Spotlight: Meet the 4 DJ’s at Book Club Radio’s sixth party on a New York rooftop, Book Club Radio
FIRST OFF, WHAT IS BOOK CLUB RADIO?
Dance party disguised as a book club,” their YouTube and Instagram sites say.
Based in New York City, the Book Club has been releasing DJ sets on YouTube since February 11, 2023, but the party has been going on since last year.
What started as a group of friends who just wanted to dance to music together has become an international interest, with listeners from all parts of the globe inquiring about how they can attend, or if a Book Club will be coming to a basement or rooftop near them. With videos garnering millions of views, it is not surprising that the number of people desperate to attend a book club reading is growing at an impressive rate.
The thing is, Book Club Radio is completely run by seven friends – there’s no larger company or sponsor behind their events. It is even donation-funded and community based, meaning the often-exclusive dance parties are simply exclusive because of logistics and safety.
An attendee must familiarize themselves with Book Club’s “The Librarian’s Manifesto,” which aims to cultivate a music and party environment where the people face each other rather than facing the DJ. Everyone who attends comes with the intention to keep the party euphoric in the purest ways. Only those who will dance to all music are allowed.
Hear from Baroque, Tinzo and Jojo, and Hengtime about why they DJ.
BAROQUE
“I was really sick of seeing basic guys with bad taste and bad vibes play. And I was like, ‘Oh, I can definitely do this, like, way better.’ So I went into my community and was like, ‘Hey, how can I learn and get started?’”
Baroque Hoe started DJing in New York, having grown up here. While she didn’t get involved in the techno and rave community until 2019, she wasn’t fully DJing until 2021. “Elinah, who runs She They DJ, was the first person to teach me. My first ever show was with She They DJ at Bossa Nova.” She remembers everyone that was there had come to support her. Although she is normally her harshest critic, she felt happy after her first set.
“We all struggle with confidence at times. Then, to have a name like Baroque Hoe was to really put myself out there. It’s a play on words – that was the intention – it has helped me to step up to the plate.” In spite of having a rather theatrical stage name, Baroque Hoe says she’s not a performance art person. “The name helps me fake it till I make it,” she answers honestly. “But, I’m not a character, either. It never felt like a character to me. It’s just an extension.”
Baroque recalls her first set with Hengtime at Chune Station. “I thought I did a bad job. I knew it was being recorded. So, I was very critical of myself. Then, I heard one clip of it and thought it sounded really good.” Recently, she has played sets in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn every weekend, improving her own skills while still seeking ways to improve.
Baroque does a lot of research on a mix. She’ll get the track ID, then read who made it, where they came from, and what their inspirations are. She routinely looks into the history of her favorite pop creators and rock bands. “I hope a lot of other DJs do this. It’s the way I try to hold myself accountable. I’m intentional about what I’m putting in my set because there are certain songs that I’m like, ‘I shouldn’t play that. It’s not for you to play.’”
She is just as scrupulous when it comes to others’ dance parties, prioritizing intentionality and remembering the roots of the music she plays. “New York leans a bit more into deep house, but it’s super easy to forget that techno is from Detroit. It came from Black people, and we need to honor that and realize that. There’s so many clubs here that will have AAPI month or Pride month, but they’re not booking people who are Black or LGBTQIA.”
Baroque clarified after the interview that she believes events for the community should have DJs from the community. A past Puerto Rican event she had seen had no Puerto Ricans DJs, and Juneteenth lineups had white DJs, which she felt was confusing.
She tucks her headphones into her tote bag before she tells us about Rainald Goetz, a prolific German writer who wrote a book called Rave. Baroque found out about Goetz on an 80s show, where he’s reading a manifesto, then slices it open. “It’s a commentary on capitalism and USSR-Germany. Rave is about a post-Berlin Wall rave scene in Germany. It’s written very non-linearly, like, you’re on drugs. His references are pinpoints in time, and I found it interesting to read over the course of a year as I got back into DJing.”
Consuming literature about the rave scene has shaped her own understanding of how rave culture is evolving today in New York, especially as a person who is driving more radical changes.
“You need to be able to read a room,” she says. “If all you’re doing is like, ‘I need to make people dance more so they can find alcohol and get a larger percentage of the bar,’ you lose so much of the artistry.”
