DJ Jason Bio

above picture: BANK 10 YEAR REUNION @ ELEMENT, September 2009 ↑

Hi, My name is Jason. Like most all of the early and original NYC Goth Scene DJs, I use my real name as my DJ name; DJ Jason.

I think my surviving flyer documentation of my past work speaks for itself, however an additional written Bio was asked for, so here it is…

I’ve been a music enthusiast and serious collector since I was a kid. I started DJing in college. I had my first DJ mixer and Cerwin-Vega speakers in 88 or 89. I loved and still love sound equipment, lighting & of course, fog-machines! I organized parties in college. I regularly made mix tapes, organized and DJed music at dorm-house theme parties (300 to 500 people). Later in graduate school, I had my own radio show called Necrophiliac Relationship (named after a Rozz Williams lyric).

I loved going to concerts, shows and, later on, nightclub events. For a long time there were no events that played strictly gothic music.  ”Goth clubs” at that time played mostly mainstream alternative songs and little to no actual goth… but there were great concerts and a lot of fans waiting for good music.  A purely Goth nightclub event, Club Darkwave, changed things and became the start of an ongoing New York tradition.  I met DJ Daniel and DJ Patrick before they were DJs, back when DJ David of Club Darkwave was the first & only NYC pure Goth DJ (to be joined later by DJ Vanessa Miasma who later became the first all Goth DJ to spin at The BANK when it was a new club). In between College (BFA) and Graduate School (MFA), I managed an underground record store called Secret Sounds. Later, because no one else with as comprehensive of a music collection was available, I was recruited to DJ and reluctantly started spinning (and promoting) in Manhattan. I consider this to be my start as as a real DJ. Alchemy Mondays began in Sept. 1996 and ended in 2006.  It was a weekly party at CBGB’s Gallery.  The club space was the largest that any pure Goth party ever had in NYC history.  I was the only DJ during open hours. Most events then only had one DJ per room and our door girl/Co-promoter (the other DJ) only sometimes spun after the door was closed. Alchemy was a very big hit from the start. It fast became a pillar of the scene and innovated many later standard promotional ideas, tactics and themes. While, exceptionally successful and popular, Alchemy, New York City’s longest running pure Goth Night, was also was in the NYC musical tradition of past short-lived “pure goth” nights like Club Darkwave with DJ David, Tocsin with DJ Daniel and some little nights featuring DJ Patrick such as the original version of Salvation (run by James Galus). In addition, Alchemy hosted between one and three live gothic, synth & industrial bands (at 11pm) almost every week. My Alchemy Co-promoter, Althea and I traveled to all of the biggest festivals in the UK and to (somewhat later) WGT in Germany yearly, so I was always able to play the very best cutting edge underground songs. No other DJ in the scene had as much specific music, old or new. Very few people guest DJed at Alchemy, but many wished to. Some of Alchemy‘s memorable events were “the Miss Gothic NYC Pageant” an annual event, “Bash Fat Bob” a Cure Tribute party, “Gothic Lipsynch night”, a crazy competition & “Secret Satan” an annual gothic gift exchange. People loved the annual “Gothic Easter Hunt” we hosted too. Every Egg had a drink ticket in it.  Previous to Alchemy, there were no goth theme nights in NYC outside of regular holiday parties.

I did a night with James Galus called Shadowplay (weekly) where I booked 6 djs to spin on the same day. This number of DJs in one room was unheard of previously. Later, in 98, I started the irregularly running multi-dj Absolution party. At first I only booked Goth DJs, but since it was so successful, Industrial and New Wave DJs were added to the 2nd smaller room (24 djs total at max). It was held in CBGB’s basement, the Limelight, Flamingo East, Seho, Alphabet Lounge (only once, due to a disaster at the Limelight!) & recently @ Youth Palace, UC 87, The Annex & Fontanas. Absolution helped almost all of the current scene (then young) DJs by giving them a nice dance floor & big crowd to spin to, promote to and network with. It was the largest Gothic event in the city outside of The BANK’s mainstream alternative Saturday night, which was very commercial in contrast.

1997 also was when Wasteland (monthly, then weekly) at the famous Coney Island High rock & roll club started. It was the first “Classic Goth” themed night in NYC and was a precursor to the Death Rock revival movement in NYC.  Joey Ramone’s Brother was the bartender and it stayed open so late that it was always light outside when we left.

