For many brought up in the age of reality TV, it can appear that the closest thing to culture that the state of New Jersey has to offer is fist-pumping meatheads and raunched-out nights on the Jersey Shore. But alas, in the city of Newark, amidst long-lasting urban grit and frequent violence, endures a rich dance culture called Jersey Club.
Fostered by DIY venues like the late Submerged and The Life Lab, and musically, born out of an admiration for the patterns and sampling found in Baltimore Club and a reaction to popular hip-hop, Jersey Club has defined many aspects of youth culture in the state’s urban centers—it’s the music that soundtracks the lives of Jerseyan youth.
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Innovated by godfathers like DJ Tameil and pushed to popularity in the mid 2000s by those like DJ Tim Dolla and Mike V’s label Brick Bandits, Jersey Club has inspired three generations of young, innovative music producers thus far, resulting in an extremely vibrant culture that’s making waves across a multitude of scenes, many of which are far from the concrete streets of Newark.
While influence of the older innovators remains powerful, the newer, genre-bending sound of second generation artists such as Nadus, DJ Sliink, Uniiqu3, and more have captured the ears of DJs and producers worldwide, ensuring Jersey Club’s influence on dance music for years to come. In our Jersey Club series, we trace the beginnings of the genre and its lasting impact on Jersey and beyond.