Dance Floor's Not Dead, Bricks to Baos & Madonna with Victor Calderone

Summary

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Canal Street Dreams

Episode: "Dance Floor's Not Dead, Bricks to Baos & Madonna"

Guests: Victor Calderone

Date: April 21, 2026
Hosts: Eddie Huang & Natashia Perrotti

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Episode Overview

This episode features a vibrant, nostalgic, and deeply personal conversation between hosts Eddie Huang, Natashia Perrotti, and legendary New York house music DJ and remixer Victor Calderone. The discussion traces the evolution of New York’s club scene, the cyclical nature of dance music, shifting party cultures, and how the dancefloor remains a fulcrum for creativity, community, and connection. The episode also highlights the intergenerational transmission of musical love—both professionally and within families—and reflects on how pursuing dreams emerges from unlikely spaces like sweaty nightclubs, bedrooms stuffed with vinyl, and late-night after-hours parties.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Victor Calderone’s Early Influences and Bensonhurst Roots ([00:49]–[04:36])

• Victor describes growing up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, introduced to music and DJ culture by his older brother with a big vinyl collection.
  • “I grew up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn… my older brother was a DJ and we shared a small bedroom… I would just sit there listening to him DJ and be digging through the vinyl and reading the credits and learning who’s making this shit.” — Victor ([02:49])
• Hosts and Victor swap stories about classic NY neighborhoods, characters, and the wild, filmic vibe of 1980s-90s Bensonhurst.
  • “It was like a Scorsese film, you know?… Those characters were real. The social clubs. Nobody had jobs. Hardly anybody went to school…” — Victor ([03:30])

2. Discovering the Real New York Club Scene ([04:36]–[06:49])

• Victor recounts his first forays into Manhattan’s nightlife at age 16, led by his brother to iconic after-hours parties like Fun House.
  • “John Jellybean Benitez was a resident DJ… just driving down the West Side seeing all these nightclubs—just a different world… Walking in and smell, baby powder in the air… so they can slide and spin.” — Victor ([04:36])
• Natashia reacts with amazement at club rituals, like “sprinkling baby powder on the floor.”
  • “I’m just hearing this for the first time in my life today.” — Athena ([05:44])
• Eddie reflects on his own first impressions of NYC from Orlando—“the city really never slept.”

3. The Modern Double Life: Family & After Hours ([07:01]–[07:13])

• Victor describes his “double life” balancing parenthood, weekday routine, and being “Mr. After Hours” on weekends.
  • “During the week… I’m passed out on the sofa… on the weekend, I put on a cape, and I’m Mr. After Hours, you know.” — Victor ([07:01])
• Victor’s new Bushwick residency, “Refuge,” emphasizes intimacy, sound quality, and the restoration of club culture’s essence. ([07:13])

4. Is the Dance Floor Dead? Generational Shifts & Social Media ([08:01]–[12:04])

• Debunking the myth that “the dance floor is dead.”
  • “Charlie XCX is like, ‘the dancefloor is dead.’ I’m like, yeah, people always want to party just because you’re not partying…” — Eddie ([08:01])
  • “It’s still very much alive.… I want to bring the focus back to the depth and back to the music and the connection… not expecting the sensory overload.” — Victor ([08:16])
• Eddie and Victor distinguish between “performative” branded parties vs. community-driven, music-focused gatherings.
  • “People started to realize with Instagram and the influencer economy you could make money being cool… Every single party became branded and sponsored.” — Eddie ([10:21])
  • “Now it’s lacking emotion, you know.” — Victor ([12:04])

5. New School vs. Old School DJing & Musical Patience ([09:16]–[10:04])

• Victor contrasts today’s quick-hit, attention economy-driven crowds and shorter sets, with his roots in “long-form, storytelling sets—10, 12 hours.”
  • “The key that’s missing now is patience… Back then, people showed up open, patient, allowed things to unfold… You won’t see me jumping up and down in the DJ booth with my bros.” — Victor ([09:16])

6. Intergenerational Musical Discovery ([16:08]–[18:07])

• Victor shares pride in his 23-year-old son’s burgeoning musical journey—now digging into Victor’s own vinyl collection.
  • “…Seeing him come to my studio and dig into my collection now and how excited he’s getting discovering records that mean a lot to me is very interesting to see that it’s not just about new music even for someone in his generation.” — Victor ([16:08])
• Eddie relates with stories about his father’s karaoke habits now echoing in his own adult life. ([17:06])

7. Partnership, Family, and Club Culture Origins ([19:00]–[20:55])

• Victor and his wife Athena's love story, meeting at the legendary Tunnel nightclub.
  • “She was a bartender… she came walking over. She had a shaved head, smokey eyes, septum ring, wife beater, no bra. I was like, who the fuck is that? I need to know…” — Victor ([20:09])
• The hosts talk about the parallel trajectories of party kids to parents, emphasizing lasting bonds.
  • “It’s a beautiful thing to see the party kids become parents, too. Like, all of our homies now have kids. But we all, like, met in the club.” — Eddie ([20:39])

8. Mentorship, Finding Your Tribe, and the Enduring Power of the Dancefloor ([22:56]–[26:10])

• Victor and Eddie reflect on how the club scene, far from being frivolous, produced friendships, networks, and career paths.
  • “I had no idea, like, yo, my entire career was going to come out of the club.” — Eddie ([23:10])
  • “We did what we had to do… that’s how I opened the restaurant. Got fired, took the severance, sat on a bench, made enough money… and opened the restaurant and that was it.” — Eddie ([25:24])
• Dancefloors as sites of serendipity, healing, inspiration, and lifelong connection.
  • “Good things happen in the club… so many people hit me up, write beautiful emails, like, man… you never know who’s on your dancefloor…” — Victor ([25:54])

