What is the future of nightclubs? w/ DJ Tara | Part 1
What is Long Play?
Long Play hosts solutions-oriented conversations about how we design alternative models for nightlife that give greater agency to artists and partygoers.
The genocide in Palestine has illuminated the limits of institutional nightlife’s professed solidarity with marginalized groups. We have witnessed these limits through silence at best and tokenization, economic exploitation, and outright censorship at worst.
Put simply: the trajectory of the current nightlife model is extractive and unsustainable. Where do we go from here?
While music journalism often focuses on artists as individuals, this podcast will focus more on spotlighting practical knowledge and expertise whether it be urban planning or contract negotiation. Yes, nightlife is about art and play, but it is also about labor. We want to learn from people doing the unglamorous work of creating a more liberated nightlife, butting heads with the status quo, and carving out new paths for what “success” can look like.
As we seek to demystify our material conditions, we also recognize that it can sometimes be unsafe to have these conversations out in the open, and as such, we give our guests full autonomy over the questions they are asked as well as the final output of each episode.
With an internationalist lens, we aim to harness the intellectual capital of nightlife communities the world over. To that end, we welcome submissions for ideas and guests.
Together, we hope to build on the historical radicalism of the underground not just through our words but through our actions.
Who are the hosts?
Erick Nidal is an international relations specialist and DJ based in Bangkok, Thailand. Cat Tran is an organizer with DJs Against Apartheid, product designer, and semi-retired DJ based in Brooklyn, New York.
About this episode
Could you ever own a nightclub? Why are we seemingly drowning in vacant luxury condos but even well-attended clubs are going bankrupt? Should the government play a role in supporting nightlife? What has New York City done recently to support nightlife? Who decides whether a nightclub gets to open or not? How can nightlife workers earn a living, and how can we leverage our day jobs to support nightlife? Are nightclubs even meant to last forever?
We spoke with DJ Tara, a pillar of the New York nightlife community both as a legendary musical curator and expert in urban planning and development. Tara grew up in the Haitian community of Flatbush and went to school for Engineering and Urban Planning. She’s worked in developing supportive housing for seniors and the unhoused, knows the ins and outs of city planning from her time working for the Manhattan Borough President, and was a contributor to the Global Nightlife Recovery Plan for COVID-19.
This is the first half of a 2-part interview with DJ Tara exploring these questions and more.
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Hosts: Erick Nidal & Cat Tran
Guest: Tara Duvivier aka DJ Tara
Intro music: Untitled - Surco's Groove
Cover art: Jordan Chopra & Cat Tran
