My DJ days at Kinfolk 90 & 94

Kinfolk was a special place in NYC. Located at N11 and Wythe Ave, it was a cornerstone of our culture. I'm not a writer! Just wanted to share my residency experiences here.

Kinfolk 90 and 94 was all about good music, genuine expression, community. Kinfolk 90 Office, upstairs, overlooked their coffee bar by day / lounge at night. Next door, Kinfolk 94 with its dome's unique wooden structures, the DJ booth in a cozy nook above the dance floor. It was one of the few spots where I could improvise my open-format Serato sets. Go with the flow. I had an instinctual thang with this place. Usually, it's the people who move with the DJ as they control the next track, but in this space, with the crowd's motion in front of the booth, so close, they lead the way. My intuitions helped me shape the night. The DJ booth wasn't isolated from the dance floor at Kinfolk 90; I was on the same level as my people. I felt togetherness. I found so much joy when I blended a song, and hearing the crowd sing all the lines of the chorus, feeling the 8 bars of the next song about to flow in, the anticipation, the climax, that good night feeling. DJ'ing was my community contribution, I really felt it there.

The music. The energy. The people. Synchronization. I often reminisce about those nights. I’d get home at 5AM, think back on those blends I played off the rip and think, "How did I get there? How did I decide to blend ‘Krippy Kush’ by Bad Bunny into ‘What Up Gangsta’ by 50 Cent”. Two extremely different genres, putting everybody in a different tempo, the keys and BPM matched, so did the vibe, I needed to set the next chapter of the evening, so I went there and it worked. I took chances at Kinfolk that I would have never had in my own actual life. I found a lot of courage in my DJ days, which allowed me to grow and discover more of my creative self.

Photo by: Unscripted Moments

I had a monthly Thursday/Saturday night slot, and in the summer, I hosted a Summer Series called 'Dear Summer,' a hip-hop and R&B/world music series dedicated to the Summer of NY.

The garage windows would be rolled up, turning the space into a natural exhibition of beautiful people dancing, drinking, and vibing with friends and the staff. It was my favorite season in New York, possibly one of my favorite times of life.

So, boom. March 13 2020. My Saturday slot gets canceled. Pandemic. The next day, the city shut down. Just months later, Kinfolk closed. I read their IG post, a few tweets of shared feels, then I grieved.

I felt all sorts of emotions repeatedly that year. DJs couldn't play in venues, so we moved to live streaming from our homes, and I can admit, it wasn't the same. I missed all my gigs, I missed people dancing, I missed the feeling in the air on those nights. It took some time, a very long time, but I've accepted and learned that Kinfolk was a "you should have been there" kind of experience. It's a past life I cherish and hold closely. A place I can think back on and remember the perfect NYC nights.

I retired my DJ cap shortly after realizing how many family gatherings, friend birthdays, and nights of sleep I had missed. I had devoted myself to serving and leading, but never took time to deeply reflect on my own path forward. I found fulfillment in the uncomfortable void of the pandemic. I deleted my social media accounts and took a long trip far from home. I believe in the chapters of life and felt it was time for other young DJs to have their moment. It was their turn to rock the tables. I found peace.

Thank you, Kinfolk, for being a place and space for the good people of NY!