She believes that New York is changing, though. “I think a lot of people want to see more intention behind the parties and projects that are happening, especially after the pandemic. There was a period of time in 2021 to mid-2022 where everyone was just like, ‘yay, we’re back and willing to go so hard, no matter what.’ And obviously, that’s really fun. But, it’s like, ‘what more can we do.’”
Baroque is working on a project herself, called ‘Life Of,’ which she will be doing at XPizza, which is a pizza parlor that also hosts DJ sets. She intends on doing curations based off of things like the history of techno and specific political philosophies. She is also aiming on starting a series where each track initial will spell out a word – a message or theme for the night.
This deep desire for intentionality is what led her to Book Club Radio. “It’s not just like, ‘okay, let’s party, let’s play music.’ Book Club’s deal feels very, very specific. When I was working with them, they were like, ‘we’re excited to see what you do, but be very respectful, very smart. They handle things very well. This industry can be incredibly unprofessional, so it’s great when you see people who are not only professional, but have a thought process and ethos behind what they’re doing.”
Listen to Baroque Hoe's set here.
HENGTIME
“I grew up listening to electronic music because I spent a lot of time at a roller rink,” Hengtime says, reminiscing about the origins of his interest in Djing. “I’m from western Massachusetts, and there’s this place called Interstate 91. It’s a skating rink and there’s a DJ there. I wanted to do the same.”
When he went to college, he had a friend who would DJ at parties. It’s been three years since he started playing sets. In that time, he has begun to find sounds that he wants to introduce to others. “I play mostly house music because that’s really popular in New York City. But, I like minimal tech which is a subgenre. I love techno, even though I don’t mix it now. Then Eurodance, I have been mixing into my sets a bit more at mainstream venues. Like, a Drake house remix, then a few tracks pass by, and I’m just like ‘oh, here’s a Eurodance track.’ People love it.”
Naturally, Book Club Radio had asked Hengtime to be one of their DJs for meeting #6, which had an emphasis on house and Eurodance music. He was the perfect fit for the rooftops, and absolutely ecstatic that he would be able to play a set with a little bit different of catalog/energy. “Most people like it [eurodance], but they don’t want to hear two hours of it. You go to a specific venue to do that. So today, it was super cool to do an hour long.” His mix set the tone for the rest of the night.
His happiness at the meeting was tangible. Hengtime describes himself as a giddy person both on and off camera. He’s clearly just happy to be DJing with Book Club Radio. “The setting and being part of the community they’re putting together? I think it’s the most unique thing ever.”
Most of his work has been with big name, promotional brands in the city. But he wants to cultivate more spaces that are about the music and the people. Lately, he has been creating his own DJ brand called Chune Station. “It’s boiler room style, and baroque hoe is playing later this evening.”
He is also producing music. “I’ve only had one release on SoundCloud, but I’m putting together some more thoughtful tracks to see if I can get some global recognition or at least just run it through a distributor for Spotify.”
He’s continuously pushing his boundaries, turning a years-long interest into a career. As he shares his own personal tastes by blending niche tracks with mainstream music, he maintains one goal: to create sets where people immediately think of him. “I want to play at venues where anyone wants to hear my sound,” Hengtime asserts.
What he admires about Book Club Radio is also the way they have branded themselves. “The production quality, the secrecy. I love the librarian. And the visuals they put together just for their stories, just to say ‘hey, it’s gonna be on a rooftop.’ I don’t know if there’s a graphic designer on the team or if it’s AI, but everything is dope. I’m just excited to be part of that.”
Listen to Hengtime's set here.
TINZO & JOJO
Tinzo and Jojo, also known as Christina and Josef Lorenzo, are the siblings behind Book Club Radio.
The family had always been musically inclined, with their older brother being a DJ, too. Christina sings and plays the guitar and piano, and Josef makes a music show for PBS called “Sound Field.” Last year, Jojo produced a documentary for PBS called “I Went Clubbing in Virtual Reality: Raves of VRChat,” which investigates the culture of dance and raving in the metaverse.
VRchats were actually where Jojo started DJing under the guidance of Mama Ru. They went to B&H, bought decks, and then three days later DJ’d a VR party. About 3 weeks of lessons later, Josef played their first set in real life for their friends on the same rooftop last year. Their first set was five hours long.
Tinzo’s start was just as serendipitous. Bresh, a party originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, had come to New York City; Tinzo was working in marketing at the venue and they had been looking for DJs. They interviewed her, brought her on, and trained her to be a DJ.
