicians are.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  Manny Ward has always been around music, as most musicians are.  As luck would have it, he grew up with a Mom who’d send him out to buy records for her many house parties because he had a knack in finding great music that was not always charted.  His stepdad produced R&B and Soul for artist like Jocelyn Brown, and Evelyn Champagne’ King. His step dad brought him out to his first club experience at the Funhouse in NYC.  Then there was the fateful meeting with the Godfather of House; Frankie Knuckles in the early 90s who took Manny under his wing and launched his DJ career in NYC. Through these journeys of following music, from DJ-ing when he was in the military at base parties, to playing along side Frankie Knuckles at New York’s famous Roxy, Sound Factory Bar, Tunnel, and regular gigs at Stereo in Montreal, to eventually producing his own remixes and tracks. Some of them now cult classics. This Staten Island boy saw a dream realized.  Then this prolific talent left the industry for a few years only to be returned at the request of his friends/teachers Angel Moraes, Danny Tenaglia, and David Morales. This made him realize this was his calling.  And thank goodness he did return.   This second phase of his career has seen many more milestones as he ramped up his production skills with notable remix opportunities.  He has been able to collaborate with many talented producers and musicians, including Celeda, Lula, and DJ Gomi, with whom he reintroduced legendary Sandy B with new original music written by all three. “Resilience” was the result and has graced many DJ charts and on Hector Romero’s 2019 Weaving Genres compilation. In the Fall of 2017, he was asked by the legendary Nona Hendryx to remix a single off of her new album with Soul Clap.  He enlisted long-time friend, Curtis Atchison (Midnight Society) to help out, with whom he had recently collaborated on a floor banger “Big Mouth” on Twisted Records.    That Fall, Retrotech was born. This partnership has proven fruitful as a DJ duo as well. They were given several remix opportunities in 2018. Black Stereo Faith (Ultra Naté & Quentin Harris), Lenny Kravitz, Nenah Cherry, Stevie Nicks, and Kiwi Dreams and much more to come. Incidentally, Kravitz’ “Low” became his first #1 Dance on Billboard.  Manny has continued doing solo work putting out a single with remixes on DJ Pierre’s Afro Acid Records in 2019, which was getting recognition by DJ’s such as Danny Tenaglia before it even came out! In between, he’s also been busy DJ-ing, criss-crossing the country, and a regular participant at ADE in Amsterdam, and N Y’s legendary party Birdcage.  With everything going on, be sure to keep a watch on Manny’s next move because it will be nothing but delightful and surprising. Contact info: DJMannyward.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manny.ward https://www.facebook.com/MannyWard.dj/ Instagram:@MannyWard Sent from my iPhone RETROTECH: Retrotech is Manny Ward and Curtis Atchison. The name comes from a party the duo created for which they and their guest DJ’s could play music that reflected their love of dance music, old and new. Previous to this collaboration, each had and still maintain an active DJ-ing schedule, as well as an impressive discography as producers. Friends for well over 20 years, they decided to work on a track together back in 2015 entitled “Big Mouth” released on Twisted Records to very good success. After that, they knew their collaborative efforts just meshed well and that the end-product was a sound that was uniquely theirs. Their talent was not lost when remix opportunities included Nona Hendryx, Black Stereo Faith, Lenny Kravitz, Neneh Cherry, Kiwi Dreams, Ultra Nate, Stevie Nicks to name a few were presented to them. In October 2018, Lenny Kravitz hit the top of the Dance charts for the first time with “Low”, for which they contributed a house remix in the release. This past NYC World Pride their remix of the newly visited dance music anthem classic “Free” by Ultra Nate was debuted in NYC to rave reviews.
  Their RA profile lists King Street Sounds, Nervous Records and SoundGroove Records.

