Rattle and hum
FAB DUPONT • Flux Studios NYC & Bar Lumière
CULTURE & LEISURE • Friday Routine
FAB DUPONT • owner, Flux Studios NYC • co-owner, Bar Lumière
Neighborhoods you work in: East Village / Cobble Hill
Neighborhood you live in: East Village
It’s Friday afternoon, how are you rolling into the weekend?
Friday is record-wrap day, putting final touches on a song or album in my room at Flux Studios. I’m currently working with Theophilus London, Rauw Alejandro, and a bunch of crazy-talented illustrious unknowns. When everything finally sounds right, these days, I'm off to Bar Lumière in Cobble Hill to tweak the sound system with the week's new songs, as we ramp up for our opening later this month.
Where are you drinking or dining this weekend?
Weekends have gotten insanely busy for the good spots, again, so I tend to stay hyperlocal where I can always get a seat. That’s either at Supper, watching the cooks Nachon and Pasquale downstairs do their chicken parm dance, or at Lucien for the only authentic rabbit in mustard sauce this side of the Atlantic. (Almost as good as my mom's. Alllllllmost.) Otherwise, Miss Lily's at 7th and A for the ahead-of-the-times Dub playlist straight from Kingston, and the flawless jerk-anything. Rosie's on 2nd and 2nd for as-good-as-Mexico-City flavors. Marylou on St Marks for the perfectly executed French bistro touch. Special mention to Bar Oliver in Chinatown, for spot-on tapas and the non-obnoxious (but high-energy) crowd.
How about a little leisure or culture?
Saturday is Met Museum day, as often as possible. The range of art is stunning. Plus the Mezzanine kitchen serves lovely small plates that are always on point. It's a nice treat for my daughter and myself — both the art and the food.
Speaking of culture, and it does qualify as culture in my book: Sunday is Le Fournil's brunch for the family. Best French bakery in town at the corner of 7th and 2nd Ave. It's like being home. Croissant and pain au chocolat as good as in Clichy or Pontoise. Brave the line, be there at 9a, don’t look at the prices. It's a lot cheaper than a plane ticket to CDG.
Otherwise, I go see the artists I work with play out as much as possible. Mercury Lounge, Bowery Ballroom, Baby's All Right, Elsewhere, Sultan Room. Sometimes MSG. The city’s music scene is rebounding, and there’s always a great band to see. And after the show I try and go see my DJ friends work the crowd at Paul's, Wiggle Room, or JoyFace.
Any weekend getaways?
I'm a concrete jungle spawn so it takes a lot to get me away from the streets. But I recently discovered East Coast skiing in Okemo, Vermont, with my daughter. Obscenely cold yet lovely, and very reminiscent of the lower altitude Alps villages where I learned how to ski a long long time ago in a land far far away. Slightly rougher on the food side though.
What was your last great vacation?
Every summer, my family strives to gather somewhere fun. Last summer was our first gathering with everyone without exceptions in Pipa, a small beach town an hour north of Natal in the Nordeste of Brazil, where secluded beaches are only reachable at low tide with dolphins frolicking in the bay, while you drink the water off coconuts that just fell off a tree that gives you well-needed shade. It's essentially a one-street village in the middle of nowhere, with some of the best restaurants I have been to. Highly recommend.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
It's nerdy, but I just bought a 1980 Korg Trident synthesizer in pristine condition. It's the sound of Weather Report, DJ Premier, and AIR amongst many others. A fan of my records really wanted me to have it and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. So I was weak, and did not refuse. I'm obsessed with it right now. I use it on every song.
What store or service do you always recommend?
I love the Kyte car rental app. They deliver (and pick up) the car to your doorstep and the prices are similar to LGA or JFK rentals. That, combined with Zipcar, guarantees unencumbered mobility without the burden and mental stress of owning a car in the city.
Speaking of mobility, I also love Citi Bike, despite the obnoxious price increases, consistently broken docks, and bikes being seemingly made entirely out of lead. They feel like freight trucks, but there’s nothing like riding down the East River bank on the bike path and passing under the Brooklyn Bridge while looking at the Dumbo skyline and watching the odd sailboat floating along, knowing you're about to score the perfect crèpe au sarasin at the Tin Building. Know what I'm sayin'?