Features Going Out

Feature: Freakbeat (New York)

Freakbeat
Freakbeat
Note that I independently write and research everything in this article. But it may contain affiliate links.

Freakbeat at Outpost Lounge in New York gets our lowdown.

1. When and why did you set up the club?

Brooklyn’s very own Soul / Funk maestro – Khary Polk partnered with ex-pat Brit – Mark Grundy at the beginning of March at the Outpost Lounge to provide a venue for ever popular garage punk, freakbeat, mod, northern soul that was filling the shelves at the record stores around Manhattan and Brooklyn. There’s a lot of interest in the sound but nowhere to hear it (believe it or not in a 8 million population). Khary was regular DJ Outpost – and with the support of the management we decided to give Freakbeat a go.

2. Who are you DJs? Do you have guest DJs coming in too? If so, anyone we might know?

DJs are Khary Polk and Mark Grundy. We have no guest deejays on the books yet, but will be starting in August.

3. What kind of musical territory do you cover?

Each night we go through a journey from 1964 – 1966 UK mod and soul scene to swinging London sound of Electric Banana, The Flies, Skip Bifferty to US garage sound and early 70s blaxploitation and 70s funk with oddities thrown in here and there.

4. Give us an idea of a few tracks you might hear if you dropped in?

Last week, you would have heard:
Over Easy – Booker T and the MGs
Las Vegas Strut – Jack Ashford
Yours For At Least 24 – Skip Bifferty
If I Could – Jack Wilde (pufnstuf)

5. What do you think you offer that other clubs might not?

New York is a desert as far as mod is concerned. we want to make freakbeat an oasis for the talented listener. Saying that, the band scene is thriving – a lot of which is strongly influenced by the mod sound. we want to open the box on the sources of their sound.

6. Your current venue – how long and have you been there and how does it work for the club?

We have been at Outpost since early March – 2 months. The management love the sound.

7. And how many people do you tend to attract for each night? Do you think anything might put people off coming along?

We expect an intimate crowd of 60 people – as our current venue wont take more until the summer when the garden opens. It’s easy to get to by subway from Manhattan, Brooklyn or Queens.

8. What’s your view on the current state of mod/soul nights?

Not really got a view of other nights.

9. What’s the best and worst thing that’s happened with the club?

It’s too early to say…best thing is that we got to launch the night..not had a bad moment yet.

10. Finally, we need the lowdown on the club – listing details, how often, how to get in touch, that kind of thing.

Freakbeat at Outpost Lounge
1014 Fulton Street, Brooklyn NY 11238 -2521
Btw – Classon & Grand STS
C/G line To Clinton /Washington station
tel. 718 636 1260

facebook _- Freakbeat

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