9. The Spiritual and Community Power of Music ([26:14]–[27:00])

• Athena and Victor discuss music as the most powerful and spiritual art form.
  • “Music is so powerful… What else is there other than maybe spirituality that moves people to that point?” — Victor ([26:14])
  • “Even, like, in your spiritual practices, there’s so many musical elements… very parallel.” — Athena ([26:27])

10. Rapid Fire: Victor Calderone’s All-Time Top 5 Dancefloor Records ([27:07]–[28:53])

• Eddie: "What are your top five records you have liked to play over the course of your career?"
  • “Where Love Lives — Alison Limerick”
    • "It does not leave my box." — Victor ([27:47])
  • “First Choice — Let No Man Put Asunder”
  • “Kraftwerk (Krautrock in general)”
  • “Music Express by Express 2”
    • “Always gets the party going… elevates the room.” — Victor ([28:35])
  • “Donna Summer — I Feel Love"
    • “Probably the first piece of vinyl that I put my hands on.” — Victor ([28:58])

11. Madonna, Club Legends & The Evolution of the Scene ([29:27]–[31:47])

• Early Madonna memories:
  • “I have memories of Madonna when she was a club kid … at the Fun House. She was dating Jellybean at the time, and I would always see her in there, you know, in the DJ booth…” — Victor ([29:41])
• Confessions on a Dance Floor and Ray of Light era impact
  • “That album’s crazy—like Slept on. Maybe her best for me.” — Athena ([31:01])
  • “That was the one I was most connected to with her for sure.” — Victor ([31:01])
• Madonna’s enduring influence on dance and pop culture.
  • “Somebody’s got to show these kids the way…with a strong point of view like she has and a reference she has.” — Victor ([30:38])

12. The Party Lives On: Finale ([31:43]–[32:22])

• Rejecting “dancefloor is dead” narratives and calls to seek out authentic music and community:
  • “The party is back this summer.” — Eddie ([31:47])
  • “You have to seek it… It don’t even got to be old me, I’m down to hear this new. But I’m just like, let’s party, let’s get outside.” — Eddie ([32:00])
  • “Let’s do it. But, yo,… We should throw a party here together sometime.” — Eddie ([32:07])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On why remixing pop was a revolution:
  “As a DJ, because of his remixes, we were able to play these huge girly pop records in the club, at house parties, and it flowed right into it.” — Eddie ([01:14])

• The patience of classic club crowds vs. now:
  “The key that’s missing now is patience… consumption of music has become so disposable.” — Victor ([09:22])

• On meeting his wife at The Tunnel:
  “She had a shaved head, smokey eyes, septum ring, wife beater, no bra… I was like, who the fuck is that? I need to know who this girl is.” — Victor ([20:09])

• On the spiritual power of music:
  “Music is so powerful… What else is there other than, you know, maybe spirituality that moves people to that point, you know?” — Victor ([26:14])

• Club as the great equalizer:
  “Good things do happen in the club. Love happens in the club. Businesses happen in the club… My entire career was going to come out of the club.” — Eddie & Athena ([25:40], [23:10])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:49] Victor’s DJ origins and Bensonhurst roots
• [04:36] First NYC club experiences and culture
• [07:01] Double life: DJ and family man
• [08:01] “Dance floor is dead?” and party culture now
• [09:16] DJing for different generations; long vs. short sets
• [10:21] Instagram era and “performative” parties
• [16:08] Passing musical knowledge to the next generation
• [20:09] Meeting Athena at The Tunnel; married in music
• [23:10] Clubs as career incubators; party kids growing up
• [26:14] Spiritual dimension of music
• [27:07] Victor’s all-time top five dancefloor records
• [29:41] Madonna’s legacy and dance music evolution
• [31:47] The party is not dead: closing affirmations

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Summary

This episode of Canal Street Dreams is an ode to the enduring power of the dancefloor. With Victor Calderone, Eddie Huang, and Natashia Perrotti trace the roots of New York’s nightlife, the generational passage of musical culture, and reclaim the party’s reputation as a site of genuine human connection and creative possibility. Against all “dancefloor is dead” takes and despite social media’s commodification of “cool,” the music—and the community—are alive and well for those who seek it.

Closing sentiment:
“Let’s party, let’s get outside… We should throw a party here together sometime.” — Eddie ([32:01])

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Transcript

[Eddie]

All right, welcome back, Canal Street Dreams. We have a house music dj, New York legend in the building, Victor Calderon. Victor, welcome to the show, brother.

[Victor Calderon]

Thank you for having me.

[Eddie]

Huge fan. Any relation to the New York Knick legend point guard Jose Calderon?

[Victor Calderon]

No, unfortunately not.

[Eddie]

Yeah, Knicks are in the playoffs. I have to ask these stupid questions.

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah. And I'm even sorry to say I'm not a big sports guy, you know.

[Eddie]

No, but, you know, we. We are huge fans of your music, and when we got the email that you wanted to come on the show first, this is like, basically a DJ pod.

[Victor Calderon]

All the listeners know that landed in the right place. Yeah.

[Eddie]

But we had just made a playlist at Bauhaus called the Girly Pop Playlist, and it's our favorite playlist to play here. And it goes crazy Saturday nights and you have songs on it. It starts with, like, Madonna hung up, then Ace of Bass, all that she wants. Kylie Minogue, can't get you out of my head. But then it's got some of your, like, Frozen remixes on there. It's got your Bette Midler remix on there.

