Broken Instruments Live, Volume 1:

On May 21st, 2020, amidst a global pandemic, like many other DJ’s, I performed my first online audio and video stream. I had been a guest on terrestrial radio shows and online radio shows before, but this was my first broadcast video performance. I wanted to properly represent United Sound, a brand which has always maintained the philosophy that lighting, deco, and effects, along with very intentional audio placement and lots of headroom, are the cornerstones of quality event production. Of course, this was a small, controlled environment, but I still broke out the disco ball, the par cans, the pin spots, the strobes, and the moving lights. Just like at a United Sound event, I wanted the room to look and sound beautiful. It did. 

India joined me and danced along to the music, and at times we danced together, which was awesome. She had something like six or seven wardrobe changes and that was just amazing to witness. Normally my social media is set to private, but for this event and for the week before I opened my account to the public, made a flier and advertised the event, and then shared with many friends and fans and asked them to share with theirs. The result was a shocking 6,000+ watches of the video. To be sure, some of that was the same people coming and going, but the number was still shocking. There were hundreds of wonderful comments left in the thread for both India and myself, and we just had an amazing time. 

Normally I never share live mixes. My DJ demos are worked on in my studio until they are perfect, but live mixes sometimes have little audio glitches or noise in the line or something that makes them so that I keep them to myself. I was in control of the recording this time around, and although there are a couple of places where there’s a millisecond or two of audio glitch, which you may not even notice, I still think it came out really well, especially considering that I was running three displays off-camera, monitoring the broadcast program, the Facebook feed to make sure I wasn’t getting shut down (I did, twice, but was back up in seconds), and watching the levels on the recording software. Given all of that, plus messing with the lights, all while performing the live set and interacting with India, it was a lot of work but also a load of fun. When I hear this mix, it brings me right back to that night, which felt like a party, because it was. 

This is “Broken Instruments Live, Volume 1” and it opens with Underground Sound of Lisbon’s “So Get Up” mixed with EN’s classic “Horn Ride,” keeps the vibe rollin’ with deep tribal/ Afro house & deep tech,  then later transitions into harder vocal house, closed out by new re-imaginings of two classics: Lil’ Louis’s “French Kiss” (one of my favorite house tracks of all time), along with an amazing remix of Rolando’s “Night of the Jaguar.” It’s a great snapshot of what I do live, and if you listen closely, you can hear me going back to my roots as a DJ, messing with the faders, the EQ’s, and sound effects. I had a blast!

Please listen, stream, download, share, and enjoy!

Broken Instruments Live, Volume 1 DJ Mix

Hello my friends,

It’s been more than a decade since I’ve released a new DJ demo. In that time I’ve released tracks on underground labels, live mixes, and older music that I wanted to get into continuous sets, but not a current DJ demo. The reason for that is a longer story for later. Here’s what’s happening now:

After leaving the East Coast and a brief stint in Denver, I am now firmly planted in Portland, OR. I am excited by what I see here, but I also see something missing. Taking what I’ve learned in 30 years of playing on and dancing inside of some of the best sound systems in America, I would like to offer something that I feel the need to keep alive, not just to honor the past, but because this is how our music is meant to be heard. The sound system I am working on will be Portland’s only four-stack + multi-point, all-analog surround sound system built specifically for house and techno, with a major intelligent lighting show to go with it. I will install the systems in the right room, using my contracting skillsets to alter the room itself to maximize the audio experience. I am also building the DJ booth of my dreams, which is to say that it will be like the legendary NYC booths (+ extras) so that I can have a new residency and offer DJ’s something special to play on. It will be filled with the most current Pioneer DJ equipment, a number of modified Technic 1200 MK2 turntables, and an all-analog modified Rane MP 2016 rotary mixer with an XP 2016 EQ to match. In lieu of the popular Pioneer mixers, which would alter the sound in an unfavorable way, I will offer multiple FX units and rotary crossovers for the DJ to control the whole sound system with. 

