Herbert Holler (born January 4th,1976) is a New York City disc jockey, party producer, promoter and NYC nightlife icon. He has performed at the most notable lounges, bars, and dance clubs in NYC nightlife history, from Wall Street to Brooklyn and the Bronx, all the way to Tokyo, Venice and London.

Herbert works with high profile clients, world-renown artists and event-production teams, and continues to spin some of the most celebrated annual events in NYC. In 2003, he created The Freedom Party ®, the longest-running old-school dance party in NYC history, playing hits from the 1970s to early-2000s, ranging from hip-hop, R&B, pop and disco to rock, reggae, Latin and house music.

When Herbert was a kid, his father would dance him to sleep to Queen, Styx, Chicago, Meatloaf and Electric Light Orchestra. Herbert ended up memorizing every word to every song off ELO’s “Out of the Blue.” The first tape he purchased with his own money was Run DMC’s “Raising Hell.” Herbert’s passion for nightclubs also came from his father, who was the Food and Beverage Manager at Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ, in the ‘80s, a time when the casino strips were filled with fur coats, pearl necklaces and big Cadillacs. Herbert clocked in more hours at resorts than some of the staff, soaking in the sights, sounds and even smells of a bustling, electric, music-driven nightlife.

In grade school, Herbert was the class clown, which led to a few school suspensions. He enjoyed making people smile and thought he would make a good Psychiatrist. He attended NYU College of Arts and Sciences from 1994-1998, graduating with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Creative Writing.

His first DJ gigs were in the living room at his house down the Jersey Shore. He’d host house parties and play music from a stereo behind his parents’ bar. When he got to NYU, Herbert started deejaying for the Zeta Psi Fraternity Phi Chapter, located on the sixth-floor loft at 3-5 Washington Place in Greenwich Village. They threw huge keg dance parties attended by thousands of undergrads, most of which Herbert promoted to via flyering on campus. In 2000, after having promoted dance parties for other labels and organizers for several years, he wanted to take his deejaying and mixing skills to the next level. Borrowing money from family, he bought a Technics 1200 turntable from friends at Turntablelab.com and started collecting vinyl. (His first purchase was the Crusaders’ “Street Life,” from King George’s Record Shop on Essex Street on the Lower East Side, NYC. Other early additions to the collection included most of the Rawkus Entertainment catalog, where he worked part-time.) A second turntable and a mixer was added, and Herbert started to really practice his craft. Eventually, he landed his first gig at DJ Erika Hamilton’s Tuesday-night affair at Bar XVI in downtown Manhattan’s East Village, opening for Evil D of legendary Black Moon/Beatminerz fame.

Herbert has been a writer since age 6. Some of his poetry has been published, not-to-mention a whole host of reviews of music albums, NYC restaurants and NYC events for now-defunct online guides (Sidewalk.com, Citysearch.com, Crushguide.com and Modo), New York Magazine, Paper Magazine, Time Out, YRB, the Source, Fridge Magazine, Turntablelab.com and more. In 2021, Herbert finished his memoir, “My Son, the DJ,” a recounting of his life and the events that both led up to him deciding to go full-time as a DJ and almost leaving the industry altogether.

The Freedom Party® is the longest running old-school dance party in NYC history! Created in 2003, Freedom’s purpose is to bring joy to people from all walks of life, together, on one dance floor, playing mostly hits from the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s, be it hip-hop, R&B, pop, rock, reggae, disco, Latin or house. Freedom fills its dance floor with folks of all ethnicities, races, creeds and colors, from all over the world, looking to have fun, celebrate life, make new friends and be free. In 2010, Freedom won Papermag's award for "Best Party (Peoples Choice),” and received an honorable mention in URB Magazine’s "Best Party" nationwide. In 2015, Freedom won Village Voice’s highly coveted award for “Best Dance Party.” In 2020, Freedom celebrated its 800th party with a sold-out show at Live Nation’s Irving Plaza. Freedom has held residencies in other cities as well, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Atlanta, DC, Cleveland and Tokyo. It continues to touch down in these markets and others, bringing a unique, extraordinary energy and vibe to each and every sold-out dance floor. The Freedom Party® NYC, now cruising through its 18th year, continues to sell out highly sought-after events each month. The list of legendary dance destinations includes anniversary celebrations at Central Park Summerstage, “One Step Beyond” at the American Museum of Natural History, Midsummer Night Swing at Lincoln Center, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Spring Gala, First Saturdays at the Brooklyn Museum, Celebrate Brooklyn at Brooklyn Bridge Park and many more. Thousands of people are in attendance at these events.

Herbert created My House™ in the early aughts, a brand for him to express his love for deep house music. He gave away thousands of CDs at some of underground house music’s biggest events (Winter Music Conference and Body & Soul) with the trademark picture of his mother on his childhood home’s front porch. Now a recognizable brand in its own right, that same picture graces flyers for sold-out parties Herbert Holler spins downtown NYC with other, highly-regarded house-music DJs like Bradford James (Seed Recordings), Kervyn Mark (Melting Pot), Lou Gorbea (River Ocean) and many more.

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