[Victor Calderon]

You know?

[Eddie]

Bette Midler, wow. Foot in the wedge on the COVID

[Victor Calderon]

We got a party in there. Yeah.

[Eddie]

And the thing was, when we were making this list, it was crazy. So many of your songs made it. And I was talking to, like, DJ Jubilee, who's also been on, and she's like, yo. I have to say definitively, the thing about Victor was, as a dj, because of his remixes, we were able to play these huge girly pop records in the club, at house parties, and, like, it flowed right into it. And my feeling was, is, like, you kind of did the, like, the heroine remix of, like, all these super poppy, like, very bubbly songs that are catchy and people love.

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah, yeah. And at the time, I think it was. It was obvious for the major labels that they were crossing over, you know, into an audience that were not listening to that music. So, you know, they ran with it, you know, and, like. Yeah, I was very busy at that time with the remixing. Yeah, I was doing a lot of it, you know, as you mentioned. Madonna, Bette Midler, Sting, Beyonce.

[Eddie]

Yeah, all of it.

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah.

[Eddie]

But in that way, too, was, like, it felt like early 90s pop was taking from late 80s, mid-80s house, you know, and then making it pop. And then you were kind of bringing it back around, as always, things.

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah, there was this nice hybrid between the two.

[Eddie]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, man. I mean, those were all songs. I was listening to the original records, like, on the Middle school bus. And I just. I love that era of music. And then you brought it back. So when I was in Meat Pack, I could listen to this shit.

[Victor Calderon]

Yes, yes. I love hearing that. Yeah, it was a fun time, for sure.

[Eddie]

Yeah. How did you come up and get into everything?

[Victor Calderon]

I came up through my brother growing up. I grew up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, and growing up, my older brother was a dj and we shared a bedroom, a small bedroom, and he had this big vinyl collection. And I would just sit there listening to him DJ and be digging through the vinyl and reading the credits and learning who's making this shit.

[Eddie]

You from the era, like, Bugsy was in Bensonhurst. You know Bugsy. Bugsy, he had the. He had the club in Soho on Spring over there.

[Victor Calderon]

Oh, no, no. Bugsy.

[Eddie]

I don't know his Instagram. Bugsy loves New York. But he was a big club guy from. You know. Roman. Roman Grandinetti. Yes, yes. Roman from Bensonhurst, too. That's. That's our guy at the Bugsy.

[Victor Calderon]

I didn't know it was wild, man. Growing up in that neighborhood was wild. Yeah, it was like a Scorsese film, you know?

[Eddie]

Absolutely.

[Victor Calderon]

Those characters were real. You know, the social clubs. Nobody had jobs. Hardly anybody went to school, so.

[Eddie]

Yeah. You know, which one's your favorite slice in Bensonhurst?

[Victor Calderon]

My favorite slice? Oh, I mean, that was Lenny's back in the day.

[Eddie]

Okay, okay, okay, okay.

[Victor Calderon]

I heard recently it just closed.

[Eddie]

Yeah, Lenny. Lenny's is closed. And then. And cats argue about which slice shop. But I'm.

[Victor Calderon]

You. I'm talking about favorite, Dan, your favorite.

[Eddie]

You were listening in a freestyle back then. Freestyle was back then.

[Victor Calderon]

Yep. I was playing freestyle. Early hip hop. Yeah. It all came, you know, came up through my brother and, you know, learned how to DJ through him. And I never imagined it becoming, you know, my career and, you know, and living it. But, yeah, here we are.

[Eddie]

We talked to a number. We've had a number of guests that are like Bensonhurst kids to the club. You know, like, what was your route to the club and what was it like being like a Bensonhurst kid coming to the city and getting into the scene?

[Victor Calderon]

Oh, it was wild. You know, I remember he took me to my first After Hours, which was the Fun House. John Jellybean Benitez was a resident DJ. Yeah, I mean, I was a teenager. I was 16 years old, and I remember coming out of the Battery Tunnel, I'll never forget, and just driving down the west side. And at that time, it even had an elevated west side Highway. And I Just remember as we drove along the west side seeing all these like nightclubs and it was just a different world from where I came from. And then I remember arriving at the fun house and being online and that like base pressure, like shaking the doors, rattling the doors and like, you know, the excitement of getting in there. Yeah. And I'll never forget it. Walking in and smell a baby powder in the air. Because they would sprinkle baby powder. They would sprinkle baby powder on the floor so they can slide and spin and that's crazy.

[Athena]

I didn't know about that.

[Victor Calderon]

That's like, like burned into my memory, you know, and just, I'll just never forget it.

[Athena]

I was like, wow.

[Eddie]

I remember young dudes, we just smelled like Gold Bond and cool water.

[Athena]

That's so crazy. This is, I'm just hearing this for the first time in my life today. I didn't know there was baby powder on the floor at the club.

[Victor Calderon]

Spray sprinkling on the floor. But it's, and just fill the air.

[Athena]

That's so sick.

[Victor Calderon]

And I just, I'll never forget it. I was like, I want to be a part of this world. It was a completely different world. Yeah. From where I came from.

[Eddie]

I feel like you saw the best era of New York. Yeah, like absolutely the best era.

[Victor Calderon]

I have to agree. Yeah, yeah.

