This Thursday, L.A. will host another Soul Clap and Dance-Off with New York Night Train promoter Jonathan Toubin. He will also be bringing guest DJ Ian Svenonius, former frontman for Nation of Ulysses and the Make-up and current frontman for Chain and the Gang. If you think you have what it takes, show up and show off! This interview by John Henry.

What exactly goes down at a Soul Clap and Dance-Off?
Jonathan Toubin: It’s pretty simple. The Soul Clap is a dance party and the Dance-Off is the short contest in the middle. I throw killer soul 45s together to get people moving and somewhere in the middle of the party, numbers are pinned on audience members, five judges take the stage and I turn on exclusively deep James Brown jams while the audience—in groups of ten—duke it out for dancing supremacy. There is a dance-off between the winners of each group and a final dance-off between two contestants, which is of course the dramatic climax of the night. After that, everyone’s been waiting and watching for a half hour or so and are itchin’ to bust a move, so the records—which have been gradually escalating in speed and intensity for the entire night leading up to the contest—go up just one more notch and the party really gets going. At its best it can be like church, and at its worst, ‘The Gong Show.’ A lot of it depends on who turns up.
And this time you’re bringing Ian Svenonius along.
Jonathan Toubin: I’m bringing Ian along to host the competition and to DJ with me during the dance party. Ian of course is a great DJ and gonna make a killer MC plus the fact that he’s quite the dancer doesn’t hurt either.
How long have you two known each other?
Jonathan Toubin: We originally met in 1992 or so when Nation of Ulysses played at the Cavity in Austin. I told him that a mutual friend of ours—Larry from Victim’s Family—said to say hi and that he couldn’t make it to the show because he had to work all night at a bakery. So Ian said, ‘Where’s the bakery?’ And Tim Kerr and the entire band jumped in the van just to say hi to this guy stuck working alone until dawn. I initially thought it was such a noble act to go so far out of his way in the middle of the night to see his friend. But years later, as I’ve got to know him better, I’ve decided Ian may have also done it because he loves bakeries. As for as our collaboration, we got to know each other via an ex-girlfriend of mine and were next brought together by Kid Congo Powers for the release party I threw for his first solo record. Since then, we’ve been working on events every few months with varied frequency for well over three years now. We get along and make a nice fit behind the DJ booth both artistically and commercially. But Pop Montreal last month was the first time we went in together on the Soul Clap and Dance-Off.
What’s the prize?
Jonathan Toubin: The best dancer typically gets $100. The only exceptions these days are in more unusual places outside of the fifty states like Monterrey, Mexico, where the prize was a pair of sneakers. Or the District of Columbia, where it was a pair of tickets to see Devo.
What kind of dancers show up? Are they all amateurs or are there some real pros?
Jonathan Toubin: It takes all kinds. Some places it’s all goofballs. Sometimes it’s highly competitive types. But most nights, it’s a healthy mix and primarily a goodtime vibe. You never know who the judges will pick—it all depends on their aesthetics and what they value in a dancer. L.A. was actually the first and only place to select a b-boy, though they always enter …
I saw a lot of b-boy dancers last time I was in Brooklyn. Does it sync up well with the old R&B and soul sides you play?
Jonathan Toubin: The great thing about b-boys is that they are much more into their heritage and history than a lot of trendier subcultural groups. So they don’t only care about early hip-hop, but are very interested in the music that the early hip-hop djs were turning in the 1970s. So they flip out over any James Brown or Jimmy Castor. And when you jam other songs that were sampled up to the present, they lose their shit! The only problem is that they don’t care as much about the early to mid-‘60s wild ones that make up at least half of my set, but the better ones move to that too. And that’s a good thing because I by far prefer guys and girls dancing with one another to a guy dancing with himself in the middle of a circle.
Who are some of the guest judges you’ve had in the past?
Jonathan Toubin: The guest judges are always different. When I originally started creating these panels, the plan was to bring all kinds of kooky characters from our local community together—a magazine editor sitting next to a bartender sitting next to a Bad Seed sitting next to a neighbor of mine or whatever. But as we’ve been on the road, the judges have become more important. On this tour so far we’re having everybody from classic indie rockers like Mike Watt and John Reis to Karla LaVey, leader of the Satanic Church and Anton’s daughter and Matt Gonzales of the Green Party…
Do you select the judges?
Jonathan Toubin: Ha! That’s a good question. In New York I select most of the judges—sometimes the Glasslands or Laura, my hostess here in New York, picks a friend or two. But, on the road, I get a lot of help from my agent Michelle Cable, the bookers of venues, friends in various towns, and, this time, Ian Svenonius as well. It’s not easy to know enough people to pull this off…
