the nightclub danceteria—whose location at West 21st Street in Manhattan was the setting of the disco scene in the movie Desperately looking for Susan– was a popular destination for club kids and artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat from 1979 until its closure in 1986. Operating out of several locations in New York City and the Hamptons, it was an icon of the New Wave and the 80s music scene, where acts like Madonna, Duran Duran, the Smiths and Sonic Youth played.
The in Montclair, NJ. Established deejay Rafe Gomez — whose day job is providing sales support to CEOs — brings his spirit back to Danceteria REWIND, a live, two-hour weekly show on the live streaming platform Twitch. He has built the show to 15,000 followers since its launch earlier this year. It airs on Thursday nights at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. He previously ran a syndicated radio show called The Groove Boutiquewhich aired nationally and performed in clubs in the US from 2003 to 2008
Deejay Rafe Gomez takes advantage of nostalgia and the comeback of ’80s music on his Twitch show … [+]
Gomez started Danceteria REWIND to keep itself busy during the pandemic, but it has become a sole proprietorship. Outside of work, he says, “My day was cleaning and doing nothing. I had no hobbies. The only thing that made sense was to rethink my DJ career.”
That was when he discovered Twitch, which is popular among musicians and video gamers. He was eager to start a show, but wasn’t sure what kind of music he would play. While taking a walk through Montclair to pass the time, he decided to embrace an idea he had read about in a book by Tosha Silver – a spiritually minded author his wife introduced him to: opening his mind to every idea the universe presented. .
‘Then it came down to me: a re-creation of the downtown area of the 1980s,’ he recalls.
Although he originally launched Danceteria REWIND to keep his sanity and entertain friends, the show’s following grew so quickly that Gomez is now exploring options for distributing it to radio stations across the US and abroad looking for a late-night show. night show. radio show as exclusive streaming content. “When that all started, I thought if I was patient and methodical, I could turn it into a business,” he says. He also wants to make the archives of shows he’s streamed live available to an on-demand audio content provider, such as Apple Music or SiriusXM.
Danceteria REWIND features music from artists such as the Clash, Human League and the Smiths.
While Danceteria REWIND has attracted listeners, Gomez has discovered that the same music that used to draw clubbers to Danceteria is now fresh and new to fans in their twenties and thirties. “If you were there, you’ll love it,” he says. “If you’ve never heard of it, you’ll be fascinated. Everything contemporary has its roots in this thing.”
Meanwhile, building the track to 150 beats per minute by the end, he has found another group of fans: athletes. “If you dance to this music or move in place, you get a ridiculous workout,” he says.