In the flash of a strobe light, The Muses, a.k.a. Daniel Walters and Jack James Busa, have erupted as Warholian Superstars in New York’s exciting new nightlife universe. ALEXANDER HANKIN reports.
PHOTOGRAPHS by LANDON NORDEMAN
A Youthquake is erupting in New York. The sprawling lobby of the Whitney Museum pulses and vibrates. The stylist phenom Micaela Erlanger spins—her mirrored mini dress catching beams of light from the disco ball overhead. OG nightlife It Girl Dianne Brill, all va-va-voom in a red Jessica Rabbit-esque dress, throws her long arms in the air. It’s all very Warhol 2.0.
At the center of the explosive scene are Daniel Walters and Jack James Busa, the duo known as The Muses. The pair command the DJ booth and stage like their own VIP room. The fashion designer Jill Stuart jumps up to tell the boys (clad in head-to-toe, black and white lace, feathers and polka dots) that they look “absolutely fabulous.” In a New York minute, the city’s newest nightlife princes have begun their reign.
“They create a world where the party is the only place to be. The Muses don’t just DJ a party. They transform it.” -Bronson van Wyck
“They are true icons of New York’s creative spirit,” Stuart tells Avenue. “They’re reigniting the magic of the city’s nightlife—bringing back its energy, soul and sophistication. And their music is electrifying.” Brill, her hair a shock of platinum, nods with approval. “They’re a cultural movement,” she says. “Jack and Daniel are artists. They make you feel cooler because you’re here.” The current maestro of event planning, Bronson van Wyck, agrees. “The Muses don’t just DJ a party. They transform it. They’re entertainers who are utterly magnetic and unstoppable. They create a world where the party is the only place to be.”
A few days later, I’m hosting a football party for a group of fabulous friends that know absolutely nothing about the sport. Mischa Barton is here and so is Meredith Marks of Real Housewives fame. I serve my version of game day chips and salsa: champagne and caviar. Walters and Busa make a dramatic entrance to Donna Summer’s “Love to Love You Baby.”
I pull the boys towards a couch and Walters tells me that he moved to New York to model when he was eighteen. Bored with the job after a few fashion weeks in Milan and elsewhere, he worked his way from intern to editor-in-chief of Joonbug, a digital nightlife destination. “I was yearning for something more than just beautiful faces and runways,” he reveals. Meanwhile, Busa had moved to Liverpool, also at eighteen, from Austin, Texas to pursue acting. His agent told him to relocate to either Los Angeles or New York City. “I always wanted to be like Debbie Harry from Blondie,” he says. “It had to be New York.”
Busa met Walters at a modeling shoot. “He was like a beautiful alien,” Busa gushes, his blue eyes glowing. It was love at first sight, and soon after, a creative partnership. “I was desperate to perform,” Walters says. Busa chimes in, “And I thought DJing was a side gig for cool kids that loved vinyl. I had no clue how large this world was, but Daniel believed we could become something big.”
Et voila, The Muses were born.
“Our sound is disco noir—sexy and captivating,” Busa explains. “People want to escape reality, and we provide that. Art and creativity can change communities.” The Muses have played with Questlove and Ellie Goulding, and at New York City hotspots Indochine and Casa Cruz. Their following in New York City is growing more massive by the minute. “They are the kind of artists that merge music, entertainment and fashion in a way I haven’t seen for quite some time,” says actor Michael Imperioli.
“People want to escape reality. We provide that.” – Jack James Busa
The Muses’ otherworldly, haute-couture fashion looks are inspired by art history and Greek mythology, not to mention David Bowie, Grace Jones and Cher. “We’ve got the ancient and the alien stitched together,” Busa says, “often with eight-inch platform shoes.” Walters gazes out the window at the view of the Hudson River, punctuated by stacks of skyscrapers. “We don’t take ourselves too seriously,” he points out. “The goal is to get everyone dancing—freeing them from their worries. But we’re more than DJs. We envision becoming a creative powerhouse—a blend of music, fashion and film.”
Busa and Walters excitedly tell me about their upcoming EP, to be released this fall. “It’s a different world from rock and roll,” says Busa. “The orchestral elements and cinematic sounds are pushing us to new frontiers.”
If the album is anything like the Youthquake they’ve erupted in New York, The Muses are destined to have a smash hit. “They’re the life of the party,” declares jazz musician Brian Newman. “If you’re not dancing, it’s your fault.”