What kind of drunken spills have you seen during the contest?
Jonathan Toubin: Eeek! Sometimes people get really sloppy. Particularly last time in L.A.! One time in New York the judges and the audience—most of whom knew each other in some capacity—started exchanging words and throwing stuff back and forth, and before you know it, one of the judges had jumped over the table! There was total mayhem and I was briefly escorted out of my own party by security while defending the honor of a woman who was only guilty of a retaliatory ice toss.
I’ve also witnessed some judge’s drunken antics—like last time you did Soul Clap at Nomad Gallery. What happened there?
Jonathan Toubin: I had a lot of fun last time in L.A. and a lot of my favorite people from all different places and parts of my life turned up. But there were a lot of things about the last L.A. party that I didn’t think were up to the Soul Clap standard. There was too much hanging out outside in the breezy courtyard far from the dancing in the hot room. One judge got a last-minute gig that night and another judge was there but never checked in and I was waiting for him so the contest was delayed forever and he left for that reason. But in all the confusion, Howie Pyro sold me some great records, Indian Jewelry stepped in to judge and DJ Short Shorts and Carlos went way out of their way to make it happen. But I definitely think this one is gonna be tighter all around.
Do you do a lot of record shopping while on the road?
Jonathan Toubin: My hosts sometimes get so annoyed with me. Recently I was in Istanbul for only twenty hours and spent half of the time record shopping. I got some amazing stuff which sadly you have to hear at my other gigs as it’s not soul. I also love to shop in Detroit where you turn on the faucet and amazing soul jams fall out into the sink and little kids are in the street playing frisbee with ‘em. I was recently thrilled to find Jimmy Mayes and the Mill Street Depot’s ‘Monkey Shine’ for a buck in Baltimore—a record I haven’t been able to find anywhere at any price for years. I played it at the WFMU Record Fair last weekend and the dealers started running up. One of them told me to name my price. I’ve been looking for that one forever and there’s been none traded anywhere. In the greater Los Angeles area I also have a few secrets and am a fan of the new Territory Store and BBQ restaurant.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a touring dance contest before—do you know of any others or are you forging a new fad?
Jonathan Toubin: I read in some kind of business website called Trend Central saying my party was more ‘rockers than mods’ and that I’m helping start a new hipster fad but it was just a big accident. The Soul Clap was initially just an excuse for me to play less punk and rock stuff and have a night where I just bust out my soul records for my friends. And the Dance-Off was added to the concept after I witnessed these two guys in a crazy dance competition around dawn at a loft party where I was spinning. I thought it would make a fun and interesting short addition to the night but I never dreamed this would become my most popular party or that I would become known as a soul DJ. And I never imagined taking it on the road until this year, when Canadian venues and festivals began requesting the Soul Clap—that was the first time either me or my agent imagined taking it outside of Glasslands. I wish I knew how to dream that big and crazy but I’m a bit of a pragmatist—a Barnum-esque pragmatist, but still a pragmatist…
So what is New York Night Train all about?
Jonathan Toubin: I wish I knew. It started out as a webzine and record label intent on helping spread the word about the music and history of Kid Congo Powers and other folks I knew who were productive veteran artists with great stories but not getting the proper recognition. Then it also became a production company of sorts because of the record release parties I threw for the label. And then, when I became a DJ, it gradually grew with me to be my own promotional organ. What kind of sucks is that, because I never expected to DJ beyond a few nights nights at the local rock bars—Motor City, Daddy’s, Eind’s, etc.—I never came up with a cool pseudonym. And as my career started developing, a lot of people knew New York Night Train better than they knew me. Now its pretty much about 50/50 so I have to be billed with the cumbersome ‘New York Night Train DJ Mr. Jonathan Toubin.’ And, while the original NYNT has by necessity been on a bit of a hiatus because I currently spin and promote over 300 DJ nights a year all around the world, the label has been semi-active and I hope to get the journal back online as soon as I can move beyond this super-intensive nightly schedule … Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, New York Night Train also puts on shows by folks like Thee Oh Sees, Quintron and Ms. Pussycat, King Khan and BBQ/the Shrines, and so forth either alone or incorporating them into my other specialty—the muti-media ‘Happening’ with go go dancers, visuals, performance, and, of course, dancing to my 45s…