[Eddie]

I, I, the first time I came to the city was like summer 1997. And you know, I was just running around, I didn't even know where I was. But coming from like Orlando, Florida to see the city, I was like, yo, I'm like in Batman comics or something, man. This is crazy. Like the energy and the number of people and I mean, I still, you know, shitty, man. Yeah, yeah, it's the greatest. And then like early 2004 is when I really started to get into the New York club scene and things like that. And it took me seven years from the summer I came and saw it to get here and become a resident. But I remember the first time I was just like, bro, this thing really never sleeps. Now it sleeps at 11 o'. Clock. But back then it really never slept.

[Victor Calderon]

I mean I, you know, I'm kind of guilty of passing out at 9pm on the sofa.

[Eddie]

Yeah, same. I got guys coming to the restaurant. Like I got an 8:30 rest. It was like, I will be asleep, I will be asleep cuddled with her by then.

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah, it's wild. You know, I live a double life. I totally live a double life. You know, during the week I'm like hardly making it through A show with my wife. I'm passed out on the sofa on the weekend. It's like I put on a cape And I'm like, Mr. After Hours, you know, Now.

[Eddie]

Oh, word. Where are you playing? At these? I know you have the new residency.

[Victor Calderon]

Yes, I just started a new residency at this place called Refuge in. In Bushwick. Amazing, incredible room. It's scaled down. It's like 500 capacity. But, like, phenomenal sound system. Like, everything I want in a venue. You know, intimacy, great sound. It's just. It's right.

[Eddie]

Yeah, I like that there are house heads bringing these parties back. There's the other homie, the Detroit music. The Detroit house.

[Victor Calderon]

Oh, yeah, I just saw that legend. Yeah. Derek May. No, not Derek May. I know who you're talking about. Yeah, he just opened up a spot in Brooklyn.

[Eddie]

Yeah, yeah.

[Victor Calderon]

His name. It'll come to me.

[Eddie]

Yeah. I feel like the scene is. Has moved to Brooklyn and, like, I'm excited for what you're doing.

[Victor Calderon]

Sure.

[Eddie]

Because, you know, even like today, Charlie XCX is like, the dance floor is dead. I'm like, yeah, people always want to party just because you're not partying. And you. You on your singer, songwriter, guitar thing, like, love Charlie, but it's just like, you know, just because you off the dance floor don't mean other people not coming for it.

[Victor Calderon]

It's. It's. It's still very much alive. It's just a very different thing happening now. You know, I'm just. That's why I'm doing something completely the opposite of what I feel is happening on a large scale. Yeah. You know, I want to bring the focus back to the depth and, you know, and back to the music and the connection, you know, on the dance floor and building that community that shows up, you know, not expecting, you know, the sensory overload.

[Eddie]

You know, party kids, party kids. And it's like the reason why people aren't on the dance floor is because no one's throwing a party you want to go to.

[Victor Calderon]

Right.

[Eddie]

It became branded, I would say, like, around the time up and down open, like in 2012, and libation open, like 2010 down on the Lower east side. I felt like those two clubs were the beginning of the end. And then, of course, Instagram, and we don't need to get into it.

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Eddie]

But it's just like the party ended. It was beginning to end around those years.

[Victor Calderon]

It's crazy.

[Eddie]

I'm glad you bringing shit back.

[Victor Calderon]

Trying. I'm trying doing my part, spreading my gospel, you know what do you think

[Eddie]

is different about playing for this generation versus the one you came up in

[Victor Calderon]

people? I think that the key that's missing now is patience. You know, back then, people showed up open, patient, allowed things to unfold. And now I think they just want to get to it. It's just like, you know, the consumption of music has become so disposable, you know, so it's very different for me. You know, I come from playing long form sets, you know, 10, 12 hour sets. So, you know, a storyteller, you know, like so. So building it, bringing it up, bringing it down. And what's happening now is just. It's, you know, I don't want. I don't want to sound like that dick that's hating on it. I'm not hating on it.

[Eddie]

You're not hating on it.

[Victor Calderon]

You know, and I'll say it again, it's a. It's a very different thing than what I do, you know, Cool if you found that niche for you and that's working, you know, it's, you know, performative. What I do is not performative. You know, like, you won't see me jumping up and down in the DJ booth with my bros. Yeah, yeah.

[Eddie]

It's not marshmallow, you know, Like, I feel like all. Honestly, like a lot of it's not you. I'll wait for this truck to pass. But like, I feel like late stage millennials are very much to blame for the death of the party. Because what happened is, is like that early 2010s era, people started to realize with Instagram and the influencer economy that you could make money being cool. And so then people were performatively cool for money and as a job. And every single party became branded and sponsored and, and even I experience inviting people to party. Yo, is there a gift bag? Yo, is the brand paying? What's going on? And I was just like, bro, it's a party. What happened? Like, we used to do drugs together. What are you talking about? We were brothers in arms, man. You know, like, I took you to the hospital once, dog.

[Victor Calderon]

We had that bad trip on shrooms together. Oh, man.

[Eddie]

I mean, I lost the car, which I was so faded before once. Like, we've lost a car in a parking lot before. You know, I had to come back the next day sober. Like, oh, no, that's the car right there.

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah, yeah, it's, it's. That's what it's about for me. Bringing the focus back to what matters, you know, depth, you know, music. Yeah, I'm not saying that, like these kids are not enjoying themselves with what's happening now with all, you know, that large scale stuff. But it's, it's very different. And I see it because, you know, like I came on up in the era that, you know, we're talking about and, and I'm playing for a lot of this, you know, these young generation now and I see the difference, you know, so I can speak on it and say, yeah, that's different. That's not, you know, it's lacking depth, you know. Yeah. It's lacking emotion, you know, so.

