James Anthony, who spins regularly at the Eagle NYC and various other venues, had always dreamed of being a professional DJ. Incredibly, he won the “Future DJ of America” award at his graduation. Not college. Not high school. But at his preschool graduation, when he was four years old. (Check out the supremely adorable clip of the award moment on his Instagram page.)
After decades of turning out tunes at other people’s events, James finally has a dance party to call his own. The charismatic 45-year-old mixmaster is turning back the clock with Unspeakable Joy, celebrating the golden age of house music — once a fixture in gay clubs in the 1990s and 2000s. What started as an afterparty concept has quickly evolved into one of New York’s hottest events, drawing hundreds of revelers eager to rediscover the communal joy of classic house anthems. James discussed the genesis and rise of Unspeakable Joy during a recent phone interview.
The queer-centric party was born from a unique opportunity at Brooklyn’s 3 Dollar Bill. James’ brother, Tom Capelonga, co-produces the popular ’70s-themed Mother Disco party there, and when the venue offered James a slot afterward, he saw a chance to create something complementary yet distinct. “Mother Disco is defined by having a very vintage New York vibe,” James explained. “And I wanted to capture that same kind of ethos, but shifted forward generationally into the ’90s and early 2000s era of New York nightlife, which is revered musically and culturally.”
What’s more, James noticed something special when he would wind down his shift at the Eagle (his sound there is largely contemporary and techno-driven). “I would close with these ‘Unspeakable Joy’ era classics and people would go nuts for them,” he said. “And it occurred to me, there should be a whole night for this sort of music. Nobody else is doing it, so who better to produce it than me?”
The party takes its name from Kim English’s “Unspeakable Joy,” a track that James says perfectly captures the event’s mission. “People react wildly to that song,” he said. “The messaging is just, I think, what people need to hear today.”
The setlist serves up the era’s biggest diva-driven anthems, from Madonna’s “Deeper and Deeper” and Mariah Carey’s “My All” earlier in the evening, to peak time crowd-pleasers like Deborah Cox’s “Absolutely Not,” Whitney Houston’s “It’s Not Right, But It’s Okay,” Amber’s “Sexual,” and Tamia’s “Stranger In My House.” This is a sharp contrast to the percussive, atonal techno beats often a staple at nightclubs.
What sets Unspeakable Joy apart isn’t just the music — it’s the communal experience it creates. The party emphasizes songs with lyrics and meaning, beckoning clubgoers to sing the words together rather than simply sway to abstract beats.
“One of the main pieces of feedback I get from people is like, ‘Oh my God, I forgot what it’s like to sing along to something on the dance floor and not just kind of nod my head to it.’”
Central to the party’s success is drag artist Vivacious, who James calls “the heart and soul of the party.”
“When I came up with the idea, she was the first person that came to mind because I’ve known her for many years,” he recalled. “I knew that she could bring life to this party in an equal way that I do it with the music. She could do it with performance.”
Another plus is the early running time. The party starts at 4 p.m. and ends at 10 p.m. on a Saturday, so you can have a full nightlife experience, go home, and crawl into bed by 11 p.m. or reset for another destination. The expectations and stakes aren’t quite as high as late-night events.
Unspeakable Joy deliberately avoids the typical nightclub atmosphere of backrooms and late-night excess. “You go because you know that you are going to dance the entire time,” James said. “That’s the whole point. I mean, parties with backrooms are great, but this just isn’t that party.”
The event has grown rapidly since its inception. James reports doubling attendance between the December and January parties, with the most recent event drawing 700 people. The Instagram account (@unspeakablejoynyc), which he calls “the engine behind the party,” has gained over 5,000 followers in just four months, with dazzling viral videos from the events helping spread awareness.
You’ll find no shortage of clips of the hunky host shirtless in the DJ booth, grinning and raising his fist triumphantly, grooving with the same verve as the crowd on the dance floor. The party will have its fourth edition on March 21 at 3 Dollar Bill.
Behind the scenes, James balances his party production with his day job as a program director at SiriusXM, where he serves as executive producer for Seth Rudetsky’s Broadway channel programming. He also maintains a busy touring schedule, with residencies at Eagle bars across the country, and he plans to tour the Unspeakable Joy concept.
For James, the party represents more than nostalgia — it’s a return to nightlife’s spiritual roots.
“I think that modern nightlife has gotten away from that kind of sound and that sentiment,” he said. “I credit a lot of the success of this party to bringing that feeling back again with this music and with this kind of vibe.”
The timing feels particularly significant given current political strife. James views the party as “an antidote to everything that is happening in the world right now.”
“If there is one contribution I can make to this world to counteract all of the evil that is going on, then this is it.” He emphasized the LGBTQ community’s fortitude: “We are nothing, if not resilient, as a people, as a culture, and as a community.”
James has not forgotten the root of his love of making people happy through music.
“So everything that you see from me — whether it’s on social media or if you come to my parties and hear me play — stems from that four-year-old child who won the Future DJ of America Award.”
Unspeakable Joy | 3 Dollar Bill | 260 Meserole St., Brooklyn | $30–$35; 4 p.m.–10 p.m. | Next event: March 21, 2026