THE NEW YORK NIGHT TRAIN SOUL CLAP DANCE-OFF WITH DJs JONATHAN TOUBIN AND IAN SVENONIUS ON THUR., NOV. 12, AT SPACELAND, 1717 SILVERLAKE BLVD., SILVERLAKE. 9 PM / $5 / 21+. CLUBSPACELAND.COM. THE DANCE-OFF WILL BE JUDGED BY JENNA THORNHILL, MIKE WATT, JESSICA ESPELETA, WENDY YAP AND MICHAEL GERNER. VISIT NEW YORK NIGHT TRAIN AT NEWYORKNIGHTTRAIN.COM.

New York Night Train enlisted Spindrift‘s Julie Patterson to capture—alive, if possible—the action at Saturday’s Soul Clap dance party. Real life below (and here!) and further New York Night Train happenings here!

[View with PicLens]

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Download: Garotas Suecas “Bugalu”

(from Garotas Suecas’ self-titled full-length)

Lips all over New York’s underground still struggle to pronounce ‘Garotas Suecas,’ long after this Brazilian sextet wrapped up their month-long tour of Williamsburg and the Lower East Side. The band’s fuzzy 60s-ish garage pop and soul—combined with Portuguese lyrics and an Os Mutantes cover here and there—prompted many to reference Tropicalia. I too was guilty! But Garotas Suecas’ uniquely dynamic yet casual approach to rock ‘n’ roll took everyone by surprise—definitely one of the most refreshing sounds heard here in some time. This interview by Jonathan Toubin.

