Drive By was started in July of 2000 as the first party in NYC dedicated solely to the UK Garage/2-step sound. It began as a once a month party in smaller venues (normally around 200 person capacity) in Manhattan. As the 2-step craze started to bubble in NYC, the party gained momentum and following, which led to taking a residency at NY's high Profile SPA.
Artful Dodger made a special guest appearance (debut US appearance) kicking off the first of what were to become legendary nights. Dinesh's night Drive By gained quick notoriety in New York City club land and he was asked to launch the Centro-fly's Pinky room, which he used to house Artful Dodger's NY record release party. Artful Dodger's appearance at Centro-fly attracted over 1500 club goers and written up in Time magazine, which is far from usual for an underground night.
Centro-fly was so impressed by the night, that Drive By took up a monthly residence in the club. High profile international artists became a mainstay of Drive By including: So Solid crew, MJ Cole, Stanton Warriors, Shut up and Dance, Karl Tuff Enuff Brown and Emma Feline, Zed Bias, Oris and J da, Deekline, Aquasky, Horsepower Productions, to name a few.
In July of 2001, Drive By hosted its one-year anniversary outdoors on Chelsea Piers' legendary Frying Pan venue. The venue was setup throughout both a ship and a pier and turned out to be one of the most reveled parties for Drive By. Headlined By Zed Bias, Deekline, MC Junior Red, and DJ Dinesh, the party attracted over 1000 party goers and received a full-page write in NY's Village Voice by Simon Reynolds. The party continued to build momentum at Centro-fly throughout the remainder of 2001, with both Artful Dodger and Stanton Warriors taking up a Drive By residency.
In the summer of 2002, Dinesh also began to promote 'HEAT' - the first ever free outdoor party in the Lower East side's Tompkins Square park, sponsored by Fader magazine and Circa footwear Set up with a sound system and set of turntables on a Saturday afternoon, the party featured UK Garage, Hip Hop and Dub. Featured acts included Benny Ill from Horsepower productions, Qool Marv from Fader and DJ's Dinesh and Greg Poole. The party attracted over 1000 people from all cross sections of NYC including parents with their kids, ravers, local Lower east siders and the Drive By regulars.
The second 'Heat' was held again in August in sponsored by Spiewak clothing and featured headliners included the Stanton Warriors, DJ Dinesh, and Ras Kush. The party went off to an excellent start, but was stopped short due to a torrential thunderstorm. The success of 2002 and the popularity of the 'Heat' parties led to a collaboration with New York's Triple 5 Soul clothing. Triple 5 Soul became the sole sponsor of Drive By and featured Dinesh in their fall advertising campaign, raising his profile as a DJ but also as a promoter. Drive By continues to push and evolve it's sound throughout 2003 featuring diverse talents such as Charlie Dark, Maddlsinky, Jay Da Flex and DND.
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