New York club night 1992, might have a
nostalgic music-policy but it's clientele is
positively progressive.

AS ANY HIP HOP HEAD KNOWS,
1992 was a seminal year for rap and
R&B. The Queen of hip hop soul took
her place on the throne with
the eponymous What's the 411, Dr. Dre
joined the Death Row and introduced the
world to Snoop Dogg, while classic
tracks dropped from SWV,
Blackstreet, Wrecks-N-Effect, En Vogue,
The Ragga Twins, Ce Ce Peniston, Jade
and TLC. Kriss Kross rocked their jeans
backwards, kids went low to show
their Calvins while the bogle was the
dance to bust on the floor.

It was the year that immediately came to
mind when friends Oscar & Vashtie
decided to put on a night in New York.
Bored by the brand-sponsored events
littering the city, they wanted to take it
back when times were good and kids
were rocking the illest in Polo and Jordans.
"It was all so much fun then" reminisces
Oscar. "People were creating music
about living life to the fullest"

The BFF's who met six years ago via
Va$hties ex-boyfriend put a loose
idea into solid form 18 months ago
with a night called 1992. Since then
they've held monthly parties all over
NYC and even an old fashioned block
party in the Lower East Side where Oscar
brought down a double dutch crew and
got his mum to sell chicken gizzards
and lemonade.

With no dress code and a mere 5$
cover charge, 1992 attracts all manner
of fashion fiends, throwback kids, nerds
and knuckleheads; on any night expect
to see Jay-Z, kids from the bronx and
downtown punk rockers wearing the
finest in North Face, Cross Colours
and coogie. And Ralph Lauren. Lots
and lots of Lauren. "1992 was a really
important year for Polo because they
plastered it on so much clothing,"
explains Oscar. "But we don't limit
ourselves just to that year," he continues.
"We focus on '87 to '92 but we play up '97
cos you have all the Bad Boy hits. You'll
hear hip-house, freestyle, dancehall,
new jack swing....." Adds Vashtie: "We
wanted to have a party that was just about
great music and having fun. I feel like
when you come to our
night, you come to our house and I always
want to people to feel welcomed."

Adding art into the equation, the Oscar
and Cleofus designed flyers have quickly
become collectibles, as have the Vashtie
made 'zines and shades. Taking things into
the next century, Vashtie has also done a
number of YouTube invites that depict key
people and events from both the year and
the night. At the club itself you can expect
to see old MTV Raps trading cards and
plenty of bubble-written sticker freebies.

During the day B-boy Oscar is a
graphic designer who acts as a creative
director for this season's Hood By Air
and even has a small role in the forthcoming
Sex And The City film. Sometime photographer
and aritst Vashtie meanwhile is working on
a clothing line Violette and recently lent her
cutting-edge cool to consult for Def Jam
artists like Rihanna and Kanye West.
A budding video director who has lensed
for Beans and Armand Van Heldon, Vashtie
really made heads turn when she directed
the Kanye, Lupe and Pharrell track, Us Placers.
"It wasn't commissioned, but I wanted to do it
and I knew getting those artist involved
would be impossible, so I put my own money
in." Once she posted the video online, bloggers
weren't the only ones going crazy. "Within
hours of me posting that video, all three of
those guy saw it and now I'm doing a video
for one of Kanye's new artists, which is
really exciting."

Having already done a night in Paris with
Colette's Nadege, next up is hopefully a
party in London and maybe even a clothing
line or a TV show. "We could be doing so
much more to cash in but it was never about
that," insists Oscar.

"With 1992, I want to make it more than a
party or a brand that a clothing or alcohol
company can jump on. Who knows, it
could be a book, a clothing line, a film
festival.... the possibilities are endless.

By: Hattie Collins
Photography by: Flora Hanitijo