An uber-sexy dancer and DJ, Clinton Foster dishes on Broadway Bares, his DJ inspo and MEAT XXL! [Cover photo: @cameroninthecity]
Thotyssey: Hi Clinton! Thanks for chatting today! So, we’re in March now… how did February treat you?
Clinton Foster: February in NYC is what I call Spooky Winter, where the days are short and the month drags on… but this year feels like I blinked and it’s over. It has been a whirlwind of crazy fun nights, and overall a really productive month for me.
Love that! You tend to travel out with your gigs. Do you have a favorite city or venue to spin in?
I enjoy playing here in the New York, but I very much love traveling and getting a taste of the scene in other cities. One of my favorite events I’ve played is “Utopia,” which is coming up again in April! This will be my third year playing the festival down in Isla Mujeres, Mexico.
Let’s dip into your origin story: where are you from originally, and was music always a part of your life growing up?
I started singing from a young age when growing up in Oklahoma–school choirs and the church youth band…the whole nine yards. I studied music performance in college, which really trained my ear. But the biggest influence to my current career came from being a professional dancer. That is where I learned how to embody music and feel how it lives and breathes in a space. Dancing marries the physical movement and the emotion of music, and that’s how I like to think of building a set.
What were some personal highlights from your life as a dancer?
In the before times, pre-Covid, I performed on cruise ships. You get thrown something new everyday, and learn to adapt quickly and improvise. A great skill for a musician! But some of my favorite highlights have been the unpaid work. The work we created for a cause, like dancing with Kellen Stancil and Daniel Gold when we were creating music videos during the pandemic. Or dancing in Broadway Bares when we are raising millions of dollars for BC/EFA! Those are the gigs that feel the most meaningful.
Dancers are usually rightfully proud of their physiques, but does showing skin in Broadway Bares require a bit of overcoming bashfulness?
Bares is about stripping down, all for the sake of fundraising of course. But what makes it “sexy” is not that dancers are simply showing a lot of skin. It’s hot because of how people exude body positivity and confidence. The whole concept is about empowering people: to be themselves, to feel good in their bodies, to give back to others. When you look around and see all body shapes and sizes being celebrated and people living their best damn lives out there, all the bashfulness just fades away. It makes everyone want to take it off and just dance!
Can you tell us about how you got into DJing, and how you might describe your sound today?
It was the renaissance that was summer of 2021, right out of the pandemic, when everyone was falling in love on dance floors again. The Sunday afternoon after Pines Party, we were at 491 Bay where Alexis Tucci was playing. She was spinning this feel-good disco house set, and was making magic like I had never seen before! I didn’t know how or when, but in that moment I knew I wanted to learn to DJ–even if for nobody but myself. I started following her and her music, and she was my first inspiration into DJing. My sound goes anywhere from fun and playful disco to groovy house to sexy bass-thumping “late night” at the club. It’s about the journey.
I’ve spoken to so many DJs who were inspired by Alexis! Quick random side question: as both a DJ and a dancer, are you impressed by the “Abracadabra” song and video?
Oh hands down, paws up baby! I can’t get enough of it. The Kastra Remix is still one of my favorites.
You’re on the lineup for March 22nd’s “MEAT XXL” at Circo! This Manhattan version of Jake Resnicow’s circuit party (normally monthly at 3 Dollar Bill in Brooklyn) is still fairly new. What can we expect from this night?
Yes! I have never been to this venue, but I know it will be big! There are multiple levels with international heavy hitters Anne Louise, DJ Aron, and Ana Julieta playing the circuit room while my good friends and DJ buddies Edward Frame, Matt Denton, and I hold it down in the house room. I have some friends flying in from Florida for this event. It’s going to be a fun night!
Amazing! As you said earlier, you’ll be in Mexico for the “Utopia” festival in April… and in DC with Burning Man party brand GlamCocks for World Pride in June! Many exciting things happening in DC for World Pride. Are you one of the founders of the Glamcocks?
No, I’m one of the newest members. I’ve been friends with many of them for years, but I joined for my first Burn in 2024. I will say though, I must be a Burner at heart because even though it was my first time, it certainly felt like home. Such an amazing place in BRC. You are able to fully let go and explore new possibilities for yourself… and also hit the reset button and rediscover your inner child to find your roots again. I found so many musical inspirations there. Great experience!
What else is coming up for you?
This week we just announced the partnership signed between me and my new agency, Vibe Talent. I’m very much looking forward to the introductions and opportunities this will bring. I have a couple gigs you mentioned earlier, and other than that I’m moving into March with an open mind.
Congratulations! This will be the last question: do you have any track, remix, etc. in your arsenal that’s kind of your secret weapon when you’re on the booth?
I find a new secret weapon every few months; it is usually something with energy that features a dramatic build. Sometimes it’s a surprise and blows your mind, and sometimes it’s just a big celebration, like my recent one “Lift Off” by Dombresky. Once I find one I like, I use it in many different mashups. Hear a fun version on my SoundCloud, starting at 15:20 in my mix “The Tool Shed” from when I played Bunker Club in DC! I’m planning on debuting a new dance floor heater at MEAT. I can’t give it away to early, so come check it out March 22.
Thanks, Clinton!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Clinton Foster’s upcoming appearances, and follow him on Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud and LinkTree.
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