This DJ mix, titled “Release the Drums” is the kind of music that you can expect to hear at my particular events and is the name of the party to come. While I will manage the venue, I will welcome other DJ’s and promoters to host their own nights, but this is the stuff that I love the most, and as such, the new DJ mix is three hours long. Insane, right? Aside from special cases (radio, charity, promo, etc.), I don’t want to play short sets anymore, and I think a DJ needs room and time to tell their story. This is mine. Playing a mix of my favorite sub-genres of house, it starts with a deep new take on an old favorite, followed by a slow build to an extended high-energy crescendo, a sustained peak, and a gradual decrescendo toward what I call the long goodbye. I believe in purposeful beginnings, peaks and valleys following overall upward trajectories, and come-down periods followed by emotional send-offs. I believe in standing out. I believe in the power of music to bring people to tears of joy on the dance floor (and in the DJ booth). The DJ doesn’t do that alone; it takes a group of people to achieve this elevated consciousness, and I always give my all to the cause, whether it’s for a room full of people or the last person standing. I consider it an honor to play music for people during these moments and this is my take on what it might sound like.

For this journey from 120 to 125 BPM and back, I’ve gathered some of my favorite music from around the world. You’ll hear deep tribal/ Afro house, Balearic progressive house, Israeli epics, African and Latin percussion, techy vibes from Japan, England, and South America, robot voices, space echoes, emotive chants, power chords, acid stabs, deep brass (my ode to disco without playing “disco”), driving bass lines, hypnotic breaks, a touch of techno, a nod to my NYC roots with a visit from Busta Rhymes making a cameo on a harder house offering, and deep vocal house to say goodbye. 

I uploaded a WAV file for the highest fidelity, so if you download it (for free), it’ll be almost 2 gigs of data! Of course you can stream it here, but there’s a huge difference in quality from 128 kbps MP3 streaming to over 1,400 kbps WAV playback. Either way: stream, download, listen, enjoy! 

Thank you for decades of support. I Love you so much!

Release The Drums: A Three Hour DJ Demo

There's a long and beautiful story about my friend Jason (RIP) attached to this DJ Mix. It's too long for Soundcloud's web permissions so I am including a Google document link so you can click it and read about the music and all the stories about Jason. Here it is: 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h0HuvYmLROEVH1yhK9Cc80EqCookbcmB/view?usp=sharing

Here's the track list. It's mostly music made from 1991 to 1996 - the golden era of raves and super clubs in NYC: 

Track 1. Green Velvet – Original Preacher Man Intro
Track 2.  Johnny Viscious – Believe This 
Track 3. X-Press 2 – London X-Press
Track 4. Lectroluv – Dream Drums – All Over Sound Factory Mix
Track 5. Aphrohead – In The Dark We Live
Track 6. Josh Wink – Don’t Laugh
Track 7. Green Velvet – Flash (Original Mix)
Track 8. D.H.S. – House of God (1991 Original Italian Mix)
Track 9. Rozzo – Into Your Space
Track 10. Josh Wink – I Am Ready
Track 11. Lil’ Mo Yin Yang – Reach (Little More Mix)
Track 12. Josh Wink – Higher State of Consciousness
Track 13. God Within – Out of Body Experience (Rabbit in the Moon Burning Spear Mix)
Track 14. Goldie – Inner City Life (Rabbit in the Moon Remix)
Track  15. God Within – Raincry (Submerged Mix)
Track 16. Charles “Chuck” Acquisto – The Light (London Mix)
Track 17. Underworld – Rez	
Track 18. Delerium feat. Mimi Page - Absolution

From Avenel with Love: A DJ Mix For Jason G

The Dead are Alive in this horror-inspired Tech House tune. A moving, groovy bassline, a feverish synth lead, classic 909 drums, and radio broadcasts of verbal warning make this a danceable, easy-to-mix, dark, and overall fun track!

Dead FM Full Version

This progressive tribal number was inspired by the days, nights, and next days spent at Twilo and Crobar in NYC, but with an updated work-over. This is music made for DJ's by a DJ - and made for large sound systems.

Back On Beat *Sample*

This energetic breakbeat is my ode to old school Rave tunes that I grew up listening to. It's strictly a pleasure piece that I made for myself to play, but if you like the sample and want the full version, I'll be happy to send it to you.

In The Beginning *Sample*

This DJ Mix was the first mass/ factory-produced cassette tape that I made for promotional purposes. I remember calling Smitty over at Media Tape International to talk about the duplication process and design options. He was a real character and a great guy to work with. I took this tape down to the Winter Music Conference in 1998 or 1999 and it was met with surprising success. It got me my first West Coast DJ booking, playing the outdoor area at an indoor/ outdoor Rave in San Bernardino, CA. The party was called Time, and Skylab 2000 was the headliner. I started playing just as the smallest glimpse of light was visible on the horizon. With the desert at my back, I played my heart out while the sun rose behind me and people danced into the daylight. It was an amazing experience, and this mix tape will always remind me of that party. 