The two have been DJing for around a year and have developed their own signature styles, growing to love the format of music for different reasons. Tinzo believes her signature style is one that prompts a formidable reaction in the crowd – one that will get them dancing. “I think for me, what I try to invoke in people, or something I like, is music that pulls on people’s heartstrings, whether it’s nostalgia or something really soulful, or kind of brings that element of excitement and passion.”
They are candid about what it takes to be a DJ as well; “I think anyone can DJ,” Tinzo says confidently. “But, most have a background in music and know how to read things, or at least understand rhythm. It’s [rhythm] is already inherent.”
Jojo feels the same way. “There’s a lot of gatekeeping in DJing,” they affirm. “To be honest, I think something that’s really good is that everyone can be a DJ today, and almost everyone is a DJ today. So that’s really good, because it democratizes it – anyone could do it. It’s not just the typical white guy that’s been doing it forever, you know, like back in the day all the DJs we met. It’s so great that everyone can be a DJ, but there are also so many DJs, so how are you going to stand out?”
Which begs the question: is being a good DJ more about your musical talents or your personality?
Both cite Peggy Gou as an inspiration. “A lot of it today is personality and creating brands. That’s why someone like Gou is so famous and popular. Like, she’s very talented, but she’s mastered being an influencer, too,” Jojo declares.
Through visuals and theming, and seemingly elusive invite lists, Book Club Radio stands out. They acknowledge that because the threshold for becoming a DJ is so low, those who want to make it in the industry have to develop their own character.
“I think you’re a good dancer,” Jojo says to Tinzo.
Tinzo laughs at her brother’s remark. “Why am I going to play something if it doesn’t make me dance? You know, that’d be so silly. That’s why we’re all here [at Book Club Radio]. But I think you’re right.” People make a lot of comments about two things from Tinzo’s DJ sets: her ability to groove to the music she chooses, and her armpit hair. It’s become part of her recognizability.
“We’re always trying to leverage new technologies. You can’t ignore that [social media]. Especially the way the industry goes. Using new technology to implement the values of how this scene started,” Tinzo states.
“It’s part of the territory,” Jojo says. “We use social media as a tool to help ourselves. We’d be hypocrites if we said we didn’t embrace social media – that’s like why we are anything because people watch us on YouTube and follow us on Instagram.”
Their YouTube and Instagram have steadily grown. Their third gathering was when Book Club Radio first went public. The first one had been in Jojo’s living room, and their only requirement was no phones. This was where Tinzo’s Eurodance set and Jojo’s house set happened. “The energy was just unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. We were purposely like, ‘this is going to be a 90s party. No phones.’ This is where the idea of the manifesto started,” they talk about it with an inspired, dreamy look in their eyes. “Everyone was so happy. There were so many smiles. I kept getting chills. That moment changed everything.”
Book Club Radio will continue to host dance parties every three weeks. While it is a real community now, it just started off as a way for friends to see each other more often. “A lot of us are in our mid-20s. Life’s getting a little more serious for people and we’re finding ourselves so busy,” Tinzo speaks from experience. “We just stopped hanging out, so this is a way for us to see each other once a month.”
Jojo brings the high brow element of Book Club Radio back to Earth, reminding readers that this just started off as a group of friends throwing parties together. “It’s not very formal at all. This could happen in your neighborhood, too.”
New people come, too. At the parties, a common question to ask or answer is: how many Book Club meetings have you been to? If they say ‘one,’ the most common follow up question is almost always: are you coming to another? The reply is inevitably yes. “Everyone just feels comfortable to make friends here,” Tinzo says. “Strip down the ego.”
“I think it’s important to note that this is a group of friends, so it has been a lot of work,” Jojo reminds. For the rooftop event, “we’ve gone out, bought decorations. This is like five flights of stairs; everyone lugged all this equipment up here. It’s like 90 degrees outside. Then, we wake up hungover the next morning, tear it down and clean it all up and make sure it looks like nothing ever happened.”
They’re aware that as Book Club Radio’s online presence grows, the pressure and expectations for their events will only increase. While they aren’t sure what will happen in the future, Jojo’s main focus is that the events are still enjoyable. “As it’s gotten bigger and grown and become more work, it can become stressful. I want it to stay a group of friends having fun, intimate. Although we are going to be in a few different venues coming up, we want to figure out how to keep the chill environment. I want to make sure it stays fun.”
Listen to Jojo's set here.
