Soul in the Horn caught my eye, and my earbuds, at a time when the idea of going out and let alone dancing was all but canceled. During the pandemic, I routinely caught DJ Natasha Diggs on her livestream, spinning a blend of funk, hip-hop, Latin and house music from across the globe. Whether it be in-person or virtual, Diggs and co-curator Derick Prosper, who goes by DProsper, have been turning a vibe in New York for over a decade with Soul in the Horn. Started in 2015, the funk-forward dance party is all about gathering the community over high-energy beats, soul and brassy horns. The once-weekly party has gone global attracting top artists, DJs and musicians including high-profile talents such as Erykah Badu and Deon Cole. This year, the dance party turns 10 and is celebrating its milestone birthday by doing what they do best: throwing nightly fetes where everyone is invited to move.
Last month, the music movement relaunched its popular Soul Record Laboratory Wednesdays. As for the location, they went with one of Brooklyn’s best rooftops: Time Out Market New York. The energetic funk fest all goes down on the roof, with its incredible views of both the Brooklyn and the Manhattan Bridge and the skyline across the water. In between DJ sets, we caught up with Prosper about his musical background, creating music with Lauryn Hill and how this soulful sensation got its start.
RECOMMENDED: Events happening at Time Out Market New York
Time Out: You’ve been in the music business since the early ‘90s. What was it that initially drew you to the career?
Derick Prosper: I was always drawn to creativity. In my youth, hip-hop touched my soul and inspired me to dream big. I was a slam poet, rapper and music producer. I wanted to create art that could change the world through the medium of word sound and power.
When you moved to New York you immediately dove into the scene, performing and producing music. What did your early days in the city look like?
DP: They say if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. So I followed my heart and woke up in the Big Apple from Providence, Rhode Island. I was able to perform on tour with Lollapalooza in 1994, perform poetry at Nkiru Books in Brooklyn where Talib Kweli once worked and wrote songs and banged out beats on my ASR-10. I have always been a connector and I used my connections which also led me to produce on Mos Def’s debut solo album, Black on Both Sides, released in 1999. I was determined by any means to make a name for myself in front of the camera or even behind the scenes.
You also worked at Columbia Records where you worked with Lauryn Hill, 50 Cent and Talib Kwali. What do you remember about this time?
DP: I worked as A&R under Columbia Records president of A&R Commissioner Gordon Williams who mentored me and taught me the ropes of being a successful executive. This is when I embraced the role of being behind the scenes. Being an artist myself, when I got this opportunity, I wanted to learn as much about the music business from the boardroom. I remember several recording sessions at Electric Lady Studios, Sony Studios and Chung King Studios. During the creation process of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, I remember meeting a young Pharrell Williams who, at the time, was producing music for the Harlem World album. When he realized I was in other studio room working with Lauryn Hill, he politely asked me to get an autograph from her.
How did you and Natasha Diggs initially connect?
DP: [I] met Natasha Diggs through mutual friends. She was very talented and building a buzz playing her groovy 45s records in the clubs—I immediately felt that she was a star. We had a meeting and the rest is history!
I read that Soul in the Horn all started from a playlist you made. Can you tell me how it came to be?
DP: Soul in the Horn (SITH) was originally a playlist I created for a music tech company called 8tracks.com. I always loved horns and wanted to create a standout playlist with multiple songs from different genres that all included it. [The playlist] was published on the main page of 8tracks and got millions of views. This is when I knew I wasn't the only one that loved horns.
From those early days to now, how have you seen the event evolve over the years?
DP: When we started SITH, [it] was to be an event for the creative community—dancers, musicians, painters, tastemakers, etc. I wanted it to feel like if Jean-Michel Basquiat was still alive he would definitely be at a Soul in the Horn party. One of the goals of SITH was to showcase emerging talent, so it quickly became a magnet for artists and live bands. We challenged our guest DJs to show us their deep musical knowledge. We didn’t want them to play any commercial songs that you would hear on the radio etc. The catch was, “Can you make the audience move and dance to songs they may have not heard of before?” That's the foundation of what set SITH apart from other parties.
Any memorable places, people or moments that stick out?
DP: When we had our third-year anniversary party at Pioneer Works in Red Hook, Erykah Badu blessed the SITH stage. Or when Mark Ronson tore it down playing strictly vinyl at Gran Torino in Williamsburg. Or my SITH birthday party in 2017 where we had Q-Tip from A Tribe called Quest DJ plus a performance by Anderson Paak.
Soul in the Horn was able to keep people dancing during the pandemic by hosting a weekly livestream. What was it like trying to keep the music alive during this period?
DP: The pandemic felt like another world. We decided to keep the groove going through our weekly Global Vibrations livestream on soulinthehorn.com and our Twitch channel. It was during this time that the energy of [our] local NYC dance party was able to go global, with fans tuning into our livestreams from all over the world. We expanded our reach and allowed fans to engage with the DJ set by dancing on screen during our livestreams. The fan engagement was crucial to our growth, which in turn made SITH a global phenomenon.
This year marks 10 years of Soul In the Horn. How are you celebrating this anniversary?
DP: We’ve been having so much fun preserving NYC dance culture, by the time we looked up, we’ve been doing this event for 10 years. To mark the 10-year anniversary, we decided to create the Soul in the Horn compilation Deluxe 3LP album with 30 songs from our super friends and family who have performed throughout the years. The project will be in stores in August.
This month, SITH relaunched Soul Records Laboratory or SRL Wednesdays. Can you tell me what people can find with the relaunch?
DP: SITH started off as a free weekly Friday event. Once we came out of the pandemic and everything opened back up, we became a massive event with thousands of attendees. As we scaled, we decided to make our party once a month and a ticketed event. But to go back to our roots of the party being a safe space, we created a new weekly called Soul Records Laboratory where fans could attend weekly and dance and vibe for free.
For someone who has never attended a Soul in the Horn event, how do you describe the sound and the experience?
DP: It's a dance movie in real-time. It's a live show where music is our medicine. It's a safe space for all to attend no matter your race, sex or gender. SITH is preserving dance culture in New York City and around the globe. Horn infused DJ sets plus our live horn section and live band showcases gives you a party and live show hybrid experience.
And what can people expect from attending SRL Wednesday at Time Out Market?
DP: We wanted to bring our unique vibes of vinyl culture and dance culture together, create an atmosphere for all to experience young and old and make Dumbo a destination to enjoy good music and good eats.
Soul Records Laboratory is held every Wednesday night from 8pm to midnight. Select vendors in the market will be open for business and specialty cocktails will be provided by Grey Goose. Reserve your spot here.