An accurate depiction of the Progressive House and Breakbeat records that I was spinning at the time, this tape was mixed live on two Technic 1200 MK2 turntables and a Rane MP24 Mixer, using two Community CSX 35's as monitors. It's one hour long, and although I recorded the master onto DAT, the cassettes had a break during the turnover (for obvious reasons), which you will hear. I lost the DAT long ago, but recently reacquired a cassette from an old friend, so this is a reproduction of that. It's a true view into the sounds heard on progressive dance floors all over the world at that time in history. Listen, Download, Share, Enjoy!

United Sound DJ Mix - 1998 or 1999

This DJ Mix, which I made in 2005 or 2006, is a reflection of some of the time I spent living in NYC, when I was working for two electronic dance music distributors, one vinyl, one CD, which is a paradox in itself. Sasha and Sander Kleinenberg had residencies at Crobar, I was there a LOT, and much of the music within reflects what I was hearing. The song "Stupid" by Sarah McLachlan was included to represent the inner turmoil I was facing (the lyrics state "everything changes; everything falls apart"). Vinyl was dying, my career had an end date, and Sasha was making Ableton and "playing the computer" a very popular choice for DJ's. Thus, as I slowly gave way to digital mediums, this mix is the first that I made predominantly from music that I downloaded and didn't record from a vinyl record (I think only two of these tracks were from vinyl). Two of my three original tracks in the mix were directly inspired by what I heard on those amazing nights on that amazing and now forgotten, massive sound system. The third is the emotional closing tune "The Light," which I've played more times than I can remember and is one of the works I am most proud of having penned (still unreleased).

As of this writing, September 5, 2019, I thought it would be appropriate to post now, at the end of summer, when I am going through some major transformative changes once again. It represents one of many amazing snippets of time in my life, and it accurately reflects what I was feeling at the time. 

Stream, Download, Listen, Enjoy! 

1. DJ Ralph "N" Jo - Backdraft("horn" sample only) 
2. Andre Krami Feat. Schad Privat - Safari (James Holden Remix)
3. James Zabiela - Robophobia
4. DJ Ralph "N" Jo - Backdraft
5. Chuck Acquisto - Back on Beat
6. Chuck Acquisto - Without A Voice
7. Depeche Mode - Behind The Wheel (White Label Remix)
8. Moby - Lift Me Up (Mylo Remix)
9. The Killers - Mr. Brightside (Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Remix)
10. Sarah McLachlan -  Stupid (Hyper Remix)
11. Chuck Acquisto - The Light (London Mix)

68 Minutes of Summer

68 Minutes of Summer DJ MIX

“Disco Soul” is part 3 of 4 retro DJ Mixes that I am making for two reasons: to pay homage to my inspirations, and to record some of my favorite music into a continuous DJ Mix.  This mix incorporates Disco, Funk, Soul, Deep House, and Freestyle into one 65 minute journey. I grew an appreciation for these styles of music in a bit of a backwards way. I was introduced to the culture of dance music through Raves and night clubs in the early 90’s, listening to Techno and House. It was only through these events that I wound up listening to DJ’s who played an eclectic mix of the styles and songs that set it off years earlier. I have since become fascinated with the history and evolution of dance music, especially in NYC. Disco Soul is my version of what songs are important to me in that expansion and evolution. From my days of break dancing on the dance floor of the Roxy, to the after-hours events where I heard deeper sounds, to the Sundays I spent at Body & Soul, to the earlier days of radio before I could get in to any club – these are the tunes that I listened to along the way.


Calling this a “Disco” mix is a bit of a misnomer, but actually accurate. Before Disco became a genre, the word itself referred not to a style, but simply “The Disco” or Discotech(e) aka nightclub. The fact is that all sorts of music were played at these venues – Funk, Soul, Rock, Jazz, and Pop. While not all of the tracks on this mix are from “back in the day”, This DJ Mix attempts to catch that “anything goes” vibe, and strays away from pigeonholes.  


By virtue of the way in which some of this music is produced, a few tracks were never made to be “mixed”. Meaning, they weren't perfectly crafted on a drum machine or sequencer to fall into time mathematically. Those tracks posed a special challenge for me in the mixing, and I really enjoyed the process. You will also hear beautiful record noise, as most of this music was recorded from Vinyl - my favorite, if perfect medium. Enjoy!


