We recently caught up with one of our favorite boys -Downtown Zak AKA Zak Perris – on the heals of his new single, ‘Clap Your Hands’ off of his new EP/ Mixtape “Downtown Delinquents” (produced by DJ Fresh Direct.)  As an up and comer in the hip hop world, Zak Downtown is already on top of his game – taking the stage with big names such as Lupe Fiasco, Chiddy Bang, Hoodie Allen, and even Swedish DJ duo Dada Life. Zak tells us a little bit about himself, his affinity for New York, and how social media is switching up the music industry. 

You were born and raised in NYC…clearly your from Downtown… what neighborhood are you from? Still live there?

Born and raised in the West Village-  just moved to SoHo but its a little too hectic over here- I’ll be heading back soon.

What’s been your favorite “Only In NY” Moment?

Since I’ve lived here my whole life all those moments are kind of just everyday life for me.

At what age did you start up your music career?

I started recording music probably when I was 15, didn’t get serious about it til I was 20.

How has growing up in the city shaped your music tastes and interests?

Being surrounded by so many cultures and people let me hear all types of music. But there was just something about the hip-hop culture when I was in middle school and highschool that I really loved. Being immersed in hip-hop with a mixture of all other types of music is probably why my music sounds the way it does.

You already have quite the Twitter and YouTube following – would you say social media has helped your career?

Of course, there’s so much independent artists can do today by themselves. When you can reach out to fans, and release music on your own it makes it that much easier. The music industry (especially hip-hop) is in the midst of a huge shift. Everyones still trying to figure it out. It will be interesting to see where that ends up, and artists who aren’t paying attention are only hurting themselves.

Clap your hands was filmed at Goldbar… is that one of your favorite spots in the city?

You know friends of mine have been djing there for years now and my friend Jonny Lennon has been throwing amazing parties there. Its just really aesthetically pleasing and as for going out they always play the best music.

What are some of your other top picks?

I’ve kind of fallen out of the loop on all the hot spots, but if I’m somewhere with a good dj and surrounded by good people that’s all that matters.

DJ Fresh Direct helped produce this album – How’d you get hooked up with him?

We both went to highschool in the city and had a ton of mutual friends. Someone finally realized… hey, this kid Zak is making cool rap music, but missing awesome production and engineering. So we linked up and have done some great stuff together. I’m sure well continue to do so , but be on the lookout for a lot of dope stuff Fresh Direct is doing on the djing side of things and production side.

What are currently listening to? Top 5 most played songs on your ipod?

1. Theophilus London- Accept The New
2. Troy Ave- Nino Brown
3. Ladyhawke- Paris is Burning (Cut copy Remix)
4. XV- All of this For Me
5. Kavinsky- Nightcall

Lastly, fill in the blank. I love downtown because It’s home.

Jonny Lennon doesn’t fuck around — between being a partner at Goldbar and an owner of both Liberty Records and 4AM, Jonny is also managing NYC’s best talent and throwing parties like the venerable FUNDAY which has been going strong since 2008.  Born and raised in Ozone Park, Queens, Lennon’s no-bullshit attitude has made him notorious — whether you’ve encountered him at the door at Goldbar or elsewhere.  Knowing Jonny personally, I’ve gotten a glimpse past the hard exterior and I can proudly say that he’s as real as they come. If Jonny doesn’t like you, forget it… BUT if he does, he would give you the shirt of his back, no questions asked. There are a lot of sketchy people in the world of nightlife, and Jonny Lennon is not one of them.

Anyway, tonight marks the third installment of  ROCK FREAK, Jonny’s monthly party with Questlove of the Roots and DJ Cassidy.  I had a chance to sit down and finally do a formal interview where we chatted about [....]

As a partner at Goldbar, the owner of Liberty Records, and an owner at 4AM, you’ve been extremely instrumental in “making” people’s careers.  What do you look for in an aspiring DJ, musician, or party thrower?
I look for work ethic, natural talent and desire, and an ability to learn and grow. You have to be really dedicated and want to be in this business. There are so many elements and details to each of those jobs.

Goldbar FUNDAY is one of the most successful weekly parties the game.  How do you new keep it new and fresh week after week?
There are many elements to FUNDAY that keep it new and fresh. We have guest DJ’s every week from all over the world. We do parties internationally and are constantly reaching new people. It was started with the intention of being fun. We let people be themselves. We provide a diversity of music, a diverse environment, and over the years we have become a family.

Tons of festivals these days have music and nightlife elements, from Coachella to Art Basel, How do you chose which ones to be a part of?
I love having a presence at all of these different events. I work in some capacity at most whether it is one of my DJ’s or one of my parties. I just celebrated 4am’s 1year anniversary in Miami at Soho House for Winter Music Conference, brought FUNDAY to Tao for The Sundance Film Festival, and started a huge monthly party with DJ Cassidy and Quest Love at Good Units.

