[1] In the last three months of 1993 and early 1994, The Cooler shows featured New York City percussionists Milton Cardona, Mino Cinelu, Gato Nego, Patato Valdez, Manolo Badrena, Sammy Figueroa, Juju House as well as performances by Chocolate Armenteros, Gnawan musicians Hassan Hakmoun and Brahim Fribgane.
Gil Scott Heron, Amiri Baraka, Reggie Workman,[2] Arto Lindsay, Patato Valdez, John Lurie, Papa Jube, Dewey Redman, Gunter Hampel, David Tronzo, Rubén Blades and Ronald Shannon Jackson all performed during this period.
The Cooler's September Artist register read as follows: Jessamine, Cibo Matto,[3] Cake Like, Silkworm, The August Sons, Thurston Moore & Derek Bailey, Alex Chilton, Circle X, Billy Bang, The Roots, Lunachicks, Guv'ner, Carbon, Ben Neill, Medeski Martin & Wood, The Chrome Cranks, Demi Semi Quaver, DJ Olive, DJ Spooky with Danny Blume and Ben Perowsky doing Monday nights.
Artist bills included Charlie Hunter, The Fugees, Soul Coughing, MMW, Trouble Funk, WE, Ben Neill, The Slackers, SubDub, Busta Rhymes, Soulive, and Skavoovie & The Epitones.
Roxanne Semadeni curated hoofer shows at this time as well with Tina Pratt, Gregory Hines, Buster Brown, Lon Chaney, Jimmy Slyde and Savion Glover.
In March 1995, Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth curated a month of Mondays with Male Slut, The Rock*A*Teens, Chan Marshall, Loren Mazzacane Connors and Dirty Three's American debut.
Discord and DC bands Slant 6, The Warmers, Ted Leo's Chisel and Make-Up were seen on weekends as well as Baltimore's Candy Machine, Railroad Jerk and Jonathan Fireater.
Other Monday nights in 1995 featured Spanish Fly, David Shea, Gary Lucas, Christian Marclay, Chocolate Genius, Douce Gimlet, Beekeeper, Cat Power, William Hooker, White Out,[9] Rudolph Grey, Ram Umbus, Smoke, Sleepyhead, Maggie Estep, Queen Esther, Two Dollar Guitar, Harvey Sid Fisher and No-Neck Blues Band.
Throughout 1996, Guest artists included Rasputina, Labradford, Blonde Redhead,[12] Bush Tetras, Sulfur, Cake Like, The Monorchid, Congo Norvel, The Spitters, Bloodloss and other weekend shows with Roy Ayers, Prince Paul, Hassan Hakmoun, Los Cubano Postisos, Mephiskapheles, Princess Superstar, James Chance, The Last Poets, and Amiri Baraka.
February included Marc Ribot, Bashir Atar, Vernon Reid, David Tronzo, and Don Byron and the month ending with another chapter of Ian Svenonius' Famous Monsters Revue.
San Francisco's Thinking Fellars Union hosted the November 14 and 15 with openers Silver Apples, The Tower Recordings, and Danielson Family.
EDM bookings included Talvin Singh, Alec Empire, Bhom Shankar, WE, Scarab, Quantyk, Blackalicious, Junkie XL, Silver Apples and DJs Rekha, Sage, Tony Touch and Spooky.
March featured Sonny Fortune / Rashied Ali Duo, Dj Prince Paul, Grand Wizzard Theodore, Kid, Knoxville Girls and anti-Pop Consortium.
Performances in April, May, and June presented Dieselboy, Vernon Reid and Suphala, A Guy Called Gerald, Pansonic, Acid Mothers Temple, Riz Maselen, Eszter Balint, Mocean Worker, Easy Allstars, and The Ruby Dare.
October billings featured Ben Neill and Si*Sé, Mutamasik, Cheb I Sabbah, and Banco de Gaia and a later show with Challenge of the Future, Heroine Sheiks and The Special Pillow.
Thurston Moore & Rashied Ali with The Tower Recordings and Calla on December 11 and the millennium New Year's show with Gil Scott Heron and Roy Ayers Ubiquity.
In early 2000, The Cooler and many downtown music venues had numerous problems with "the Dance Police" who were trying to accommodate Mayor Giuliani's vision of the "Cabaret Law"[18][19] and this altered operating potential and programming.
The club went onward with an Augustus Pablo Tribute with Easy All-Stars, Delroy Williams and Black Redemption on February 19 and other winter shows.
In The Cooler's final days, on Saturday May 12, Jim Carroll played with Lenny Kaye with the openers: The Secret Machines and Lee Ranaldo.
Acts featured on the Monday Nite Series included Cat Power, Dirty Three, Make-Up, Sandy Bull, Blonde Redhead, Elliott Smith, Ira Cohen, Charles Gayle, Beck, Rashied Ali, Arthur Doyle and Motherhead Bug.
The latter parties featured DJ Rekha's Mutiny Asian Underground Drum n Bass night, Koncrete Jungle, The Lyricist Lounge, Ghetto Roots, SoundLab, The Egg, Vampyros Lesbos, Direct Drive and The Bounce.