[Eddie]

And like you're a kid from Bensonhurst, I'm a kid from Orlando. I didn't know no rich people. No, the way in for me was being a party kid. And I think that like there's always been this intersection of business and the party, but there also has been this kind of like purity as being the kid from the party side. Like, yo, yo, yo. It needs to be more about the party than the business. And I think the dance floor has become like a store. And I think what you're doing is bringing it back to like being a party, you know, a neighborhood, a community gathering place, you know.

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah, it's, it's a risk in it as well. You know, it's not for everybody for me to say, you know, I'm gonna do the opposite of everything that's happening right now. But there's a good amount of people that, that are craving that and that are looking for that. And not only that, it's like, you know, and I'm doing after hours, so I'm doing some really crazy hours. I go on at 6am, 7am sometimes and then go all day. So, you know, the other good thing about that is when these kids are leaving all these other festivals and big scale events, they land in my room not even knowing who's playing. But then they leave and text me the next day or DM me the next day and be like, yo, I never heard anything like that. I didn't even know who you were. I landed there with some friends who just, you know, took me there. What was that music you were playing? What? You know, so that's what, for me, that's what it's about, you know? Yeah, absolutely. Not just to be like turning my back and saying I'm going to do my own thing, you know, like, but it's about like also still educating, you know, inspiring people in a way that they're not hearing at these large scale events.

[Eddie]

I remember just going to bars in The Lower east side when I first got here, listening to DJs, neighborhood guys playing breaks records. And I'm like, wait, I've heard that somewhere. What's this? Like, yo, it's off this break record. And I was like, that's so sick. And you didn't have a phone. You have to look at the record be. I'm gonna go look in the store for that thing.

[Victor Calderon]

Exactly. You know, and it's also with, like, taking those risks and playing those things, you know? Yeah.

[Eddie]

What do you. What do you. What are you into a lot these days? Like, albums and songs. Music. What are you playing?

[Victor Calderon]

I'm constantly, like, filtering through music, and I find myself going back into my collection. Yeah, more than. More than, like. Like, you know, digging through new. New material. Of course. I listen to, you know, a lot of new promos, and, you know, I. I'm always doing the search. I'm always listening. Yeah.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Victor Calderon]

But I find myself, especially now. We just. We just renovated in Tribeca, and we just moved in, and I brought my vinyl collection into my studio, which I never had. So I'm rediscovering a lot of stuff that. That I forgot about, you know, so it's. It's about that. It's just, like, kind of rediscovering, you know, It's. It's always dance music for me. It's not anything, you know, different.

[Eddie]

I do like that, too, is like, I'm an unk now. I'm 44. You know, you unk status. It's like I was always discovering new music up until I'd say 2019. And I still listen to new music, but I just have to be honest, I don't relate to it as much. I love the New Fuckers album. Like, that's one of my favorite albums. Oh, you're gonna love this shit.

[Athena]

Yeah, this is.

[Eddie]

I think it's. That is my favorite dance record of the last, like, five years. I can't wait to play it for you after we get off the show. But then I started to realize, like, my value to the little homies now. And, like, the cooks in the kitchen that are, like, 22, 23 years old is like, they're interested in the era I grew up in. Like, yes, golden era hip hop and, like, early 2010s records. And I was like, oh, I know every deep cut. I know every B side. And they're like, yo, Eddie, play that. Play that shit. Play. And I'm like, oh, that's what, like, Stretch and Bob were for me when I started going to their party at apartment because it's like when you know an era inside out before we had families and wives and business, I was just listening to music all day long. Like I'd find 70 new songs a day and I'm like, that's the era I know and I can put people onto and, and it's cool to become like, you know what, that 20 year span, I could show you any record in that 20 years. Yeah, this is probably what you do.

[Victor Calderon]

Exactly. It's interesting because, you know, having a 23 year old, you know, son who is now following in my footsteps musically and studied music production as well, and seeing him come to my studio and dig into my collection now and how excited he's getting discovering records that mean a lot to me is very interesting to see that it's not just about new music, even for someone in his generation. So it's, it's amazing to see.

[Athena]

That's got to be exciting, just seeing your kid discover something that means so much to you. Independent. Independent of your influence and then like gravitating towards that. I, yeah, that's just a really special

[Victor Calderon]

feeling because for years he had no interest in what I did. It wasn't until he like, he was like 17. He finally like came up to me and was like, show me how to dj. I'm like,

[Eddie]

no, it's flying. It's like me and my pops too. Like, he would sing like Mandarin songs growing up on karaoke every Saturday morning and I hated it. I'm like, I want to watch the Ninja Turtles. This guy singing karaoke, taking up the tv. But then all those songs are burned in my memory.

[Victor Calderon]

Yes. I was in education.

[Eddie]

Yeah. And when I lived in Taiwan during the pandemic, I'd go to karaoke joints, hearing the songs, started sending my dad video singing the songs and he was just like brought to tears.

[Victor Calderon]

He's like, yeah.

[Eddie]

He's like, yo, you paid attention. I was like, of course, man. Like, I listen you sing this every Saturday morning.

[Athena]

That's so funny because you've become the dad singing karaoke in the morning.

[Eddie]

Yeah, it's so funny.

[Victor Calderon]

You're going to be passing that over.

[Athena]

Yeah, that's beautiful.