I spun the main floor for one the earliest big NYC Vampyre nights, Flesh and Blood at The Bank, and later (a solo room weekly) at Long Black Veil at Mother through to it’s death and rebirth as Xorvia at True nightclub. After Xorvia ended, I DJed and co-promoted a weekly called Electra-City at the same club with Ian FFord and Hal Gould (The BANK). I spun in place of Patrick at Albion/Batcave and later at Albion Saturdays every month including it’s very last night.

I spun my own floor for DJ Father Jeff’s return to the nightlife at the weekly Radio Deutchland (run by DJ Ash) @ the Pyramid and later for his weekly Ward 6 party.   Later, I hired DJ Father Jeff, DJ Ian FFord & DJ Jarek to spin with me for my two level Sundown Fridays party.

I was the only DJ at the monthly party The Court of Lazarus from it’s time at Jeckle and Hyde (2002) through to 2007 at the Slipper room.

I spun in my own room at the mega-clubs, in the Limelight for Communion weekly, and the Tunnel for The Prophesy . Overseas, I was invited to spin at Cafe Noir at the original Batcave space, Gossips, in the UK, but chose to only spin at The Slimelight in “the Goth room”. btw, I also spun at the NYC edition of Slimelight. There were a great many other brief club nights I worked at also, but the previously mentioned were all long running or very important to the scene.

I have had near countless special appearance DJ spots too, such as Click and Drag @ Mother, Exedor @ the Bank & @ The Pyramid, Heroes @ Mother, Sanctuary @ Sanctuary, Church @ Avalon (formerly the Limelight) and many, many more. I was spinning in different clubs 4 or 5 nights (4 to 6 hours each) a week on average.  One October I was paid to spin at separate large events in NYC every day for the entire month.  For ten years, Ian FFord and I were the only 2 truly “professional” DJs in the industry. We had no time for other work at all. I was the most popular and in demand Pure-Goth New York DJ for those ten years in NYC’s gothic industrial scene. (btw, I am also easily the most experienced Goth DJ in NYC with many times the most hours on the decks)
All of this while, I was teaching, grooming and giving CDRs (I had a professional “stand alone” CD recorder years before computer burners were affordable) to many new (and some old) DJs.  I started & resurrected more DJs than any other promoter in NYC’s gothic scene.   I also created, judged, produced and ran NYC’s GOTH AWARD SHOW (with Voltaire as MC in 2004) handing out awards for categories like “Longest Running Event”, “Best Door Person”, “Longest Running Goth DJ”, etc, etc.  It was a very funny event and well enjoyed by all that attended. A few DJs even used their awards as tag-lines for years after.

For personal reasons involving both a relationship breakup and family promises, I had to leave NYC for over a year starting in early 2008.  I had insured that my old nightclub and promoting jobs would go to people I thought were friends.

Thanks to the love and support given by DJ Xtine, a fellow veteran promoter, I returned to NYC in 2009 and resumed doing the scene favorite party, ABSOLUTION (for more info: www. AbsolutionNYC.com) in an effort to breathe some life and class into the surprisingly weakened NYC Gothic Industrial scene.  Absolution has been running weekly for well over 2 years now and has featured all of the current stars in the scene as well as hosted many record release parties and tour promotions.  I have also resumed bringing underground gothic bands to NYC with a biweekly goth band event on Saturdays called INCANTATION that also features local dark acts.

Currently, we are doing several regularly occurring events and we are optimistic about NYC’s returning to Gothic greatness!

• MUSIC GENRES: Only pure GOTH

(including sub-genres: Death Rock, Dark Wave, Ethereal, Nordic Style, Post Punk… etc.)

for Bookings only, contact: jasonledyard@gmail.com

BIO:

• 1987-1991: DJed and organized on-campus theme parties at BENNINGTON COLLEGE
• 1992-1993: Managed SECRET SOUNDS, an underground record store in Black Rock, CT
• 1993-1995: DJed and hosted a weekly Radio Show called NECROPHILIAC RELATIONSHIP at BENNINGTON COLLEGE

