The Bag Messenger BlogBag Design and Urban Living

Every once in a great while, innovation comes around and revolutionizes the way people move. In the 1860's the bicycle propped folks on two wheels and sent them careening down cobblestone streets, in the 1920's the CAR enabled the ultra rich to smoke cigars over long distances. In 2001 the SEGWAY was invented, essentially making walking obsolete, and halting further innovation. Two long years later THE FREEDOM PARTY was hatched on a boat in the Hudson river, changing everything once more.

What is the Freedom Party? How is it better than Segway travel? We asked Herbert Holler (founding member of the event) to help clear up all the details....

Freedom is every Friday at Le Poisson Rouge NYC, until than get back to work. 

THE BAG MESSENGER: Where are you from?  

HERBERT HOLLER: Atlantic City, NJ 

THE BAG MESSENGER: How did you first get involved with DJing? 

HERBERT HOLLER: At NYU. My fraternity held the campus' illest dance parties--2 kegs, hard liquor, weed, and the illest hip-hop, r&b and reggae joints from the 80s and 90s. One of my best friends deejayed every party, using simply 2 cd players and a mixer, and this really old but incredible amp that somebody once offered the frat $5000 for. it was a rudimentary set up, but it got the job done. eventually, he overstayed his welcome (didn't graduate till he was 26), and they needed someone to step up, and that someone was me.

THE BAG MESSENGER: We're you always collecting records?  

HERBERT HOLLER: Not till about 1999 when I bought my first turntable. I worked for Rawkus, so I started my collection with their catalogue. then I went crazy buying records every day, digging in crates and basements all over the city. 

THE BAG MESSENGER: What kinds of music are you looking for these days? 

HERBERT HOLLER: I'm REALLY into underground house. It's hard to explain to those that just don't get the house-music message. It's like speaking another language. I was just at this DJ think tank full of hip-hop selectors, and they were shitting on house music and house-music djs, and I tried explaining why I was addicted, and why they were retarded, but it was to no avail. 

Biz Markie and Slick Rick at the Freedom Party five year anniversary party

THE BAG MESSENGER: How did the Freedom Party come about? 

HERBERT HOLLER: Three DJs. Wack parties. And a serious fever to play good records. My homies DJ Cosi and DJ Marc Smooth and I got together and decided to do this old-school boat party where we only would play dope joints. No Top 40 that we didn't like, no attitude, no nothing. And it was a HUGE success. So we decided to do it weekly, strongly feeling that NYC needed a party like this. Lucky for us, it did.

Greg Nice, Herbert Holler, Tamir Z Brown, and Cosi at The FREEDOM VS THE RUB Event

THE BAG MESSENGER: How long has it been going on? Has the event changed over the years? 

HERBERT HOLLER: The party's been rocking EVERY week for 7.7 years now! It has become NYC's longest running weekly Friday night dance party. The event's following has changed, slightly, from being mostly underground and NYC insider people to somewhere between underground and overground, attracting people from all over the world, from all walks of life. And the numbers have changed--we're averaging 500 people per week. 

Hands in the air...FREEDOM PARTY

THE BAG MESSENGER: Has Serato changed the way you get down? 

HERBERT HOLLER: For sure. I still play songs longer than other DJs, but I now have the ability to be ready to change the song faster than I did before, should the song I'm playing not go over so well. And it gives you the opportunity to be way more creative. 

THE BAG MESSENGER: What do you listen to for fun? How has becoming a DJ affected the way you listen to music?  

HERBERT HOLLER: House music. Other electronic dance stuff. To me, it's the most interesting and creative sound going on right now. Hip-hop has been a formula since 2000. Boring as shit. 

THE BAG MESSENGER: Whats up with Shut Up and Dance?  

HERBERT HOLLER: Just what it says. Stop yapping, stop boasting, stop hating, stop trying to talk on your cell phone, stop talking shit in VIP, shut the fuck up and dance to the music. 

THE BAG MESSENGER: How often do you travel? 

HERBERT HOLLER: Often enough that I don't like it. Unless I go First Class. 

Freedom Party....taking over Japan

THE BAG MESSENGER: Where are some of your favorite places to go out? (Parties/Clubs)

HERBERT HOLLER: Uh … CV on Mondays with DJ mOma and Stimulus. Freedom Fridays at Le Poisson Rouge (of course). First Saturdays at Brooklyn Museum. Body & Soul when they do their shit. OH YEAH … Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn on Sundays in July and August for the Soul Summit party. Best event in NYC. Southpaw for the Rub on occasion. Brooklyn Bowl is fun. 

THE BAG MESSENGER: What are some of your places to visit? Favorite crowds to play for? 

HERBERT HOLLER: Chicago. My second favorite city. Miami for the Winter Music Conference. France. England. Mexico. Costa Rica was the shit. Learned how to surf in Tamarindo. Japan was awesome, but the jet lag fucked me up for months. Favorite crowds = regular, average folk who work hard and play harder. people who just wanna have fun and dance. NO BOTTLES/MODELS/WANNABES/FASHIONISTAS/ETC 

Herbert being accosted by Killer deer in Japan.

THE BAG MESSENGER: What's the key to packing for the road? 

HERBERT HOLLER: Sweatpants and flip flops. You move faster through security and fly more comfortably through the air.

THE BAG MESSENGER: Every DJ has a horror story or two....what is the worst thing to happen at a gig? 

HERBERT HOLLER: Uh…Oh yeah. This one DJ dropped his drink in his own bag. When he put his hand into clean it up, it cut him and he bled ALL over the booth, on me, on my records. And the gig itself was all thugged out and negative and wack. And I had to chase down the dude for my money for weeks. WORST GIG EVER. 

THE BAG MESSENGER: What are you working on now?

HERBERT HOLLER: Keeping Freedom crackin. A new weekly brand called MY HOUSE where I can play house, disco and underground dance music. Remixes. More mix CDs. 

THE BAG MESSENGER: What can we be looking for in the future? 

HERBERT HOLLER:A hopeful NYC nightlife turnaround. Shit is wack right now in NYC and has been for quite some time. Things can only get better. And a lot of Herbert Holler activity in the remix world. A possible TV appearance. More great parties. Me slimming down--I'm going to the gym!!!