At the intersection of culture, history and socioeconomic consciousness stands a six foot, five inched Brooklyn born and bred black man named Samuel Eric Blackwell. An educator, urbanist, community activist, writer, tastemaker, and purveyor of all things fresh, fly and ultra, Blackwell unapologetically amalgamates his experiences to make room for himself.
The product of parents, who like so many other African Americans, made their migration from the south to the north. Brooklyn and more specifically Fort Greene would become their home. Blackwell remains in Fort Greene to this day and is one of the few residents born in the community that has seen unprecedented gentrification.To that end Blackwell has leveraged his experience as a product of both public housing and public education and under the tutelage of the late Amiri Baraka, studied and received his B.A. in African American Studies from Stony Brook University and his M.A. in Urban Studies and Planning from Long Island University where he is adjunct professor of Urban Studies.To his credit Blackwell is the founder of the publications the Fort Greene News and The African American Journal on Health and Education as well as his own personal blog Fort Greene First.
Blackwell’s roots in Fort Greene have afforded him the opportunity to bear witness to the renaissance of his community in the 80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s. His personal space has served as the backdrop for the artistic bohemian culture of Fort Greene. Blackwell has opened his personal space for parties, fundraisers, social dinners and simply provided a space for idea cultivation. It was also during these energy exchanges that a unique tradition was birthed. Over a 15 year period, various visitors to the Blackwell abode tagged the doors with lines of prose, poetry or parting words of wisdom. A tradition that initially began as a jovial act of capturing the sentiment of the day or night soon metamorphosed into something more cerebral and spiritual. Blackwell expounds, “We spoke to the doors and now the door speaks to our soul.” These inscriptions would eventually be edited and are now being compiled for publishing in a collection of work entitled “Love, Politics & Proverbs.” It is not happenstance that S. Eric Blackwell is still a resident of Fort Greene. His journey is purposed with a calling to preserve culture through various mediums and to reach the people where they are because he remains unapologetically rooted.
Founder: Eric Blackwell
Having forged his way to musical notoriety as a DJ, producer, remixer, and label mogul, he continually travels the globe, working in more clubs than any other American DJ and playing more than 500 club shows in the last ten years alone. Blessed with a limitless passion for dance music and spirituality, he remains an anomaly who can both throw down at the fiercest underground club as well as rock a room full of champagne-drinking fashionistas.
And the facts don’t lie: Disciple has amassed a huge and devoted fan base; established the successful music label Catch 22 Recordings in 1997; has produced and A&Red several worldwide smash hits, and received a coveted Grammy nomination in 2002.
DJ Disciple was born David Banks in Brooklyn, New York, with music in his blood. His father played piano with Miles Davis and his brother handled bass for George Benson. From a young age, Disciple was enamored with disco, R&B, gospel, Latin, funk, and hip-hop. The Big Apple’s unrelenting musical beat inspired him to learn mixing.
DJ Disciple’s on-air work at college stations WBMB and WHCS earned him a large audience of music-loving fans that followed him from party to party. His first professional DJ gig took place at the legendary Studio 54. Disciple soon found himself hosting The Best Kept Secret, a mix show on WYNE, where he exclusively debuted a litany of now-classic underground tracks in the ‘90s.
Disciple has climbed to the top of the house music ladder with DJ residencies all over the world, from Red-Lite in Montreal to Motor in Detroit. His groundbreaking sets at Pacha in Ibiza, Release (San Francisco), and Ministry Of Sound (UK) would have him play these venues at least three times a year. DJ Magazine twice named Disciple one of the world’s top 100 DJs. He has a faithful following that live for his inspired journeys as well as respect from Pete Tong, BBC Radio 1 and MTV Europe.When he’s not in the DJ booth, Disciple remains focused on his burgeoning label, Catch 22 Recordings, which he launched in 1997. Catch 22 has not only produced hit records, but has also made stars of its artists. "Put Your Hands Up" by the Black & White Brothers was the label’s first worldwide hit in 1998. Success continued with the number one Billboard hits "Caught Up," "It’s Easy," and "Yes" from DJ Disciple's 2000 album, My True Colors. “Caught Up” featuring Mia Cox was also used on Showtime’s Queer As Folk and was nominated for a Grammy in 2002.
DJ Disciple’s 2006 Ibiza smash hit, “Work It Out” featuring Dawn Tallman, was licensed under Universal House-Trained Records in the UK. It was listed for play on Radio 1 while simultaneously appearing on MTV.
Currently Disciple
DJ Disciple
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Karin Smoot is a journalist, editor, business manager and founder of Divas of House, an Atlanta based arts organization committed to empowering women, educating and uniting youth, artists and community through House music and dance culture to inspire positive social change. She has written for various online and print publications in and around the city of Atlanta, GA including the Atlanta Daily World, The Atlanta Voice, VOX, Rebirth Mag, Media Black, and Conscious Magazine to name a few.
A native of Brooklyn, NY she moved to Atlanta where she completed her undergraduate studies and obtained degrees in Journalism and later in Literary Studies from Georgia State University. Her love for music and culture was nurtured by her parents as a toddler and has influenced her personal and professional endeavors. Divas of House was birthed out of her work in and around the Atlanta grassroots community and club scene. Her work with such organizations as Community Aid and Development, the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, VOX Communications, the Federation of Southern Cooperatives and such house entities as FASTFwd Records, House in the Park, SWEAT-Atlanta, That Gyrl, Inc, and Tambor to name a few were all precursors to her work in non-profit.
Identifying a need in the house music and dance culture community, Karin decided to pool her knowledge and resources (resources = people) to create an organization that is for and by house music and dance culture lovers and enthusiasts. With a focus on youth, culture and community, the “diva” is at the helm of this one of a kind, niche organization. Karin’s natural gift to touch the lives of others through service and her genuine love for house music and dance culture are the driving forces behind Divas of House. She believes that house music has the ability to inspire, empower, educate and unite. With these four components Divas of House endeavors to keep the scene alive and growing for future generations of house music and dance culture lovers and enthusiasts alike.
Ostensibly her work in communications, grassroots organizing and Atlanta nightlife have all culminated in to her position as coordinator of Rawsoul Entertainment’s House in the Park annual festival. She is responsible for taking this event from a Class E to a Class C event reporting an estimated 21,000 attendees in 2015; making this event the largest outdoor house and soulful classics music festival in the south. This event now has a home at the fourth largest park in the City of Atlanta, home of Zoo Atlanta and the Cyclorama Civil War museum and is sure to soon out grow even this space!
In 2012 Karin became national director of information for DJs Against Hunger. She has successfully enlisted the participation of DJs from major House and dance culture hubs such as Atlanta and Chicago with these cities curating their own DJs Against Hunger food drives. Along with these city's participation she has successfully launched an ongoing vine campaign with noted DJs pledging their support of this worthwhile endeavor. Why? Because people need to eat!