Sundance was amazing, can we expect to see you guys back in Cannes this year?
Absolutely. I am just waiting on some of my friend’s films to get accepted and scheduled so we can start planning. Last year I did a few parties. I hosted FUNDAY with Jalouse and I Blame Coco (Sting’s daughters band). I also hosted a party on a friends yacht with the FUNDAY crew Jesse Marco, DJ Sinatra and Kirill. Read the rest of this entry »

Doin my bday up big Sunday Funday style.  I will be doing a private dinner party at Rubirosa and then Fundaying it up.

Happy Birthday to me.

Well, well, well … leave it to Jonny Lennon, Jesse Marco, Sinatra, and DJ Theory of 4AM DJs to throw the sickest party Sundance has ever seen. For the second year in a row, our favorite Goldbar FUNDAY boys brought their own personal brand of downtown madness to Park City, Utah at the Samsung Galaxy Tablift AKA TAO.

Celebs and nightlife elite all came out to see how NY’s hottest party gets down West Coast style including Shwayze, Cee-Lo Green, Jermaine Dupri, Shannon Elizabeth, Harvey Weinstein, Susan Sarandon, Mia Moretti, Caitlin Moe, DJ Ruckus, DJ Louie XIV, Claudius Raphael, Yoni Goldberg of dGi Management, Eric Marx of EMM Group, amongst others.  Diplo even jumped on stage along side resident DJs Jesse Marco and Sinatra, to do a little mini guest set.

TAO was definitely THE SPOT during Sundance (if you could get in,) being one of the only spots serving free booze until 4AM, it is no wonder the place had lines around the block every night.  Kudos to Strategic Group’s Noah Tepperberg and Jason Strauss. Out of the three big nights, FUNDAY was def THE BEST night there.  The crowd was so hyped from beginning to end.  Jesse and Sinatra played current club favorites and old school hip hop classics to keep us all moving- literally one banger after another. People were straight up going bonkers with every song, downing shots of Patron, followed by swigs of Stella.

There was a solid NY based crew there and maybe it was the Utah air – or more likely the altitude – but we’ve never raged so hard.  I mean this particular FUNDAY reached new levels of debauchery.  We danced our asses off, took shot after shot (or in my case, trotted around with a BOTTLE of Crown Royal… who does that!?), went through about 1290853 bottles, and flat out killed it.

At 4AM the club was still packed wall to wall.  The venue cut the music but that didn’t stop our crew…we busted out the “Brooooooooklynnnnnn…..Brooooooooklynnnnnnn” chant and had about 500 people all chanting along with us.   The vibe that night was nothing short of amazing and I can honestly say it was the most fun I’ve had in a very long time. It’s no surprise that FUNDAY has been running for 3.5 years and is still one of the hottest parties in the city.  Much love to the crew.

Kirill was there – as his he always.  Check out the pics below – for the full gallery you know where to go.

Much props to my homey Jonny Lennon for the awesome write up and props to author Sean Evans for beating me to the punch.  Great interview – couldn’t have said it better myself.

via Sean Evans for Nightclub & Bar Magazine

The DJ management market is on the rise, as demand for top DJs with a following increases in every market across the globe. The latest entrant to the industry is 4AM, a collective of friends and DJs run by Jonny Lennon (of Goldbar renown), Adam Alpert (director of operations for 1Oak) and DJ Jus Ske. Launched just six months ago, the boutique agency is already booking its talented roster (DJ Jesse Marco, DJ Jus Ske, DJ Sinatra and more) in top hot spots all over the world, proving to be a venerable force on the burgeoning scene. The duo of Lennon and Alpert shared some insight into the DJ industry.

Top row – DJ Suss One, DJ Sal Morale, Adam Alpert
Middle row – DJ Anthony Vitale, Jonny Lennon, DJ Price, DJ Ani Quinn, DJ Theory, DJ Orazio, DJ Sinatra
Bottom row – DJ Brooklyn Dawn, DJ Phresh, DJ Jus Ske, DJ Jesse Marco

Nightclub Confidential: What’s the key to successfully starting a company like 4AM?

Jonny Lennon: Relationships. We wanted to put a lock on the New York City market and in the process we put a lock on Miami, Los Angeles and Las Vegas markets. It’s all connected and that’s because of solid relationships. We took a trip out to the Cannes Film Festival to secure French venues and clients, and because of how well our events did this year; we’ve already booked three parties for next year. Our reputation is spreading, strictly from word of mouth and the level of events were doing. Read the rest of this entry »