• 1996-2005: DJed, produced and promoted weekly Alchemy gothic mondays at CBGBS GALLERY
• 1996-1997: DJed, produced and promoted monthly Facade Wednesday at Z-BAR
• 1997-1998: DJed, produced and promoted Wasteland at Coney Island High. Monthly in 1997, Weekly in 1998
• 1997: DJed, produced and promoted Shadowplay Friday with SAINT JAMES at ACME UNDERGROUND
• 1997-2001: DJed Thursday Long Black Veil at MOTHER (a bi-weekly first, then a weekly party)
• 1997-2003: DJed, produced and promoted the annual Miss Gothic NYC Pageant
• 1998-2012: DJed, produced and promoted Absolution, NYC’s Original Multi-DJ Goth/Industrial Event- ONGOING, SEE HOMEPAGE
• 1998: FLESH AND BLOOD at The BANK (main floor DJ)
• 1998: DJed and promoted weekly Sabotage Wednesdays with SAINT JAMES at CONEY ISLAND HIGH
• 1998: THE PROPHESY at TUNNEL
• 1998-1999: DJed, produced and promoted monthly Nightshift Sunday at KOROVA LOUNGE
• 1999: DJed one floor of Ward 6 at THE PYRAMID
• 2000-2001: Produced and promoted weekly Sanctum Gothic Lounge Fridays at CBGBs Basement
• 2001: DJed SLIMELIGHT NYC at Planet28
• 2001: DJed XORVIA weekly Thursdays at TRUE
• 2001-2007: DJed Saturdays at ALBION and ALBION/BATCAVE, replacing DJ PATRICK monthly
• 2001: DJed weekly INCARNATION at TRUE
• 2001: DJed and produced THE RED PARTY at LIMELIGHT by FATHER SEBASTIAN TODD(SABRETOOTH), 1 room
• 2001: DJed and produced THE BLACK PARTY at LIMELIGHT by FATHER SEBASTIAN TODD(SABRETOOTH), 3 rooms
• 2001: DJed, produced and promoted weekly Electra City Thursdays at TRUE
• 2001: DJed weekly Communion at LIMELIGHT
• 2002: DJed THE COURT OF LAZARUS monthly Sundays at JECKLE AND HYDE
• 2002: DJed, produced and promoted monthly ABSOLUTION Fridays at FLAMINGO EAST
• 2002: DJed monthly LONG BLACK VEIL Friday at FLAMINGO EAST
• 2002: DJed, produced and promoted monthly WASTELAND at PYRAMID
• 2002-2007:DJed THE COURT OF LAZARUS monthly Sundays at THE SLIPPER ROOM
• 2002-2003: DJed, produced and promoted GOTHIC NEW YEAR’S EVE featuring VOLTAIRE
• 2003-2005: DJed, produced and promoted Sundown Fridays weekly at Flamingo East and Seho
• 2003: DJed, produced and promoted WASTELAND at OPALINE
• 2003 and 2004: DJed, produced and promoted GOTHIC NEW YEARS EVE at CBGBs Basement and CBGBs Gallery
• 2005: DJed, produced and promoted BODY & GHOST annual at RAVEN CAFE
• 2010: DJed, produced and promoted weekly AELFHEIM @ FONTANAS
• 2010: DJed, produced and promoted monthly GOTH with DJ IAN FFORD at BOULEVARD TAVERN
• 2010: DJed, co-produced and co-promoted Saturday Night fIXE @ IDENTITY
• 2010-2011: DJed, co-produced and co-promoted La Petite Mort @ HAPPY ENDING
• 2011- 2012: DJed co-produced and co-promoted Incantation biweekly @ Uncle Mike’s  *ONGOING*