Dear Summer (Live Set at Kinfolk 94)
Dear Summer, Tidal DJ Selector Playlist

My last Kinfolk Serato Setlist

Girl Blunt - Leikeli47, 94 BPM
What You Want - Mase ft. Total, 94 BPM
Still Not A Player (Dirty) - Big Pun ft. Joe, 94 BPM
Girls Dem Suga (Cyber Intro) - Beenie Man ft. Mya, 94 BPM
Murder She Wrote - Chaka Demus & Pliers, 95 BPM
Action - Terror Fabolous, 93 BPM
Only You (Bad Boy Remix) - 112 ft. Notorious B.I.G. & Mase, 96 BPM
Rock The Boat - Aaliyah, 93 BPM
Trade it All - Fabolous ft. Jagged Edge, 93 BPM
Lay Low - Warren G ft. Nate Dogg, 95 BPM
Return Of The Mack - Mark Morrison, 95 BPM
I Can (DJ Dynamite edit) - Nas, 95 BPM
Oh Yeah (Dirty) Big Tymers ft. Tateeze, Boo & Gotti, 98 BPM
Southern Hospitality - Ludacris, 95 BPM
Nothin' - N.O.R.E., 97 BPM
Pass The Courvoisier (Part II) - Busta Rhymes ft. Pharrell, 98 BPM
Shake Ya Ass - Mystikal, 98 BPM
Candy Shop - 50 Cent, 98 BPM
Danger (Been So Long) - Mystikal ft. Nivea, 98 BPM
You Can Do It - Ice Cube ft. Mack 10 & Ms. Toi, 100 BPM
Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See - Busta Rhymes, 99 BPM
What It Is - Busta Rhymes ft. Kelis, 101 BPM
Wait A Minute - Ray J ft. Lil Kim, 100 BPM
Conceited - Remy Ma, 100 BPM
Run it - Chris Brown, 101 BPM
Area Codes - Ludacris ft. Nate Dogg, 101 BPM
The London - Young Thug ft. J. Cole & Travis Scott, 98 BPM
Pure Water - Mustard ft. Migos, 101 BPM
Blem - Drake, 98 BPM
Bedroom Bully - Busy Signal, 100 BPM
Your Number - Ayo Jay ft. Chris Brown & Kid Ink, 100 BPM
Throat (Raw) [Street Mongrel Riddim] - Gage, 101 BPM
Hold Yuh (Maple Syrup Diwali Drums) - Gyptian, 100 BPM
Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh), 100 BPM
Limb By Limb - Cutty Ranks, 98 BPM
Get Me Bodied - Beyonce, 97 BPM
Bam Bam (Reggaeton Mix) 98 BPM
Lean Back If You Want Chicken Noodle Soup, DJ Webstar 96 BPM
Lean Back - Terror Squad, 95
Don't Tell Em - Jeremih ft. YG, 98 BPM
Where The Party At, Jagged Edge ft. Nelly, 97 BPM
IDFWU - Big Sean ft. E-40, 98 BPM
Who Do You Love?, YG ft. Drake, 97 BPM
The Motto (Remix), Drake ft. Lil Wayne & Tyga, 101 BPM
Blow The Whistle - Too Short, 100 BPM
Hi Hater - Maino, 100 BPM
Can't Stop Won't Stop - Young Gunz, 100 BPM
Wild Thoughts - DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna and Bryson Tiller, 98 BPM
Ye - Burna Boy, 101 BPM
Freak Nasty - Megan Thee Stallion, 100 BPM
I'll Take Your Man - City Girls, 98 BPM
Both Gucci Mane ft. Drake, 70 BPM
What's Your Fantasy - Ludacris ft. Shawnna, 70 BPM
Pony - Ginuwine, 71 BPM
Trap Queen, ft. Fetty Wap (Jersey Club Remix) 70 BPM
Bad & Boujee - DJ Sliink (Jersey Club Remix) Migos 70 BPM
Welcome To The Party (Remix) - Pop Smoke ft Nicki Minaj, 72 BPM
Crank That - Soulja Boy, 70 BPM
What U Gon Do - Lil Jon ft. Lil Scrappy and Bohagon, 75 BPM
Suge - DaBaby, 76 BPM
Backseat Freestyle - Kendrick Lamar - 78 BPM
Nonstop - Drake, 78 BPM
Praise The Lord - A$AP Rocky ft. Skepta, 80 BPM
Laffy Taffy - D4L, 78 BPM
Level Up (Sisco Kennedy Intro) - Ciara, 77 BPM
Bombs Over Bagdad (N And D Intro) - Outkast, 76 BPM
Rake It Up - Yo Gotti & Mike Will Made It ft. Nicki Minaj, 75 BPM
Amen - Meek Mill ft. Drake and Jeremih, 75 BPM
I Love My Choppa (Remix) - Tay K ft. Rich The Kid, 80 BPM
Womp Womp - Jeremih ft. Valee, 78 BPM
Sicko Mode - Travis Scott ft. Drake, 78 BPM
Clout - Ty Dolla Sign ft. 21 Savage, 81 BPM
Cake - Rihanna ft. Chris Brown, 80 BPM
Walk It Out - UNK, 80 BPM
House Party - Young Chris & Meek Mill, 81 BPM
Party - Beyonce ft Kanye West & Andre 3000, 80 BPM
You Make Me Wanna - Usher, 82 BPM
Like You, Bow Wow & Ciara, 82 BPM
Bossy - Kelis, 84 BPM
Krippy Kush - Bad Bunny & Dann G, 82 BPM
What Up Gangsta (Dirty), 50 Cent, 83 BPM
Soakin Wet - City Girls, 85 BPM
My Boo (DJ Kontrol Edit) - Ghost Town DJ's x Gucci Mane, 130 BPM
Fill Me In (DJ Dynamite edit) - Craig David, 132 BPM
Rockets Ft Moe Moks [mOma+Guy Remix], 128 BPM
Hey Hey (Attention Vocal Mix) - Dennis Ferrer, 126 BPM