Are you from the slums of Sao Paulo or the Amazonian jungle?
Irina (keyboards/vocals): I’m from the jungle. Some of us are from the ghetto. We’re all from Sao Paulo.
Thomaz (guitar/vocals): Sao Paulo ghetto.
Guilherme (vocals/harmonica): The jungle. We wear no shoes. Not too different than New York. Coffee’s different though.
Nico (drums): We eat a lot of tropical fruits.
T: And we hunt everything we eat. That takes a lot of our time. We keep practicing and hunting.
Sesa (guitar): I guess hunting and playing rock ‘n’ roll are a similar high-energy experience—so that’s where all things meet.
What does the name mean?
G: Swedish Girls.
N: Because in 2002, there were a lot of students from Sweden at Sao Paulo’s public university and they started this band called Swedish Girls. It was actually three girls and two guys—kind of similar to Abba. They were doing pretty well but all the drugs and all the music business stress did them in. And then we replaced them—and all of a sudden it was a band of crazy monkeys playing and hunting.
What’s going on in Sao Paulo’s underground music scene?
N: Tropicalia.
I: We have a music scene in Sao Paulo. We have many specific scenes. Punk rock is strong and into itself. We have some garage bands that are happening. And we have some folk as well—Portuguese related.
T: I think the big thing with indie bands is that folk rock stuff. I don’t know if that’s what’s happening here as well.
I: We have some really good folk and some freak-folk. Some really good and some people who can’t play anything.
T: Like everybody trying to be Dylan in Brazil.
I: There are very specific bands that mimic the American garage bands and exactly what they did without any Brazilian influence at all. And all the clothing—and look mod. We kind of have a mod scene in certain cities. They kind of do exactly as they did in their time and wish they were born then and not now. We are not like that at all—we take the influences but we are a band who’s been together sense 2005 and not 1965. So all the other stuff that happened in the end of the ‘60s and ‘70s in New York—more noisy kind of music—we’ve listened to all of that as well along with Brazilian music. So we don’t want to repeat a garage band or even a soul band—we can’t do that.
T: One thing we’re very serious about is researching—we’re all always buying records and downloading stuff. We’re always hungry for more. Whereas some other bands decide what their influences are going to be and stick to that.
S: They’d rather call a band a project rather than a band. They say ‘OK. This is my project where I focus on folk.’ ‘This is my project where I concentrate on ‘70s funk. And from now on I’m gonna play this.’ We’re a band and we started playing, playing, playing until we became ourselves. The references in our music come from American, Brazilian and British music in the 1960s and people seem to get us better in the U.S.—an immediate understanding. You play, you get the crowd—they get excited…
N: We were born in Brazil and we listened to this stuff since we were kids and then we started listening to a lot of American stuff and we began to see that there was a lot of Brazilian with a lot to offer that we weren’t listening to—so we started researching Brazilian music.
S: Because ‘60s and ‘70s Brazilian music isn’t mainstream culture in Brazil. It’s not like you walk in a record shop and you find lots of awesome ‘60s music.
T: There are reissue CDs here of Brazilian music that I can’t find back in Brazil. Like Gal Costa records and other things
S: Not only Tropicalia stuff—1970s funk and film stuff.
G: American music is very rich and very diverse. You were mentioning harmonic elements. We love for example the Beach Boys. We got this book and began practicing all of the voices in their songs. And in terms of rhythms, you have all of these black artists. I think American bands don’t listen to this music much. I think they’re more influenced by Velvet Underground and this more noisy aspect of music.
I: They’re into a noisier sound with dirtier guitars and all of that. In the beginning of the band we were listening to more garage stuff and then we tried to listen more to what they were listening to back then—which was a lot of black music and all of that. The rhythm and all of that is familiar to us because it’s similar to Brazilian music.
T: Being Brazilian has something to do with that flexibility. We can get to garage from that and mix it with different music and nice vocals. That’s what Brazilian pop music has been all about.
I: Taking the influences and making it your own.
T: Especially American music—transforming it by filtering it through Brazilian music and maybe it’s our main influence that we take from the Brazilian pop scene in general.
What were you trying to do when you started out?
N: We’d play Nuggets covers and all of that.
I: We’ve been together for four years. And we grew into our own sound. We’d play Velvet Underground and David Bowie covers along with MC5 and Nuggets.
T: We weren’t all that different from other bands like the Centurys.
S: Or the Stones.
Do you tour in Brazil? Is there a circuit for indie touring bands?
T: If you are an independent band in Brazil its difficult to make a successful tour. We played in Rio once but it was a long time ago.
G: Actually this is our first tour.
What’s most different between the music scene in the US and Brazil?
T: It looks like things really happen here. When somebody tells you he will contact you by Myspace or email here, he really makes this contact. In Brazil things are far from each other—I don’t really understand how things work in Brazil.
I: We don’t have an all-over underground music scene in Brazil. It’s only in certain cities and its only beginning to make sense as a scene. Each city works independently.
T: After getting to know the American independent scene, I realize that in Brazil they’re kind of immature about it. The people don’t understand that they need to support the bands—they only want to go to free shows.
N: And ask for your drumstick
T: And get as much as they can from you. It’s hard to make the public guilty. They’re getting what they can. But I think we have a long way to go.
I: It’s really hard for example to sell merch—even really cheap CDs—in Brazil. Here our CDs were sold out when we weren’t even halfway through. It’s very different the way that kind of support works here.
T: We’re still figuring out how the thing works here and in Brazil it’s so different. We can take five CDs to each gig and we won’t sell them.
What do you like best about being in America so far?
T: Being part of this rock ‘n’ roll scene—we read about it and fantasize about it and now we’re kind of part of it.
G: D.C. girls. They’re awesome.
I: That they have chai everywhere.
N: I was just gonna say that I like Starbucks.
S: I like the gear. Really old and huge amplifiers. It’s really cool to see a band with some old shit that’s really loud.
And what bums you out most?
N: You can’t drink outside the places.
Over there you can drink wherever you want?
I: On a beach. On a tree. Everywhere!
Do you have any plans to return to the United States in the near future?
T: We’re coming back to play the South by Southwest festival in Austin. Then East Coast shows again.
I: And we’re going to Chicago. And Detroit.
T: But we really want to go to L.A. right? As soon as possible!

GAROTAS SUECAS’ SELF-TITLED ALBUM IS OUT NOW. VISIT GAROTAS SUECAS’ AT MYSPACE.COM/GAROTASSUECAS.