• 1996: The NOW(Egg Crates) with DJ DANIEL and DJ PATRICK
• 1997: The New York Edge party, private loft at Astor Place  (solo DJ)
• 1997: Goth Fest at CONEY ISLAND HIGH (solo DJ)
• 1998: DJed, co-produced and co-promoted Mors Syphilitica at CONEY ISLAND HIGH (solo room DJ)
• 1998: Mindless Self Indulgence at DOWNTIME
• 1998/1999: Exedor’s New Year’s Eve at PYRAMID (solo room DJ)
• 1999: Dark Frenzy at COLLECTIVE UNCONCIOUS
• 1999: Heroes at MOTHER (solo room DJ)
• 1999: The Faerie Tale Ball at MOTHER (solo room DJ)
• 1999: DJed, co-produced and co-promoted Gitane Demone at CBGBs (solo DJ)
• 1999: DJed, co-produced and co-promoted An Evening At McGurk’s Suicide Hall at CBs 313 Gallery (solo DJ)
• 1999: The Nun’s Decapitation Ball at SHINE
• 1999: DJed, co-produced and co-promoted Halloween at CBGBs @ CBGBs
• 1999: DJed, co-produced and co-promoted Gene Loves Jezebel at CBGBs (solo room DJ)
• 2001: The Fool’s Ball @ MOTHER (solo room DJ)
• 2001: Nemesis @ LE NOUVELLE JUSTINE
• 2001: Albion/Batcave’s IndepenDANCE day bash @ Downtime
• 2001: Sin City anniversary party at TRUE
• 2001: Slimelight (in LONDON, UK)
• 2002: What is Fetish V at CLUB SHELTER
• 2004: Nocturne at KARMA
• 2004: DJed, co-produced and co-promoted Legion at DARKLIGHT
• 2005: Albion’s Walpurgisnacht @ DOWNTIME
• 2009: The BANK 10 year Reunion @ Element
• 2009: Black Tape For A Blue Girl at DELANCY LOUNGE
• 2010: Cirque Du Rock- Hypothermia @ HIGHLINE BALLROOM
• 2010: Sanctuary Reunion @ LUCKY 13 SALOON
• 2010: The Court of Lazarus @ MADAME X (solo room DJ)
• 2010: Ego Likeness show at DELANCY LOUNGE (solo room DJ)
• 2010: The BANK 11 year Reunion @ Element
• 2010: DJed, co-produced and co-promoted Sundown Reunion / Halloween Ball with DJ Father Jeff @ UC 87
• 2011: DJed, co-produced and co-promoted Gothic New Year’s Eve 2010/2011 with DJ Xtine, Ego Likeness & Platform One
• 2011: DJed, co-produced and co-promoted Shadowlands Romantic Masquerade Ball with DJ Xtine
• 2011: DJed, co-produced and co-promoted The April Fool’s Ball annual @ the Fortune Cookie with DJ Xtine,  Whispers of the Sparrows, Nekronet, Melvin Ylagan, Mark Sinnis & Daegona
• 2011: DJed, co-produced and co-promoted The Pale Queen’s Ball annual @ UC87 with DJ Xtine and featuring Bitter Grace, Whispers of the Sparrows, Night Gallery, The Mystic Underground and Paul Anthony Band
• 2011: DJed co-produced and co-promoted Incantation one-off @ Parkside

 

NYC GUEST DJ gigs

• 1997: Brit Night at CHARLIE THE SLUT’S Sanctuary Thursdays with DJ VANESSA MIASMA(original Bank Gothic DJ) at Sanctuary Lounge
• 1997: Albion at The Bank
• 1997: Exedor at THE PYRAMID (solo room DJ)
• 1998: Click + Drag at MOTHER
• 1998: Exedor at THE PYRAMID (solo room DJ)
• 1998: Bound at DOWNTIME
• 1999: The Interim at LIMELIGHT
• 2000: Revenge at RUBBER MONKEY
• 2001: Straightjacket at BELLEVUE
• 2001: Voodoo-a-go-go at RAVEN CAFE
• 2002: Electra-City at FLAMINGO EAST
• 2002-2006: Albion Saturdays (and Albion/Batcave) Monthly at Downtime
• 2006: Albion Fridays at Downtime
• 2006: Church at AVALON
• 2009: Underworld at SULLIVAN ROOM
• 2009: Cybertron at DON HILLS
• 2009: Ward 6 at LA POISSON ROUGE
• 2009/2010: Necromantic New Years Eve @ BOWERY POETRY CLUB
• 2010: DefCon @ PYRAMID
• 2010: Dark Water @ OTTOS SHRUNKEN HEAD
• 2010: P.O.V. @ Karma
• 2010: Arkham @ Public Assembly
• 2011: DJed at A Night of Banshees @ Legion
• 2011: DJed at QXT’s (in NJ)

DJ Jason spinning in Coney Island High‘s Porno Lounge by candlelight in the fog at his

“Classic 80′s Goth” Wasteland event ↑

DJ Jason spinning the mainfloor at Highline Ballroom ↑

DJ Jason spinning at his Sundown Fridays event at Flamingo East ↑

I am missing some years, but this is a list of most of the Gothic Industrial singers and bands that I have DJed concert support for in NYC.

