The Standard: Love Me Too definitely is a House Music compilation. Do you think the golden age of New York House might be now?
Dominique Keegan: I certainly think it is great time for House Music. With quality house acts like Storm Queen (yay Morgan!) and Breach getting to #1 in the UK pop chart and bands like Disclosure penetrating the pop market it is a very exciting time for House. It reminds me of the late 90's… as does much of the music.
What's your definition of House?
That's always a hard one. Technically it's usually a 4/4 beat with a disco style hi hat and some element of funk or grooviness. But as the song says, house is feeling. For me there has always been a a warmth and texture to house that makes it a perfect and pleasant sound for a party. I guess in some ways it is the opposite of aggressive and is something that you can close your eyes and feel with your body. I don't think Frankie Knuckles knew he was creating such a huge music genre and movement when he started looping disco beats on a reel to reel at the Warehouse in Chicago. But he did, thanks Frankie!
Plant was originally a bar in LES which is famous for being the place where the project DFA got together. Any great (or weird) memory from Plant Bar that you didn't share before?
DFA was in the making before Plant Bar but it certainly gave everyone a place to hang out and become great friends. Alcohol helps like that. Wow, there are so many stories. One funny one I may not have told was after our opening night we were all sitting in the back of the bar enjoying a late drink. Plant had a skylight in the rear and you could see up the back of the building. We lived on the third floor, which is how it all started. We never thought about the fact that when the sun came up the bar would become awash with daylight, which can be harsh at 6am. Anyway we all laughed and that became a theme for after hour lock-ins, there was no escaping that light and the harsh realities of the hour. Similar to the way they would sell sunglasses as you left Save The Robots at 11am. We had a no music after 4am no matter what (we had some respect for our neighbors), so even if we were winding down after closing it was always about conversation.
Really? No music after 4am?
The only times we had DJs after hours was for New Year's Eve (2 many Djs, Tommie Sunshine and crew was a good one if I remember correctly) and on the closing night. That one was fun, we drank every drop of alcohol on the shelves. Every last one.
Sonns On My Mind (Plant Music)
If you would open a Plant Bar (or a club) today, how would you make it different /special? What do you think the NYC nightlife is missing?
I think it is missing grit and grime of the LES back in the 90's. Many places in Brooklyn have it now and that is good. I used to enjoy having a strict door policy at Plant (especially on the weekends). We had a really cool school teacher from the Bronx called Hector who used to work the door and he asked me when he started, "what is the dress code or door policy?" My answer was, "if they look like junkies let them in, if they look like they are rich or dress like bankers, tell them to fuck off". We used to call them Tigs as in 'tucked in guys.'
