While not a household name, for those in-the-know, Eamon Harkin & partner-in-crime Justin Carter represent all that is good with dance music in the today’s world, and have no doubt played a key role in the rebirth of the New York City scene.
For the uninformed, the two had their collective beginnings in Santos Party House in Lower Manhattan, but were not content with simply running a club night on someone else’s turf, particularly where they had no say in things like drinks prices and overzealous bouncers. This led them to moving to Brooklyn loft spaces, which allowed them to have control over every aspect of the party – from uber-friendly staff, a bar stock that supported local breweries and food fare that championed local vendors. This is what epitomises a Mister Saturday Night/Mister Sunday party; an attention to detail that this writer has yet to witness anywhere else. From musical selections, to lighting, to an almost shockingly-welcoming atmosphere, the Misters know how to throw a party right.
After witnessing the success of the party, and the cult following that it had obtained, the dynamic duo founded Mister Saturday Night Records, which has amassed releases from Anthony Naples, Dark Sky, a particularly great release from Nebraska, as well as EPs from Irish producers Lumigraph and Boya respectively. With a couple of rare Dublin dates on the horizon at the Beatyard and Twisted Pepper, we felt it was about time we sat down for a chat with the Derry man.
WWD: First off Eamon, it’s great to talk! I’ve been lucky enough to experience first-hand the unique Mister atmosphere, but for those who haven’t had a chance to experience the parties yet, tell us what yourself and Justin are all about!
We’re a couple of DJs and label owners who created the Mister Saturday Night and Mister Sunday parties as well as started the Mister Saturday Night record label. We live in Brooklyn New York.
WWD: Evidently you’re doing some things right, as you’ve brought the party abroad, I know you have three editions of the Mister in London this year. How do you best go about transferring what you have in Brooklyn, where you have the final say on every aspect, to a foreign city like London?
The key thing is having a partner on the ground who we can work with, who understands the production values of the party. We’re fortunate to have that partnership with Ben Kreeger and Gareth Solan from Black Atlantic. Gareth used to intern for us in New York so he worked closely with us on the NY side before moving to London.
WWD: Moving onto Mister Saturday Night Records, what prompted you to establish your own record label? Was it always the plan or did the opportunity arise as a result of the success of the party?
We always wanted to do it. We’re voracious records collectors and we love record buying culture so starting our own label and being a part of that world was always something we want to do. It also exercises a different set of creative muscles to producing the party.
WWD: In terms of releases, the recent Nebraska EP has been a favourite of ours here at WWD. Any more particularly exciting releases in the pipeline for the near future?
We have a couple of releases about to drop from General Ludd and Archie Pelago. Both are existing acts on the label already. It’s really nice to release more music from existing artists as I think our identities grow together with each release. I’m pretty sure we’ll have a new EP from Nebraska very soon as well.
WWD: And on a personal front, are there any Eamon Harkin original releases on the way?
I’ve had a very busy year working on the build out of our new space – Nowadays so my production has taken a back seat of late. But I’m still tinkering in the studio when I get the time and I really hope to have some new material out in the world before the year is out.
WWD: You’re coming to Dublin for the first Dun Laoghaire Harbour edition of the Beatyard in a couple of weeks for a back-to-back with Optimo. You’ve had them over to the Mister before, are you looking forward to playing with those boys again?
I’m super excited. The Optimo boys were a huge inspiration for everything I’ve done in music and Jonnie Wilkes (who I’m playing with) is a fellow Irish man so we hatched the idea over email of doing some Irish dates together and we’re happy to have a little tour happening including the Beatyard date, a gig that night in Dublin at the Twisted Pepper and a gig the night before in Belfast.
Thanks Eamon! We’re gonna finish off with a semi-quickfire round.
What record are you really enjoying right now (dancefloor-ready or not!)?
I’m really enjoying the new BOOF! album. It’s one of Maurice Fulton’s alias’. Basically anything Maurice does is worth checking out. I’m also really enjoying the Free Jazz record from Jackie McLean & Michael Carvin called Antiquity which Justin tipped me to.
We’ll admit this next one is more for our own indulgence than anything else; but what is your favourite record store (New York or otherwise) and why?
A1 records in the East Village is a great spot for picking up old dance music. They have a really well curated selection of disco and 80/90s house. Otherwise I just discovered a hole in the ground (literally!) in Bed Stuy, near where I live, where an older gentlemen called Israel is selling his collection. I’ve only popped in for 20mins so far but I intend to spend a lot more time there this summer. I think there could be a few gems in there.
I’m sure this is a difficult one, but if you had to pick one record to represent the Mister Saturday Night/Mister Sunday parties, what would it be and why?
Too hard!! There are so many good records. At this very moment in time there’s a track called ‘Gum’ from an artists who I can’t named but who we’re releasing later this year on the label. It tears the floor up every time we play it.
Eamon Harkin plays The Beatyard (tickets HERE) and the Twisted Pepper on Saturday August 1st. Otherwise you can catch the Misters every Sunday for the summer in Industry City, Brooklyn.
Follow Eamon and Justin: Facebook // Twitter // Soundcloud // Website
Words by David Gray