Please note that this does not include the live music events at Downtime’s Albion Batcave or Albion, where monthly I spun the majority of the night in a smaller upper floor room far from the live music stage.

• Figurehead
• Hollerwell
• Own
• Voltaire (x23)
• Gravedance (x2)
• The Changelings (x2)
• Bell, Book & Candle (x2)
• Nomanclature (twice)
• Backworld (x2)
• Erotomechanics (x3)
• Furniture
• Sabot De Venus
• Dead Leaves Rising (x5)
• Judith (x3)
• Sofia Run (x11)
• Raw Kinder
• Glod
• Devil Doll
• Digitalis
• Caledonia (x4)
• Advent Sleep
• Dorian James (x3)
• The Missing (x2)
• Resist
• Bitter Grace (x23)
• Inertia
• Das Ich (first NYC Performance)
• Ash Wednesday (x3)
• Black Atmosphere (x2)
• Dark Motive
• KHZ (x3)
• Faith and the Muse
• The New Creatures (x3)
• Divine Silence
• Falling Janus
• Holocaust Theory
• Thy Spirit Deceived (x2)
• Piker Ryan’s Folly (x7)
• Y Front
• Dream into Dust
• Masochistic Religion
• The Order of the Dying Knights
• Sabot
• The Cruxshadows (first NYC performance)
• Mindless Self Indulgence (x2)
• Tapping the Vein (x5)
• Mors Syphilitica (first performance) (x2)
• One of Us (x2)
• Bella Morte (first NYC performance) (x8)
• Kristeen Young (x6)
• Paris by Night’s Jeanine
• Unto Ashes (x13)
• Reflecting Skin (x2)
• Babylonian Tiles (x3)
• My Beloved Christ
• Narcissus Wept
• Murder in the Dark (x5)
• Colder thy Kiss (x2)
• NegativeHate
• Spiritual Bats
• Vampire Nation (x3)
• Beauty for Ashes (x3)
• Godhead
• Miss Lonelyhearts
• Crackhead (MSI)
• Purience
• Spy Society 99 (x2)
• Plastic Letters
• Pizza Whore (featuring En Esch of KMFDM & Trixi of Chrystal Method)
• Side 3 (x2)
• In Between Blue
• Persephone’s Veil
• The Brickbats (x4)
• The Deep Enyde (x4)
• The Xecutioners
• The Ginger Boys
• Margot Day (x2)
• Nekromantik Sunshine (x4)
• The Changelings
• Out of Oz (x2)
• Glampire (x3)
• Ash Wednesday
• Aros
• Nova Moturba
• Grave New World
• Signal to Noise
• Sacred Confinement
• Otto’s Daughter (x8)
• The Serpenteens
• Dorian James (x2)
• In Memoriam
• Seraphim Shock
• X-Possibles
• Daisy’s Chain
• Sanctum
• Mr. Monster & the Serpenteens
• The Chickletts!
• Inade
• Ex-Order
• The Mirror Reveals (x2)
• P.T. Grimm & the Dead Puppies (x2)
• The Skabs (x3)
• Dead Voices on Air
• Not Breathing
• Platform One (x9)
• Apocalypse Theatre
• I Will I (x2)
• Chromavoid
• The Mystic Underground (x5)
• Datura (x11)
• The Penumbra
• The Nuns (x4)
• Mikaela
• Asmodeus Spectre
• Rasp (x5)
• Cult of the Psychic Fetus (x4)
• Count to Infinity
• St. Eve (x8)
• The Skabs
• The Funeral Crashers (x4)
• Glitch
• Noisegate
• Zipperspy
• Gutterpoet
• All the Pretty Horses (x2)
• Gene Loves Jezebel (x2)
• Bela
• Damien Youth
• Drop Dead Gorgeous (x6)
• More Machine Than Man (x4)
• Violent Fix (x5)
• Love Alien
• Acts Magdalena (x2)
• Rhea’s Obsession
• Captured by Robots