[Victor Calderon]

It's amazing. It's. It's really like, I'm so proud of him. And yeah, I just like, it's just wild. You know, we did our first back to back and I'm looking over at him, like queuing up the track, like getting ready to mix into what I'm playing. And I'm Just like, this is wild that this is actually happening.

[Eddie]

Yeah. And, like, speaking of children and families, like, our son's Mandarin immersion school is in your building. You live in.

[Athena]

Yes, or. Yeah, their office.

[Victor Calderon]

My wife's office. Yeah.

[Eddie]

Yeah. Oh, it's her office.

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah.

[Athena]

So funny, because I was like, I. I feel like I see you guys. And then when we were researching the pot, I was like, no, for sure. This is. This is you. But it is so funny. We're all just over there in Tribeca.

[Victor Calderon]

We're like, when I was doing a deep dive on. On your. Your socials, I was, look, I know her.

[Athena]

I definitely know her. We're just in the worst elevator system of all time over in that building. Like, it's. I swear I felt the elevator, like, drop when I went. Yeah. I was like, this is crazy. Like, I can't lose my life.

[Victor Calderon]

Athena.

[Eddie]

Is she Greek, too?

[Victor Calderon]

She's not Greek. She's Italian.

[Eddie]

Word. Okay.

[Athena]

Italian.

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah. She's a terrible.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Athena]

That's awesome.

[Eddie]

Is she from your neighborhood, too?

[Victor Calderon]

No, no, she grew up in Long Island. Long Island. Yeah.

[Eddie]

Nice. Nice. Another enclave.

[Victor Calderon]

Yes. Another world out there as well. Yeah.

[Eddie]

I love it.

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah. That's my partner, like, in. In every sense of the word.

[Athena]

Yeah.

[Victor Calderon]

We've been together now 27 years. Wow.

[Athena]

Congratulations.

[Victor Calderon]

Thank you.

[Athena]

That's huge.

[Eddie]

Wow.

[Athena]

Yeah. When we were, you know, researching you guys is so worth this. It's very similar. Like, we do everything together. We have one son. I was like, oh, there's so many parallels here. Like, we're very much just. It's funny. People will be like, do you guys work together? I'm like, we're just partners on everything somehow. Like, there. Maybe we won't even talk about it, but then it will end up being that.

[Eddie]

Yeah. 27 years, bro. That's like a murder one bid.

[Victor Calderon]

You.

[Eddie]

You could have killed someone and got out earlier.

[Victor Calderon]

That's literally half my life, max.

[Eddie]

Did 10 fewer years.

[Athena]

Marriage, murder.

[Victor Calderon]

Oh, my God. I love that.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah. You know where we met?

[Eddie]

Where?

[Victor Calderon]

At the tunnel.

[Eddie]

Oh, that's what's up.

[Victor Calderon]

The Regional Tunnel.

[Eddie]

Yeah, that's what's up.

[Victor Calderon]

She was a bartender.

[Athena]

Wow.

[Victor Calderon]

And I went there with a bunch of my guido friends one night, and one of my friends ordered a bottle of champagne, and she came walking over. Wow. And she had a shaved head, smokey eyes, septum ring, wife beater, no bra. I was like, who the fuck is that? I need to know who this girl is. And I knew one of the dancers at the time. I was like, you need to introduce me to her.

[Athena]

I love that.

[Victor Calderon]

And, yeah, I mean, she really was just chatting with us, you know, she didn't know who she was talking to. But, like, we ended up connecting and becoming friends, and it's a beautiful thing

[Eddie]

to see the party kids become parents, too. Like, all of our homies now have kids. But we all, like, met in the club. We all met partying, and it's like. It's cool because then you're like, I am a parent, and I'm a good parent, and I'm gonna feel bad about this. Like, I love. I love that y' all met at the club.

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah.

[Eddie]

Was the Tunnel. Tunnel. Was that Peter Gation's?

[Victor Calderon]

That was Peter Gation, yeah. Peter Gation's way before Peter. It was. Oh, God. Rudolph was his name. Rudolph, I believe his name. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But, yeah, at the time when we met, it was. It was Peter Gation. He was running it. Yeah. I mean, he owned everything at the time. He had the Tunnel, Limelight, Palladium. Wow. Yeah, yeah. New York was. Yeah.

[Eddie]

And then they got caught up, man.

[Victor Calderon]

And then the rage started to happen.

[Eddie]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, we're not gonna name names that.

[Victor Calderon]

You ain't heard that before. Me? No, no, no.

[Eddie]

Like, I was a little homie coming up when all the. All of it, like, was coming out, like, who talked and what was going down. That was. That was crazy.

[Victor Calderon]

That was wild to see.

[Eddie]

That was crazy. That was crazy, man. I think it was the Village Voice wrote the big article on that.

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah.

[Eddie]

Way back in the day. That was interesting.

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah, it was crazy because everybody that worked for him even got audited. Yeah. Athena, my wife at the time when he was going down and being audited and, you know, all these people went down with it and. Yeah, they started auditing everybody that worked.

[Athena]

That's crazy.

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah.

[Eddie]

I ended up working with a couple of the people that were involved that then found careers outside of it.

[Victor Calderon]

Oh, really?

[Eddie]

And that's how I, like, learned all of it. Because I wasn't in Tunnel or Lime. I was in Orlando when I was. I came. By the time the feds had already raided the. But then I didn't even know. I ended up working for the people that had. You know,

[Athena]

you find your tribe, you

[Eddie]

find your tribe, and the same dudes find the next dudes of the same generation, you know, like, of the same ilk.

[Athena]

100.

