Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
New Video Shows James Murphy's Musical Subway Turnstile In The Lowline
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jul 7, 2016
Modified Jul 7, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jul 7, 2016
Modified Jul 7, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Former NY Gov. David Paterson and James Murphy attend a Heineken party on June 23, 2015 in NYC. (Getty)
It's been a long road for James Murphy and his musical subway turnstile. While the LCD Soundsystem frontman and wine bar operator hoped to bring the turnstiles—which feature a pleasant sound when you swipe your MetroCard—to the subway system, the MTA told us last year, "we won't mess with them—much less take the turnstiles out of service and risk disabling them for an art project.” With a little help from Heineken, however, he will be able to install them in the Lowline, an underground park that isn't quite finished yet.
We learned about this development last year, when Ralph Rijks, vice president of marketing at Heineken USA, declared: "We're excited to give visitors a chance to try out the Subway Symphony project in this stunning environment."
The new news on all of this is that Murphy and luxury lifestyle website Nowness have now produced a precious video, narrated by Nancy Whang, to promote the Subway Symphony project further, and put it into context with the Lowline.
"For centuries people from around the world have made the Lower East Side their home," Whang declares, going on to describe the park—whose board includes investment bankers, CEOs, real estate developers, and a former SVP at Brookfield Properties—as an experimental project that brings many species of plants to an abandoned space in the area. An area that many, actually, can no longer afford to call their home. As pointed out by the Awl's Kevin Sweeting last year, "What seems left unconsidered is how it would fit into the future of a changing Lower East Side — and whose priorities 'the world’s first underground park' would service."
Here's a look at what money can buy:
Tagged
James Murphy
lcd soundsystem
lowline
subway symphony
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," says the co-owner of Art of Play.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 13, 2026
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
Thanks to Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian, Timothée Chalamet and more, the rideshare program is having a moment.
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Arts & Entertainment
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
Thanks to Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian, Timothée Chalamet and more, the rideshare program is having a moment.
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
By
James Ramsay
What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.
By
Jayson Greene
Inside a photographer's journey to visit every neighborhood in New York City
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .