Sutra Celebrates Seven Years as a Hip Hop Icon

By Gamal Hennessy

Most clubs in New York City do not last very long. Normally, a club can go from the hottest place on Earth to closed in 3-5 years. For a club to last more than 5 years and still be relevant is a rare and wonderful thing.

Clubs that stay opened the longest rely on good management and a reputation for particular type of music. There is a club on the corner of 1^st Street and 1^st Avenue that is still going strong after 7 years.  Its owner has been a strong supporter of nightlife culture who has built a haven for both underground and mainstream hip hop at a club called Sutra. I sat down with Ms. Ariel Palitz on the seventh anniversary of the space to discuss the impact that it has had on the Lower East Side, nightlife and the culture of New York City.

GH: What was the goal when you first opened Sutra? How close have you come to achieving that goal seven years later?

AP: I spent a lot of time in Bar 16 as a patron before I bought it and opened Sutra. I loved spending time there because of the type of people I met and the vibe of the place. When I became the owner, I wanted to keep that spirit. I wanted a place where different types of people could come and have a good time. I wanted to have different types of parties and different types of music. I wanted Sutra to represent underground New York. We had that vibe from day 1. It didn’t matter if we did bhangra parties, soulful house sets or hip hop parties. The goal was to always to celebrate the diversity of New York and we were always able to pull that off.

GH: I know you have a lot of different types of parties, but I’ve always seen Sutra as a hip hop spot. A lot of that has to do with the people who perform here. It’s a long list that includes Funkmaster Flex, Questlove, Mos Def, Slick Rick, DMC, Just Blaze and a lot of others. When did you first realize that the hip hop industry embraced Sutra?

AP: There was a night early on when Questlove was in the DJ Booth spinning and Black Thought and Mos Def just jumped in there and started freestyling.  We had no warning but everyone in the room loved it. It has such a raw energy about it. It felt very natural. There was no hype, no drama no problems. Everyone was just flowing with them. I sat back at the owners table and knew it was special.

GH: Were there a lot of nights like that?

AP: Yes. A lot of artists come to Sutra to experiment on a live crowd. You can put out music on the internet, but nothing beats getting the reaction of people in the club. Artists like Just Blaze and Tony Touch know that. They’ll come and drop new beats and hooks and samples all the time and then we’ll hear those same elements in top 40 songs 6 months later. Sutra has been the birthplace for a lot of new music.

GH: What has been the most successful party Sutra has had over the years?

AP: We’ve had quite a few long running parties, but Toca Tuesday has to be the crown jewel. Tony is truly a professional artist and it is people like him that keep people coming back week after week. He is one of the reasons Sutra has been so successful.

GH: What are the other things that have helped Sutra last so long when so many other clubs don’t?

AP: We never tried to make people feel like they didn’t belong or they couldn’t come in. We won’t turn your friends away because of their race or anything else. We don’t try to force bottles on everyone. We throw parties that people enjoy. We’ve always been able to attract talent that people wanted to see. We have a good relationship with people on the block and in the neighborhood. All those things help keep the doors opened.

GH:  So what’s next for Sutra? Do you plan to keep it opened for another 7 years?

AP: I actually put Sutra on the market for sale this week, partially to coincide with the anniversary. I had a goal in mind when I opened Sutra and I’ve achieved it. I love Sutra and the impact it has had on my life and the life of the community and culture, but I have other goals, new businesses and new ideas for the Sutra brand. Once I find the right buyer, it will be time to move on.

GH: How do you think Sutra will change once you sell it?

AP: Ideally, the new owner would inject new energy into the place but still keep the inclusive spirit I inherited from Bar 16 and developed in Sutra. Ultimately I don’t know what the new incarnation will be, but I will do everything in my power to make sure that it will be a benefit to the quality of life for neighborhood, the people and New York.

GH: Do you think artists who have strong ties to the spot might buy it? Rappers have bought venues before…

AP: Owning a nightclub is a very different business than being a rapper or a DJ, but if someone in the industry would want to take it over that would be great because hopefully they would be able to infuse the same great talent and great vibe that has kept Sutra alive this long

Have fun.

G