Culture & Community | Downtown | Music | Arts & Culture
All heads were turned to the front of the restaurant as Diana Ross’s voice escaped the speakers. Over the bright trill of trumpets and a funky bassline, she declared “I’m coming out! I want the world to know/ I got to let it show.” Guests swayed in their seats and tapped their toes, occasionally leaving behind napkins and half-finished drinks to get up and dance.
That sound came to the Luke Brasserie last Saturday night, as DJ Dana Game (a.k.a. New Havener Dana Cobbs) launched the restaurant’s inaugural DJ residency in the 261 College St. space. An artist, model, and lifelong lover of music, Cobbs said her goal is to bring a soul-feeding, heart-pumping, feet-on-the-dance floor fusion of music to patrons, turning the still-new brasserie into a musical odyssey.
“I believe that’s my job, musically, to put the finishing touches on the atmosphere,” she said Saturday, as she mixed genres and decades in a late evening set. She added that patrons will most likely find a song they recognize and are equally likely to dance, even if it’s just in their seat, at least once.
Music comes naturally to Dana Game, who grew up surrounded by hip hop in 1970s Bridgeport. After discovering dance at the age of three, she fell in love with breaks, beats, and the poetry of freestyle and dance battles—all fundamentals of early hip hop that still infuse her style today. Saturday, she remembered sharing that love with her dad: the breaks in his records were “the best and funkiest part to dance to,” and taught her that creativity could be a part of her career.
“It [music] touches me in a way that makes me crave more of it,” she said. When she's in the zone, it's her goal to pass along that feeling to those who see and hear her set—each transition is meant to leave listeners excited to see what’s next and how it’ll shift. So when The Luke reached out looking for a DJ, it seemed like a natural thing to do.
Saturday, she hopped styles, jumping from classic rock to pop to soul in a fluid, seamless motion. Hits like the Rolling Stones’ “I Miss You” bumped up against Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy.” The velvet voice of Al Green, urging people to stay together, fused with Barry Manilow’s musings on Lola and the Copacabana. Later in the evening, Madonna’s “La Isla Bonita” turned into “Adorn” by Miguel.
Around her, diners crowded around candlelit tables, sharing dishes like bacon with marjoram and preserved chestnut and strip steak with tender potatoes and parsnips. The space felt intimate but not exclusive, with music that flowed through the space as plates from Chef Vincent Chirico made their way out into the restaurant.
Food and music complemented each other: there was yellowfin tuna seared in a brown butter sauce alongside Lisa Stansfield’s “All Around the World,” Hamachi Crudo served to “More than a Woman” by the Bee Gees.
The venue, crowd, scene, and feel of the restaurant all “influences the ‘story,'” she is looking to tell her audience, Dana Game said. Her inspiration is “rooted in connection and community,” making the brasserie, nestled in the heart of New Haven, one that is ideal for her.
She loves the building’s architecture and cuisine, she added—as well as “its history, and what it would look like to reclaim a little of that.”
“I knew that I wanted to show other perspectives of music, I wanted to break new records, and I wanted to share alternatives to what was in heavy rotation on the radio,” she said before the end of the night.
Chirico, whose menu has become a downtown attraction in recent months, praised Dana Game’s launch of the residency.
“I’ve always thought dining should be a little more than just food and beverage,” he said. “The dinner party is an additional experience you can have at The Luke.”
DJ Dana Game’s next appearance at The Luke Brasserie, 261 College St. in New Haven, will take place Saturday Nov. 9 at 9 p.m. Nelani Mejias is an alum of the Arts Council’s Youth Arts Journalism Initiative or YAJI, which she did in 2019. A graduate of Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School, she is now a student at Southern Connecticut State University, where she is studying arts administration.