Jonathan Toubin (born July 29, 1971) is an American DJ, record producer, musician, writer, and historian. He is the founder and proprietor of the New York Night Train event production company. Heralded "The most-liked man in the soul music scene" by Rolling Stone and "New York's best DJ" and "the only DJ we actually like" by VICE, Toubin is best known for his energetic dance party sets consisting of tightly juxtaposed obscure 1950s and 1960s Rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and soul 45s. New York Times describes the DJ's fare as "cleaner and more appreciative of American pop music history than much of the rest.". He is also known for his New York Night Train parties and their role in "revamping the entire landscape of New York and Brooklyn from midnight till the after hours" in what the Village Voice describes as "his own kind of dance revolution". His best known event is the New York Night Train Soul Clap and Dance-Off, which has been called "the most popular soul dance party in the world" by SXSW. It is the only soul dance party to have had an entire night dedicated to it at Lincoln Center Midsummer Night Swing and at SXSW, and plays in dozens of international markets and major festivals annually plus monthly at the Brooklyn Bowl. In over 1600 gigs since 2007, Toubin has appeared in hundreds of night clubs. In 2014, Toubin was voted Best New York DJ in the Village Voice Reader's Choice Contest. He currently has DJ compilations available on Burger Records and Norton Records. Early years and education Born in 1971, Toubin grew up in Houston, Texas. As a child, he was obsessed with rock and roll. At age fifteen, he "put on punk shows...for anti-nuclear causes in the hardcore era." He moved to Austin in 1989 to attend the University of Texas where he received a B.A. in English. He also deejayed on their station KTSB, which later became KVRX. In 1998, he moved to New York where he subsequently joined the band Grand Mal. After the band lost their record deal with Slash Records and the shock of September 11 (he had worked in both of the Twin Towers), he quit music and entered the graduate program in American Studies at City University of New York. During this time, he published an academic paper for Institute for Studies in American