• Spaceboy
• Amenpill
• Empire Hideous (x3)
• Basque
• Johnny Indovina of Human Drama(x4)
• Lorin Richards
• Jenn Vixx (x2)
• Low Sunday
• Curse (x9)
• Lapis (of Bitter Grace)
• Bow Ever Down (x8)
• Coven 13
• Kundera (x3)
• E-Craft
• The Drowning Season (x3)
• Lavish Blue
• Kalma
• Coup D’Etat (x2)
• Dust DeDayne (x4)
• Stendal
• Vehemence Realized
• Torsion (x7)
• Sunshine Blind (x2)
• Mindless Faith
• The Thin Crawl (x3)
• Job (3)
• The Jamesons
• Vampire Beach Babes
• Infidel (x10)
• Amber Spyglass (x2)
• Charm School
• Sins of Lust
• Bitter Fall
• + Complex
• Gitane Demone
• Vulgarus (x5)
• Tulip Sweet
• Paul Murphy Band
• Galvanized (x3)
• Salome’s Wish
• Folk Fiction (x13)
• Rosin Coven
• Mantik
• Untitled Art
• Sabrina (x2)
• Carfax Abbey (x5)
• Package
• Impulse
• Thou Shalt Not
• Nicki Jane (x4)
• Chris Connelly & Meg Lee Chin
• Killboxx
• Anathema Device (x5)
• Hate in the Box
• Suture.Seven
• Dorothy Does Drugs (x2)
• Somna M. Bulist (x3)
• Marian Nowottny
• Chroma
• Ego Likeness (x9)
• Shredds
• The Dirge Carolers (x2)
• The Plastic Fantastics
• Daisy Grace
• Creme Blush
• Compugoth
• The Naked and the Dead
• Secret Cervix
• Split Me Wide Open
• The Witching Hour
• Sapphic Ode (x2)
• Myke Hideous
• Eisdrive
• Autodrone (x3)
• The Dresden Dolls
• The Throes (x3)
• Ninth House (x9)
• The Brides (x2)
• Morgan’s Canon
• The Trinity Project
• Torn Paper Dolls (x2)
• Ghost Orgy (x4)
• Echomatrix
• Dreamatorium
• Conscious Structure
• Turn Pale (x2)
• Ebe (x2)
• Second Skin (x2)
• Shadow Reichenstein
• Memphis Morticians
• Incus
• Godbox
• Dirty on Purpose
• The Color Guard (x2)
• Xero-G (x3)
• Dihedral
• Vasaria (x4)
• Armen Ra (x2)
• Audra
• Dead Emotion (x3)
• Regret
• The April Skies
• Nerve Meter
• desc
• Thomas Truax (x2)
• In Gowan Ring
• Stellarscope
• Losing Venus (x4)
• Vibralux
• Flesh Fetish
• A Different State
• Elenor Payne (x3)
• SiMonsteRn
• Halovox
• Psychaesthetic
• The Raygun Girls (x2)
• Broken (x3)
• The Vein
• Dark Eden (x2)
• Get Precious (x2)
• Attics Noise
• The Evolutionaries
• VIRGO
• Spielerfrau
• Belaqcua
• 51 Peg (x2)
• Violator
• The Flying Buttresses (x2)
• Polaris (x2)
• Cylab
• Liz Lysinger
• The Animit
• Halovox
• Twilight Blue
• Atomic Box (x2)
• I, Synthesist
• Revue Noir
• Uncle Spooky and the Forgotten Monsters
• Encounter Box
• Baron Misuraca (x3)
• Shattered NYC
• Gothos (x2)
• Pui
• Melvin R. Ylagan
• The Wavos (x2)
• Karpathos
• Seventh Void
• Suicide City
• Acey Slade
• Bambi Killers
• The Party Death
• dEKAY (x2)
• Alia Lorae
• Whispers of the Sparrows (x5)
• Nekronet
• Daegona (x2)
• Mark Sinnis
• The Spider Lillies (x2)
• Lestat
• Strap On Halo
• Mecanikill?
• Level 2.0
• Bryin Dall
• Void Vision
• Revel Hotel
• Black Tape For A Blue Girl
• Head Trip Conception
• Brighter Fires (The Premiere Performance)
• Ingrid & the Defectors