Manny Ward

Classic soulful house with warm vocal grooves and deep late-night energy

Manny Ward is a New York and Philadelphia based house DJ, producer, and remixer whose roots run to the golden era of New York City club culture. He began DJing in 1985 while stationed with the U.S. Air Force, playing the base parties before breaking into the New York scene. In the early 1990s Frankie Knuckles discovered and mentored him, and as Knuckles' protege he opened the famed Friday night residency at Sound Factory Bar, later taking over the club's second room outright. He went on to play main rooms at the Tunnel, Palladium, Roxy, and Twilo, and to release his own remixes and productions, several now regarded as classics. His sets center on warm, soulful, vocal-driven house, the sound he helped carry through decades of New York nightlife. He still DJs and produces today, appearing at intimate parties and homecoming nights across the city.