AP has a Foggy Notion

Asbury Park’s DJ Foggy Notion Encourages Us To Hit The Dance Floor & “Keep Our Ears Open” This Summer!

Everyone’s Asbury Park origin story is unique, but DJ Foggy Notion’s is steeped in the city’s rich musical history. Growing up in Middletown, N.J., Foggy Notion’s Asbury Park visits involved seeing shows at the famed Fast Lane & getting to witness the famed WNEW concerts live on the Asbury Park beach! The eventual leap to DJ’ing though? A bit more complicated.

After taking a turn behind the decks at his college radio station (NYC School of Visual Arts), he moved back and started DJ’ing at various art galleries on Cookman Avenue in the early 2000’s. Stints at local bars followed, but at the time, DJ’s around town were sparse; names like Ari and Tennis & Prestige, some of the only names around at that time. Foggy Notion goes on to tell me that storied hangouts like “Be Gallery, Asbury Art & Oddfellows & Harry’s Roadhouse were mostly where I’d be hanging out.”

Fast forward to now, Foggy Notion is one of the most prominent names in DJ’ing in Asbury Park, being the mixmaster behind the decks at some of the splashiest events in town. If you have never experienced DJ Foggy Notion live, the recipe is simple. Foggy Notion himself described it to me as him playing “records for dancing, mostly 70’s/80’s. I like tunes & melody & mood, depending on what I’m feeling that day. The shorthand people use is disco, but that has its misconceptions & hang ups. It can be a mix of familiar & obscure, I’d like it to be open free positive space.”

While it would be easy to slap a “disco and house anthem” label on the style of music Foggy Notion plays, what he actually crafts for an event at a place like Watermark or Low Dive is much more layered. He tells me “If a record sounds & feels good to me, I want to share it. The parameters of that sound can be very varied; I’m inclined to resist the idea of branding, I want a more open format. Of course, I’ve absorbed so much of what came before me, there are just so many undeniable eternal tunes, and as fun as it is to play a song everyone knows & loves, I also like to play something less well known that could become a new favorite. It’s happened to me countless times out in the world, got to have your ears open”.

Despite being one of the premier names to turn the party in Asbury Park, Foggy Notion also sees the possibility of the art and music scene significantly shifting in Asbury Park as progress around us continues. He tells me “I’m concerned for the Asbury Park music scene because of the luxury condo onslaught, it doesn’t bode well for creativity. But people find a way to get creative”.

Despite the towering condos that are cropping up around us, Foggy Notion still has his eye on keeping the people dancing at his events. “I’m very grateful people come out & dance & socialize. It’s very rewarding to be a part of that collective joy,” he tells me. “I’d hesitate to categorize whatever I’m playing, though – hopefully it’s a diverse mix.”

As for the future of the Asbury Park house music scene, Foggy Notion’s potential recipe is simple; “Moving forward, I’d love to see more public spaces, more galleries and more venues.” Despite spinning at spots all over town, Foggy Notion sees the musical bones and the dance floor possibilities in all of them; “There are too many great places in this tiny city” and he says, encouragingly “just hit them all!”