  Recently at The Woodshop, Randall's Island, Nectar · often with Peter Napoli, borali, Clarisa Kimskii, none of them here that night

• Fawks

  2 bookings since Jan 2025

  often with HAIEK, Jumpr, none of them here that night

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  Eric Umble

  New York City · 38 bookings since Aug 2023

  “Eric Umble is a Brooklyn-based DJ, sound artist, clarinetist, and party producer passionate about cultivating a thriving local dance music community.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  Eric Umble is a Brooklyn-based DJ, sound artist, clarinetist, and party producer passionate about cultivating a thriving local dance music community. An acclaimed and award-winning classical musician with a focus on experimental music, Eric's love of repetition and extended forms made his jump to DJing a natural step. Eric is heavily influenced by Detroit Techno, New York house, and experimental modernism. He explores the intersections of multiple musical genres in his sets to create Techno-forward sonic worlds that evoke queerness, modernity, and urban life while striving to articulate our shared contemporary culture in today's world. A versatile artist with experience DJing across a spectrum of spaces and venues, Eric loves meeting the moment for any party's energy with his own unique musical voice and approach. As founder, lead producer, curator, and resident artist of the FACETIME and QUALITY TIME parties (founded 2019), Eric is a regular presence on the New York scene and regionally. They have DJ'ed at New York's finest clubs including BASEMENT, Nowadays, H0l0, Mansions, Jupiter Disco, Market Hotel, Trans-Pecos, and he is currently a resident artist at Bossa Nova Civic Club. Beyond New York, Eric has shared their driving, hypnotic, uplifting, melodic, and groovy sound across the country at parties and raves above and below ground. Highlights include VOID (Philadelphia, PA), Intimät (Denver), SYIT's Techno Cabin (NYC / PA), Little Mutants (Lancaster, PA), the B-Side Lounge (Cleveland), the Orange Room / SPKRBOX (Detroit), and Sound Space at Deluxx Fluxx (Detroit). ericumble.com | soundcloud.com/eric-umble
  SoundCloud ↗
  Ambient on 1, Deep Techno on 1 and Contemporary on 1. styles on their catalogued releases

  Released on Neuma Records (1) and QEONE (1). labels on their catalogued releases

  Recently at Bossa Nova Civic Club, Sleepwalk, Nowadays · often with Mark Holcomb, Madison Moore, SPRFRK, none of them here that night

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  Sainte Francis

  New York City · 17 bookings since Aug 2023

  “Sainte Francis (AKA Rob Wilson Engle) is a Brooklyn-based writer, producer and old school house DJ highly active at the intersection of dance music history and club culture.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  Sainte Francis (AKA Rob Wilson Engle) is a Brooklyn-based writer, producer and old school house DJ highly active at the intersection of dance music history and club culture. Originally hailing from Pittsburgh, Sainte Francis brings the raw energy and community of the underground house scene to the main stage. His sonic style is influenced by the liberating sounds of Disco, the unmistakable soul of Classic Chicago House, and the heavy-hitting rhythms and bass lines of Old School New York & Detroit House. He curates soulful, cross-genre sets blending classic tracks with modern vocal motifs, and his respect for electronic music as a category borne from Black, Latin and LGBTQ+ culture is apparent in his eclectic DJing style, in which he aims to pay homage to the roots of dance music. Sainte Francis has made his imprint in the New York dance music scene, bringing his timeless sound to preeminent nightlife institutions including Sony Hall | The Stranger | Superior Ingredients | Musica | Somewhere Nowhere | 3 Dollar Bill | The Chocolate Factory and headlining other major venues throughout the U.S. His eclectic sonic style has led him to share the stage with legendary and rising house and techno acts including Dombresky, Todd Terry, Rimarkable and Giolí & Assia. He has interviewed and profiled internationally-renowned artists including: Rimarkable, Prunk, LEFTI, Skream, Worakls, Franky Rizardo and more.
  SoundCloud ↗

  Recently at Earthly Delights, Blue Midtown, Starr Bar · often with Someone From Berlin, Patrick Kyle, IPOK, none of them here that night

• Riccardo Tavarez

  39 bookings since Aug 2023

  Recently at The Chocolate Factory, Elsewhere, 3 Dollar Bill · often with Mark Holcomb, Greg Scarnici, Ryan Farr, none of them here that night