Serving Ovahness

‘First Light’

when i spoke to dj Serving Ovahness, he was Overwhelmingly excited to perform for what he considers “the most important party of the year.”  Serving Ovahness, one of the most internationally renowned, requested and popular DJs in the world, will once again make his presence known at XL NightClub on New Year’s Eve. 

one of The hottest gay dance parties in New York City will be bringing in 2016, beginning at 2 A.M. until way after dawn, at “The First Light Party,” featuring sexy dancers, 1000 amps of sound, a 40-foot LED wall and Serving Ovahness himself. Located at 516 West 42nd Street in New York City, the club boasts a 24-hour liquor license.

Once again, Get Out! was privileged to speak with the L.A./nyc based DJ Serving Ovahness about his preparations for the party, a preview of his seven-hour musical journey and some future projects to look forward to.

 aSo what have you been up to since we last spoke?
I’ve been traveling around, DJing, working on some new productions and a continuance with music.

You are an L.A. based DJ, correct?
Yes, but I still live in New York. I split half of my time in Orange County and the other half in New York.

it’s pretty cold in New York on New Year’s Eve. Why choose this party?
For me, XL is one of New York’s best big room clubs and I’m honored to be able to play this party at home and celebrate New Year’s in my hometown. I take a lot of pride in this event as this is the first dance of the year and it is my responsibility to create a unique and special journey through music to kick off the new year with a bang!

You will be DJing from when to when?
From 2 to 9.

Like 2 a.m. to 9 a.m.?
Yeah. These days it’s not often that DJs have the opportunity to do long, marathon DJ sets. I’m excited at the opportunity to do a longer set, because it allows me to go on a journey musically, and I get to play music that is appropriate to New Year’s, to the hours before we get to the morning, and then going into what I love doing, which is a morning set.

That is seven hours. That’s a really long set!
Yeah. Always before a big set like that I take a nap. I work, I take a nice nap and then I go in ready.

Where do you plan to be at midnight?
I will probably celebrate the New Year with friends and family.

How do you prepare for a party like this?
There are things that I want to focus on for the night, so I’m in the studio for the next two weeks working on music specifically for this party. I’m working on some new productions, there will be some new vocals. There are some new artists I’m working with that I’m going to premiere that night. Then also I’ll be working some of my favorite classics that always kind of symbolize something for New Year’s Eve for me.

Can you tell us about these new things without ruining any surprises?
In terms of some of the productions I’m working on, I’m reworking some big New York classics. I’ll be doing “Waiting For Tonight” by Jennifer Lopez, which is very iconic for New Year’s. It’s a big millennium song, one of my favorite songs to play, that I am reworking for this event. Also some new Madonna. There’ll be Janet Jackson, and then also some new artists that I’ve been working with from LA. Her name is Jenna Marx. So I’ll be premiering a new track that I did with her. [That’s] just to name a few, and then some older New York classics that I will be giving a new twist [on] that I am creating for that night. There will be a lot of new music, some familiar music; it will be tribal, progressive, and then ending the night with more of a morning set, the big vocals, the big iconic vocals that represent New Year’s Eve.

So how excited are you to do this party?
I am very excited. This is one of my favorite parties. For me this is the party where I kickstart the year, and it’s also where it’s my first party, it’s the one that I do in my hometown. It means a lot to me. I’ve been doing it for the last two years. It’s probably the most important party, just personally for me, because it’s where I get to play for my hometown on a very special day. My family comes out to this, a lot of my friends. My club family is out there, so it’s always a very special event for me.

Being that seven hours is such a long time to perform, do you have any help up there in the DJ booth?
No, it’ll be me and the lighting guy. We probably will have some surprises throughout the evening, some performances and some dancers, but I don’t want to give too much away.

After New Year’s Eve, what’s next for you?
From here, my winter/spring, I’ll be traveling a lot around the U.S. Actually, after New York, I get on the plane and go to Miami, and I do an after-hour affair on the 2nd. It’s going to be a long weekend but well worth it. But I can tell you that party goes by so fast. … We’re all there for the ball drop, and then to the club, and then I look up and I’ve only got an hour left. The night goes by so fast. It seems like a long time, but it goes by really fast.

From your past experience, what type of people do you expect to have. I mean, for myself, by 2 a.m. I would like to be drunk.
There is always a mix of people. You have people that come in nice and festive for the occasion, or you’ll have people who come in who have done dinner, celebrated quietly at home and then at 2 a.m., they want to just let go. It’s always a fun night.

So is there anything else going on for you after this as far as production is concerned?
Yes, stay tuned. I have a new remix coming out on Sektor Records of one of my favorite NYC Underground classics, Brutal Bill’s Destiny. Also I have a compilation and a new remix pack coming out on Eightball Records called “The Dominator”.

NEW YEAR 2016 FIRST LIGHT – after the ball drop ‘til past dawn

516 West 42 St.
New York, NY 10036
(212) 239-2999
xlnightclub.com