Nick Boyd (@nickboydnyc) is a dancefloor staple in NYC, and there's good reason for his omnipresence: everything he does, he explains, is centered around the dancefloor and the dancers who spend time there. Whether he's running @sorry-records, DJing at beloved local haunts like The Lot Radio, Bossa Nova Civic Club, and Nowadays (where this mix was recorded), or giving advice to friends, his ethos always comes back to the dancefloor. Grounded by an encyclopedic knowledge of dance music history and generous sharing of that knowledge, Nick and Sorry Records are beacons of integrity and openness in today's dance music community. 

This is part 1 of a 2 part mini-series with Sorry Records.

Read the interview + see a tracklist:
https://spontaneous.zone/047-nick-boyd

Mix mastered by @drvmmy.

"This mix is a recording of my first time playing at Nowadays, a club that has been incredibly influential and important to my life and my friends' lives. When I first started deejaying, my only goals really were to play on The Lot Radio and play Nowadays.

When they asked me, I was very surprised, legit like fall on my bathroom floor crying type situation 😂 😭. I’m a sappy nerd and had loads of nerves but I was lucky to be able to do it for the first time alongside my friend and collaborator Khadijah/DJ Delish and also have the time to just completely over-prepare for like three months ahead of time.

I spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to do with the space, both extensively over the years keeping a running “Nowadays Wishlist” playlist and in the three months leading up to the party. I eventually came to the conclusion that I wanted to tell a story with what I played, in the tradition dictated by the New York dancefloor. A story about myself and my friends and the scene here as I’ve seen it both good and bad. A story about the Nowadays dancefloor itself and what that space means to me, but in turn also what dance music spaces and community mean period; how they function and the double-edged sword of trying to be good when it comes to those things.

I also wanted to play tracks by my friends that I knew were going to be there. The people I love who I dance alongside there frequently. I wanted to play tracks that were silly too! Tried to give a sense of levity to a pretty emotional thing. I mean, I got into dance music in large part because of the work that Justin (Carter) and Eamon (Harkin) had done through Mister Sunday into Nowadays, and I'd been going to the space since before it was open indoors. I’m there most every week and have put a lot on that floor…

In the weeks following, I finally got myself to listen to it. At first, I was like, there's so many bits in here where I remember not being able to hear myself or hear the cue. It's my first time playing in a big loud club besides like, Bossa. I considered making all these edits to it…

But then kinda just got to the point where I was like — look at the process of the mix, the ethos behind it… it's more about letting go and natural joy and glee than it is about anything else. So I decided to share it unedited, except for a little audio sample I added at the beginning that I didn't get on the recording. There’s a lot of other very concrete lyrical content included — always with purpose and intention but not always lyrics that I believe in personally."

@nickboydnyc / @sorry-records

Interview + Tracklist

Spontaneous Affinity #047: Nick Boyd

www.spontaneous.zone
monthly mix + interview series
annual zine
sometimes events

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newsletter:
https://mailchi.mp/9865c8be5d69/spontaneous

year two zine + comp:
https://spontaneousaffinity.bandcamp.com/merch/spontaneous-affinity-year-2-zine-plus-compilation

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by @lycheefrut

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SPONTANEOUS AFFINITY is about the communal nature of the dancefloor. It's about communication and feedback. Spontaneous Affinity isn't for the isolated bedroom producer, although we love them, too—it is for those of us who understand music and dance as one of the most powerful sources of personal growth and interpersonal empathy, who are driven by the need to support and elevate one another, and as a result experience the evolution of our creative and connective selves.

Spontaneous Affinity isn't about ego, knowledge, paraphernalia, or exclusivity of any kind. It's about PURE SENSATION. It's about losing track of yourself and merging with a moment. It's about temporary autonomous zones and ephemeral connections. It's about forgetting to Shazam that track or fix your hair. It's about the hours far past dawn when everyone left on the dancefloor has laid their soul bare but still looks beautiful under the harshness of sunlight.

Spontaneous Affinity is NOT A UTOPIAN VISION. It's about understanding how to let go. How to let go of a person. How to let go of a place. How to break a routine even if it hurts. How to appreciate a feeling that can't last forever as if it were eternal, and how to appreciate challenging moments—and challenging sounds—as catalysts for growth.

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