When in-demand photographer Emil Cohen (above left) joined forces with social media queer history / culture platform “Christopher Street” founder Tom Capelonga (above right), the disco duo of the moment was born. Do your spring and summer right with Motherdisco! [Cover photo: Jeff Eason]
Thotyssey: Hello, hello! Thanks so much for chatting with us today! So, March 20th was officially the end of winter! Are you two ready for the warm weather kikis?
Emil Cohen: Ver much so! With the warm weather comes moving Motherdisco outdoors, as well as the start of our summer residency on Fire Island.
Tom Capelonga: So ready! The party takes on a different character in the warm weather – we can welcome more people in the yard at 3 Dollar Bill, and Fire Island gives us the opportunity to play late night–which we typically don’t get to do in Brooklyn.
How did that March 22nd Motherdisco kiki at 3DB go?
Emil Cohen: It was a huge success. Tom and I always feel 10% nervous going into a party, but that energy fuels us to do our best. Minus a brief halt from Miss Fire Alarm, the party went off and everyone seemed to have a great time.
Tom Capelonga: This last one felt particularly joyful. You can tell that people needed the release, and it gives us a lot of satisfaction to help make a space for that.
Can you tell us a bit about your DJ sound and musical influences? And how do you usually divide your duties at a Motherdisco event?
Emil Cohen: I usually play the entire six hours. Sometimes we have a guest DJ open for us, but for the most part, it’s just me! I try to maintain a certain sound that really speaks to our mission of returning joy and love to the dancefloor through disco music. My biggest influences are the DJs that have taken me on journeys through their sets. DJ’s like the legendary Roy Thode, Danny Krivit and Larry Levan continue to inspire us both conceptually and sonically.
Tom Capelonga: While Emil mans the booth, I am front-of-house for the party. I help steward the vibe on the dance floor, which is my biggest responsibility at the top of the evening – to start the floor moving and give our early patrons permission to get into the groove. I also keep an eye on the door, greet the crowd, and curate the video clips that we project above the dance floor. It’s important to us that there is always a visual accompaniment to the music as a way to bring people closer to the spirit of the party.
[All above images by Emil Cohen]
You both are very active on social media, with lots of followers. Emil, you’re a photographer who specializes in sexy black and white figure shots. How did that begin, and what inspires your style?
Emil Cohen: I see my work more as an ongoing portrait series than a specific focus on sexy images–but yes, portraits can be sexy too sometimes. My career as a photographer began in 2011, when I began my MFA program at the Museum School of Fine Arts at Tufts University. During my time at grad school, I had the opportunity to dive head first into studying all the incredible photographers and artists who have continued to inspire my artwork today. Photographers like Peter Hujar, Irving Penn, Alvin Baltrop, PaJaMa, Karlheinz Weinberger and so many more keep pushing me to understand the depth of the term “portraiture.”
And Tom, your social media shares a lot about NYC’s gay culture history. You also share your expertise on the topic via your podcast Christopher Street Reads. Can you tell us about how your interest in this topic, and the podcast itself, started?
Tom Capelonga: I started @thechristopherstreet on IG almost nine years ago as a way to share my love for gay-adjacent popular culture of the 20th century. I found a lot of joy and comfort as a young person learning about the history of what it means to be a gay guy in New York City through films and books and art. Christopher Street as a platform is all about celebrating curiosity about culture as a way to bring people closer to one another and themselves. I started the podcast in 2023 as a way to broaden that conversation and feature writers and performers whose work I admire. People think that “Christopher Street” is my actual name now–which is okay, but it’s bigger than that!
What do you think is a pop culture moment happening now, or that happened recently, that gaybie experts will be studying and pontificating on 20 years from now?
Emil Cohen: I hope Motherdisco! People think that disco died at the start of the 1980’s, but we know that it never really left. And so it’s really important to me to play disco tracks from the 80’s, 90’s, 00’s and even today – we played two tracks from Gaga’s Mayhem at our last party. Our goal is to remind people that this genre is still vital and relevant, and links us to our history.
Tom Capelonga: I always like to remind young people that the popular culture of the past is a creative medium. An inheritance. It’s all right there for us to remix and roll around in, and find new ways to express ourselves about the world today. That’s what we’re doing with Motherdisco.
