If there’s one DJ to know out of all the talent that emerged from New York’s early-2000s nightlife culture, it’s Eli Escobar. (“Eli” is pronounced “EL-ee.”) The veteran producer and song-selector extraordinaire is a sought-after remixer for artists such as M.I.A. and Lana del Rey, and he’s as famous for his encyclopedic knowledge of 80s and 90s pop as for his humble demeanor.

Born and raised in Manhattan, Escobar still lives in the Big Apple, where he helps run Gabriela, an intimate Brooklyn nightclub he opened in 2023 with childhood pal Rafael Ohayon. The venue’s name honors the late Gabriela Mejia, a fellow New York DJ and nightlife staple—she was also Escobar’s friend, and in 2019 she was the first person to whom he confessed his dream of opening his own club. In its short tenure, Gabr

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