It was after midnight on a Tuesday on Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn. Joe Gomez and Lilly Winter had just wrapped up their weekly vinyl night at PIPS with Laura (aka L Vibes). The three of them crossed the street for a nightcap at Long Island Bar, sitting beneath a neon sign that read “No Dancing.”
Joe began talking about the days when dancing was, in fact, illegal — the 1929 Cabaret Law, used to police jazz, Black culture, and marginalized communities. They drifted into conversation about how music has always been a force of transformation, reshaping New York’s identity decade after decade. Also talked about the role of the resident DJ, the people who dedicated their lives to digging for records, and how they helped define its most iconic venues, from Larry Levan to Kenny Carpenter at Paradise Garage.
In the few years Winter has known Gomez, he has shared many stories from his life in the city’s musical underground. Both are living in the afterglow of the glory days of places like The Loft and Paradise Garage. The legacies of David Mancuso and Larry Levan have left what Joe calls “splinters” scattered across the world. Winter thinks of them as seeds – planted and nurtured globally by people who were influenced by dance music culture throughout the ’70s and ’80s.
The underground house-party world – with its deep roots, integrity, and sense of belonging – was a huge reason why Winter found ways to stay in New York for almost a decade. With only one month left before her visa expired, Lilly knew she had to capture and share that magic. Listening to Joe talking that night under the “no dancing” sign, she felt the best way to do this was to get Diggers to interview Diggers. Thanks to Asen James and Spencer Blake (together known as SPASE), who agreed to carry out the interview with Joe, they drove upstate and filmed most of the conversation on the summer solstice, June 2024.
Now, vinyl records are making a comeback. Listening bars and record shops are emerging as cultural hubs. We are entering a new era – one where people are rediscovering the importance of human connection. Tired of the impersonal echo chamber of algorithms, we crave well-curated spaces where music can truly bring people together.
By sharing stories from O.G.s like Joe, we hope the next generation of selectors carries forward this wisdom, that we continue to use music as a tool for transformation and keep the light burning brightly on future dance floors.