[Eddie]

Like, me and my little homies got caught up with those guys and blah, blah, blah, blah. You know, like, everybody works together.

[Athena]

Yeah.

[Eddie]

And you end up Eating at the same restaurants and doing the same things.

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah.

[Eddie]

And now it's cool because you're gonna meet them through your club and your kid.

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah.

[Athena]

Yeah. You know?

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah. I love that. I love passing it down, you know, making those connections, you know, for me, it's.

[Eddie]

It's.

[Victor Calderon]

It's my life, you know? Yeah, it's. Yeah, it's always going to be my life. It's what I love and what I know best, you know?

[Eddie]

And this is a beautiful thing. Like, I didn't totally understand, like, what life would be like when partying was so much a big of a part of. Because your parents are always mad at you and hating on you. Like, what are you doing? And I had no idea, like, yo, my entire career was going to come out of the club.

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah. My mom would have been happier if I was, like, laying bricks somewhere, you know, like, yeah, like, what are you doing with this music thing? My mom was very old school Italian. She didn't speak English, she just did not understand it. But I was in the basement, like, literally shaking the whole house, you know, Same, same.

[Eddie]

I mean, I was an attorney. I had a big firm job. I had gotten a job at a white shoe law firm. Hated it so much I was still promoting parties. A happy ending with dj.

[Athena]

Who?

[Eddie]

Kid and G Unit. And literally the day they fired me at the law firm, I was three hours late to work. I got in at 11. My office mate was already packing up his stuff. He's like, bro, they fired all of us. I was like, what? He goes, they've been calling you for hours. There's messages. Like, I walk in, I'm the last one. I'm like, heard you guys are giving $40,000 severance.

[Athena]

I will go.

[Eddie]

Let me find out. And they were like, you're taking it.

[Victor Calderon]

I didn't get that.

[Eddie]

Yeah. They were like, you're taking it really well. Like, when I was talking to hr, everyone else has been so sad and crying. Like, hey, man, I heard you giving $40,000 away. Like, this is one of the best days of my life.

[Victor Calderon]

Thanks.

[Athena]

Thank you so much for firing me. On my way.

[Eddie]

Who? Kid drove me straight from the club to work. And I was like, man, now I could just stay in the club.

[Athena]

And you're like, yo, circle the block. We got 40k. Let's go.

[Victor Calderon]

And 40k went a long way back then for sure.

[Athena]

Like, then you just have all the time and 40k to party.

[Eddie]

I'm like, I copped a brick and just started selling it off a bench. That's what I did, I was like 40. Like, my eyes literally was like, 40K. You basically going to invest in my

[Athena]

next business, which is so crazy because we were here for lunch yesterday. We're working the lunch shifts and somebody comes in to get some to go bows and he's like, yo, did you used to sell me weed? And he's like, yeah, yeah, that was me. Yeah. Like, however many years ago that was. Yes, for sure.

[Victor Calderon]

We did what we had to do. We did what we knew, you know,

[Eddie]

that's how I opened the restaurant is I got fired, I took the severance, I got to work, I sat on a bench, made enough money, and then opened the restaurant and that was it.

[Victor Calderon]

Amazing. Yeah.

[Eddie]

Shout out to party scene Shout out to the party scene Shout out that bedroom.

[Athena]

Good things do happen in the club. Love happens in the club. Businesses happen in the club. Like, that would be my advice to people. They're always like, nothing Good happens after 3am I disagree.

[Victor Calderon]

Not true.

[Athena]

I disagree.

[Victor Calderon]

So many people hit me up.

[Athena]

Good things happen.

[Victor Calderon]

Like, write me, like, beautiful emails. Like, man, you know, I'm a doctor for such and such and such. You never know who's on your dance floor, but, like, telling me how much I changed his life, you know, through a set, right?

[Athena]

It's just like, yeah, man, that's moving everybody.

[Victor Calderon]

Music is so powerful.

[Athena]

It is. I think it's like the most powerful art form there is. And just to be able to give people that experience.

[Victor Calderon]

What else is there other than, you know, maybe spirituality that moves people to. To that point, you know.

[Athena]

Yeah, but even I think music is spiritual. There's so many. Even, like, if you're practicing yoga or whatever, your spiritual practices, there's so many musical elements of it that coincide and they're very parallel, I find.

[Eddie]

Yeah, there's like a lot of talk about people partying less and dancing less and drinking less. And I'm like, we need doctors, we need less attorneys, but everybody needs to party.

[Victor Calderon]

Everybody needs that release.

[Eddie]

Everybody got release.

[Athena]

Yeah, for sure.

[Eddie]

Like, what are we doing here if we're not partying?

[Victor Calderon]

Let go. Forgetting everything. Just. Yeah. Just you and your body and the music.

[Athena]

Yeah.

[Eddie]

All right, so. So tell me, what. What are. What are some of your favorite top five? I usually. We do a rapid fire on here.

[Victor Calderon]

Okay.

[Eddie]

I just wanted to know, what are the top five records you have liked to play over the course of your career? Where when you play it, it's just like, it's game over. And I'll give you an example. Right? Like in the Restaurant here every once in a while when it's going to. When I play the dipset Brucey B remix of Phil Collins in the air tonight, where it's just Brucey B talking shit on the record, this room goes bananas.

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Eddie]

All right. There's a few records like that. Like, I. I used to like to play Camp Low Black Connection blended into Bucktown, Smith and Wesson. Bucktown, you know, like, what are some of your favorite, like, Bridges blends. Records that just shut it down.

[Victor Calderon]

Wow, that's.

