Jonathan Toubin

In over 1600 gigs since 2007, Toubin has appeared in hundreds of night clubs.

Heralded "The most-liked man in the soul music scene" by Rolling Stone and "New York's best DJ" and "the only DJ we actually like" by VICE, Toubin is best known for his energetic dance party sets consisting of tightly juxtaposed obscure 1950s and 1960s Rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and soul 45s.

New York Times describes the DJ's fare as "cleaner and more appreciative of American pop music history than much of the rest.".

He is also known for his New York Night Train parties and their role in "revamping the entire landscape of New York and Brooklyn from midnight till the after hours" in what the Village Voice describes as "his own kind of dance revolution".

His best known event is the New York Night Train Soul Clap and Dance-Off, which has been called "the most popular soul dance party in the world" by SXSW.

It is the only soul dance party to have had an entire night dedicated to it at Lincoln Center Midsummer Night Swing and at SXSW, and plays in dozens of international markets and major festivals annually plus monthly at the Brooklyn Bowl.

Jonathan Toubin (born July 29, 1971) is an American DJ, record producer, musician, writer, and historian.

He is the founder and proprietor of the New York Night Train event production company.

Born in 1971, Toubin grew up in Houston, Texas.

As a child, he was obsessed with rock and roll.

At age fifteen, he "put on punk shows...for anti-nuclear causes in the hardcore era."

During this time, he published an academic paper for Institute for Studies in American Music titled "Uptown-Downtown: Hip Hop Music in Downtown Manhattan in the Early 1980s", which appeared in the anthology Critical Minded: New Approaches to Hip Hop Studies. He directly links this research to his approach to creating noteworthy events within the current music landscape stating, ""It definitely made me wonder what was going wrong with culture and if anybody could possibly do anything cool in terms of parties, unique music, public social culture, etc. in this day and age." He abandoned his thesis in 2005 and moved to Williamsburg in order to return to his music career.

He moved to Austin in 1989 to attend the University of Texas where he received a B.A. in English.

He also deejayed on their station KTSB, which later became KVRX.

Toubin's first professional DJ gig was The Dictators and Lunachicks show at The Back Room in Austin, TX in 1991 while he was still on student radio.

Although he accepted a few more paid club gigs between bands at The Back Room, he was not interested in being a nightclub DJ and never pursued it any further.

He played guitar in the band Cheezus from 1991 to 1992 and then in the band Noodle from 1992 to 1995 – with whom he toured the US and appeared on the ep's "I Sold Out to Fat Ass" (Rise Records) and "I Had A Wet Dream About the Girls from 90210" (Little Deputy) plus tracks on the compilations Live at Emo's Vol 1 (Rise), Penis Cowboy (Bunkhouse) and World War III (Bunkhouse).

His lead guitar can be found on the singles "Oxymorons"/”Networks" (Scooch Pooch 1996), "X-Ray Eyes"/”Dot to Dot" (Big Jerk 1996), "I Don't Believe in Valentines Day" split with the Primadonnas (Big Jerk 1996), the EP Ventriloquist Con-Artist (Framed 1997) the LP The Hamicks (Creepy Drifter 1999) and the compilations Lone Star Showdown II (Little Deputy 1997), Scooch Pooch Plays Their Original Sins (Scooch Pooch 1997) Toubin was also active in crafting the bands' aesthetics by creating their flyers and booking shows.

He has appeared on a total of sixteen records as either a guitarist, bassist, organist, or vocalist.

In 1998, he moved to New York where he subsequently joined the band Grand Mal.

After the band lost their record deal with Slash Records and the shock of September 11 (he had worked in both of the Twin Towers), he quit music and entered the graduate program in American Studies at City University of New York.

He then joined the band The Hamicks, with whom he would regularly record and tour with until 1998.

Not long after Toubin moved to New York in 1998, he joined the band Grand Mal – a band with a record deal on Slash in the U.S. and on London in the UK and a distribution deal on Polygram.

[4] He plays bass on their Bad Timing LP (Arena Rock Recording Company, 2003) and guitar and organ on their song "Hey Man" on This Is Next Year: A Brooklyn Based Compilation (Arena Rock Recording Company 2001).

In 2005, Toubin returned to music and joined post-punk band Cause For Applause.

You can also hear Toubin's backing vocals on the track "I Don't Think So" on Psychic TV's Hell Is Invisible... Heaven Is Her/e.

On October 31, 2005, Toubin launched the New York Night Train webzine and record label to focus on the life and work of his friend ex-Cramps/The Gun Club/ Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds guitarist Kid Congo Powers and his new band Kid Congo and the Pink Monkeybirds and other underground music by his friends.

His first New York Night Train party was held on March 3, 2006 at Lower East Side venue Tonic, and was a double-record release event for the label's first two LPs Kid Congo's compilation Solo Cholo (NYNT 001) and Kid Congo and the Pink Monkeybirds' debut Philosophy and Underwear (NYNT 003).

That night also involved Julee Cruise, Ian Svenonius, Thalia Zedek, and Gibby Haynes, among others.

Later that month, New York Night Train produced an official South by Southwest showcase at The Velvet Spade (currently the Mohawk) featuring Kid Congo and the Pink Monkeybirds, Viva l'American Death Ray Music, and Toubin's band at the time Cause for Applause.

Toubin also presented two unofficial daytime showcases that weekend featuring a number of bands.

On March 30, 2006, New York Night Train threw a release party for Grand Mal's "Love is the Best Con in Town" (NYNT 002) also at Tonic.

Around this time, Butthole Surfers' Gibby Haynes brought Toubin along to DJ with him at a gig on the South Williamsburg waterfront.

He was also approached by Nation of Ulysses'/Make-Up/Chain and the Gang frontman Ian Svenonius and Beat Happening's Calvin Johnson to organize and promote two DJ gigs for them based on the success Kid Congo's Record Release party.

These events, one in Williamsburg at Monkeytown August 21, 2006 and the other in Manhattan at Sub-Tonic August 22, 2006 were the first two exclusive New York Night Train dance parties.

Soon, Toubin was asked to put together a DJ party for a Wednesday night he bartended at the Lower East Side's Motor City Bar.

His first nights included guest Dj's, such as Gibby Haynes and Bob Bert from Sonic Youth.

Over time, Toubin began doing most of the nights alone and wound up doing a weekly residency that lasted until ending with his accident in 2011.On these early New York Night Train nights, Toubin played primarily punk, 1960s garage, psychedelic rock, noise rock, girl groups, surf, Blues, Rockabilly, and country.

In 2014, Toubin was voted Best New York DJ in the Village Voice Reader's Choice Contest.

He currently has DJ compilations available on Burger Records and Norton Records.