By the way… where are you both from, and how / when did you meet and start Motherdisco?
Emil Cohen: Tom and I first met in 2018 when he came by my studio to sit for his photo. A friendship bloomed pretty much instantly, and we’ve remained very close ever since. It was during the pandemic that I reached out to Tom about the idea of throwing a disco party. We both enjoy nightlife in New York City, but felt that parties with disco music were hard to come by. I studied music and audio engineering as an undergraduate student, so DJing was something I’ve always been interested in (well, that fantasy goes back to me as a kid, using my cassette tape recorder to record the top 10 songs of the night on my local Top 40 radio station in Vancouver, BC). Tom and I both love disco, and he was the only person I thought of to do this party with. His love for gay history, especially from New York City, made him the perfect partner in this endeavor.
Tom Capelonga: I was born on Staten Island and grew up all over the five boroughs. 103.5 WKTU was the soundtrack to my childhood, so disco was always a part of my experience of New York City – at block parties, family gatherings, really everywhere. From when we first met I always admired Emil’s vision and taste. So when he proposed starting a party together in that restless moment after the pandemic, I knew that our joining forces could create something really special.
What’s a Motherdisco experience like, for the uninitiated?
Emil Cohen: Motherdisco is first and foremost a return to love and joy on the dancefloor through disco. In Brooklyn at 3 Dollar Bill the party happens between 5-11pm, which helps draw a particularly happy and engaged crowd. People have really taken to coming to an early party, dancing their asses off for six hours and then getting home before midnight.
Tom Capelonga: It is entirely possible, we believe, to have a transcendent experience on the dance floor at any hour – it doesn’t only happen at 4am. We also work to make sure that the vibe of the party is always friendly and warm. We want people to feel free to connect with one another, release tension, and express themselves on the dance floor with no judgement or attitude.
You two will be part of an amazing DJ lineup for “Body Shop” at The Chocolate Factory in Brooklyn this Friday night!
Emil Cohen: I’m so excited to be opening up for “Body Shop” this Friday. It’s always fun to set the tone and energy for the rest of the night. Since I’m opening, expect some really fun tracks that will make you groove and put a smile on your face.
Tom Capelonga: We love being able to partner with producers and DJs who we admire, and “Body Shop” has been so much fun for that reason. April 4th is going to be a smash.
You also announced five dates at The Ice Palace in Fire Island this summer: May 25, June 14, July 19, August 16 & Sept 27!
Emil Cohen: We love throwing Motherdisco at the Ice Palace, a venue that occupies a significant place in the history of disco. To be able to throw our party on the same dance floor where Roy Thode, one of the godfathers of Djing and disco, played, creates such a strong link to the past for us. You can feel the energy of all the past dancers who are no longer with us. It’s magic.
Tom Capelonga: It is a privilege to get to bring Motherdisco to the Ice Palace. The party fits so well in the space not only because of its history, but because I think people are more open and relaxed on the island. Last year that resulted in a noticeably expressive, emotional dance floor. The energy flying around was wild. We also attract a more intergenerational crowd at the Ice Palace, and to get positive feedback on the party from patrons who actually danced there in the 70’s truly means everything to us.
What else is coming up for you two?
Emil Cohen: Motherdisco has nine parties between May and September. We’ll be wrapping up our NYC season with parties in the yard at 3DB in May and June, along with the residency on Fire Island, and Labor Day at the Crown & Anchor in Provincetown.
Tom Capelonga: We are so excited for nine opportunities to bring the party to people. It’s going to be a special summer, and we don’t take the responsibility lightly.
And finally: what advice do you have to give to baby DJs and party makers on the rise, who want to make it big in NYC?
Emil Cohen: My advice is this: Have good taste in music. Partygoers are forgiving of your skills, as long as the music is great.
Tom Capelonga: It helps to be cool and connected, but don’t be afraid to be sincere and show your heart in your sets. Give people something that they can feel and remember.
Thank you, boys!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Motherdisco’s upcoming appearances, and follow them on Instagram. Follow Emil Cohen on Facebook, Instagram and SoundCloud. Follow Tom Capelonga / “The Christopher Street Reader” on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to his podcast here and all major streaming platforms.
Thotyssey 