[Athena]

Yeah.

[Victor Calderon]

You're gonna put me on the spot. I have to. Okay. Where Love Lives. Alison Limerick.

[Eddie]

Yes.

[Athena]

Okay.

[Victor Calderon]

I mean, it does not leave my box. First choice, let no man put asunder. Oh, man. I have to say craftwork, because for me, that's crowd rock. Yeah.

[Eddie]

I'm reading the Kraut rock book right now.

[Victor Calderon]

Oh, yeah.

[Eddie]

So fire.

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah. Okay. What else?

[Eddie]

Transdf Express. Oh, yeah's crazy.

[Victor Calderon]

Oh, that's four, right?

[Eddie]

That's three.

[Victor Calderon]

That's three.

[Eddie]

You're not. You're not off the hook. You owe me two. You owe me two, bro. You owe me two.

[Victor Calderon]

Oh, man, you put me on the spot. Okay. One that always gets the party going. Music Express Express 2 elevates the room.

[Eddie]

And

[Victor Calderon]

I'll have to say Donna Summer, I feel.

[Eddie]

Oh, you have to. You have to. Any of her records? Yeah, Any of hers.

[Victor Calderon]

Early on, it was like, probably the first piece of vinyl that I put my hands on. So. Yeah.

[Eddie]

On some funny shit, because it is a played out record. They played at the Garden now, too. But that sh. House song.

[Athena]

Oh, my God, the.

[Victor Calderon]

When it lands in the Garden, it's done. It's time to put it away.

[Athena]

But that goes so hard. You hear?

[Eddie]

There's like, love you tonight. That song goes crazy.

[Victor Calderon]

Oh, man.

[Athena]

Like, that goes insane at a wedding.

[Eddie]

Insane.

[Victor Calderon]

Insane.

[Eddie]

That's a more recent one. That goes crazy. Yo, I thought you might have dropped a. We would have dropped a Madonna song. Like, when we drop Madonna hung up here. That goes pretty crazy.

[Athena]

It goes crazy.

[Eddie]

That goes crazy.

[Victor Calderon]

Some early Madonna. Yeah. I have memories of Madonna when she was a club kid, when I was going to the Fun House. She was dating Jelly Bean at the time, and I would always see her in there, you know, in the DJ booth. I was that kid that literally stood outside the DJ booth just looking up all night. So sick, you know? And I'd see her in there and like, those are some of her early days, you know? Holiday. Yeah. Yeah.

[Eddie]

I mean, the Secrets album is my favorite Madonna album. And then she doing Secret too now.

[Athena]

Confessions too.

[Eddie]

No confession. That's what I mean. Confessions 1 is my favorite.

[Athena]

Confessions to Summer.

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah. I love the way she's coming out of the gate, you know, focused on dance floor, dance music and what it's about, what it's really about.

[Athena]

I really hope New York gets activated. Like, I hope we're all outside. I need it. Like, I'm here for this.

[Eddie]

We need. We need Madonna back right now.

[Athena]

We do. More than honestly, we do.

[Eddie]

There are a few years where I was like, maybe less Madonna, but right now I'm like, we need Shorty back right now.

[Athena]

More Madonna.

[Victor Calderon]

Somebody's got to show these kids the way.

[Athena]

Exactly.

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah, yeah. With a strong point of view like she has and a reference that she has. So. Yeah, man. Yeah.

[Eddie]

Just get it popping.

[Victor Calderon]

Lead the way, girl.

[Eddie]

Her records still go.

[Athena]

I mean, I've been banging Ray of Light like that. Just that Al. It's. That album's crazy. Like Slept on. Maybe her best album for me. Yeah. Insane.

[Victor Calderon]

That was the one I was most connected to with her, for sure.

[Athena]

And then I was reading about that was like after she had her daughter and it was like very spiritual for her. And I feel just like our son's two and a half. I feel very connected to that record right now. I listen to it literally every single day.

[Eddie]

And her daughter makes fire music too.

[Athena]

She does, she does. She's incredible. I really love some of her tracks. Like that group of girls, Lola Shy Girl. They're doing really interesting stuff. They're cool. There's a lot of interesting stuff happening. That's why I hate the sentiment of like, the dance floor is dead. I'm like, there's so many interesting things happening in music. If you're looking for it and you're interested and you want to find it, there's, you know, you're throwing your party, you're doing long form sets. Like these things are out there. You have to be interested. You have to seek out your people.

[Eddie]

And fuckers got a number one record

[Athena]

right now is incredible.

[Victor Calderon]

Yeah, yeah.

[Eddie]

The party is back this summer. It is.

[Athena]

The party's not dead for me.

[Victor Calderon]

I don't want to be that guy that's going to stand there and hate on it. No, you know, it's there. We want it back to more of it. But you're just like, you have to seek it, like you said.

[Athena]

Absolutely.

[Eddie]

It don't even got to be old me. I'm down to hear this new. But I'm just like, let's party, let's get outside.

[Victor Calderon]

Let's do it. But, yo, you.

[Eddie]

You should. We. We should throw a party here together sometime.

[Victor Calderon]

Let's do it. Yeah. Come on.

[Eddie]

I would love to run.

[Victor Calderon]

I would love to. We're going to run together.

[Eddie]

Yeah. I need one of your playlists. And we need a party, bro. For sure, bro.

[Victor Calderon]

Beautiful. Thank you.

[Eddie]

Thank you so much for being on the show.

[Athena]

This is amazing.

[Eddie]

It's incredible.

[Victor Calderon]

Thank you.