Track List:


1.	The Bee Gees – “Jive Talkin’”
2.	The Bucketheads – “Got Myself Together”
3.	Freaky Chakra – “Transcendental Funk Bump”
4.	Sandals – “Feet” – Wrong Side Of Town Mix
5.	Dubtribe – “Mother Earth”
6.	Twin Hype – “Do It To The Crowd” – Dub Mix
7.	Shannon – “Let The Music Play”
8.	George Kranz – Din Da Da
9.	Fleetwood Mac – “Lies” – Jellybean Benitez Remix
10.	Simon – “Free At Last”
11.	Lil’ Louis – “French Kiss”


Classic Series # 3 - Disco Soul DJ MIX

This is my first DJ demo in 8 years and a reflective mix of a set I played on Halloween 2019. My last demo was released in 2011, and in 2012 I had my last paying gig, as that’s when I started Lyme treatment. I had to take a LOT of time off from everything, work and music included, focusing on my health. I was treated until 2016 and have since been in remission from a disease that rendered me unable to move the way I used to, unable to remember words I had been saying my whole life, unable to write, use a fork, understand directions, and yes – how to use DJ equipment. When I was really sick, I remember going on stage at The Sullivan Room in NYC to take the decks, and when I looked at the equipment it was as if I’d never seen it before. Mind you, not only had I played there previously, but I fucking WORKED THERE, in the DJ booth, up to 5 nights a week, setting this gear up week-after-week, and I forgot what it was. The break was necessary and so was lots of medicine.

Late in 2017 I started to play music again, as I was normal as normal gets after something like that. Music had changed a lot since 2012 and so had I. It wasn’t long until my need to create came out to play, but in a healthier way. I was producing music and had three releases on The Seed record label – 5 originals and a remix for Sandra Collins & Micke, all under my CB Radio moniker. I was listening to a lot of techno but I dove into every genre, wanting to rediscover what “my sound” was. I listened to tens of thousands of tracks and picked up maybe 2% of them, if that. I’m picky and I don’t do filler. I found myself gravitating towards tribal progressive house with acid elements, techno vibes, and world music influences. Before, I often found myself catering to crowds that wanted something else, playing a lot of vocal house, progressive house that appealed to the scene at the time, and breakbeats when I could get away with it. Now gone from NJ and NYC and away from residencies of parties’ past, I get to play what I want.

As mentioned, on Halloween I threw a party where I played a 6 hour set. This mix isn’t just a new demo, but bits of my set from Halloween that I picked to put on tape. It’s not a recording from that night, but a 2-hour recall of the highlights. When left to my own devices, and without the need to squeeze a set into 60, 80, or 90 minutes (cassettes and CD’s), this is what came out naturally. Being an honest reflection of October 31st, 2019, Samhain has a few of my older favorites but mostly new music. It’s a mix of visceral tribal/ afro house, deep tech, and acid-dipped progressive house that takes a bit more from the techno side of things than from the trance side. It's worth mentioning that I do a deep house thing and I still love breakbeats, but not on this mix. That’s for daytime parties, beachfront jams, afternoons on rooftops or in parks, and Sundays at home. This is not that. This is what you could expect to hear from me in a dark room with psychedelic lighting and effects highlighting the peaks and valleys of this wicked music, preferably played on a four-point surround sound system. The first half is what I might do as an opener or in a supportive role. The second half is an example of prime-time play.

Tracklist:

1.	Lunar Plane – Children of Rain
2.	Coes – Elysian
3.	Space Motion – Esto Es Tulum
4.	Layo & Bushwacka – The Time Was Then
5.	Mihai Popoviciu – Transitions (Bootleg Mix)
6.	Moscoman & The Organism – Rite (Extended Mix)
7.	Space Motion + Kashovski + Idd Aziz – Hingo
8.	Space Motion – Unihorn
9.	Maceo Plex – Solar Detroit
10.	Fuenka – Yantra (Extended Mix)
11.	Damon Jee – Chamaniac
12.	Damon Jee – Ride Alone
13.	Beckers & D-Nox – Polyacid
14.	Stan Kolev – Ananda (Dub Mix)
15.	Subandrio + Stan Kolev + Matan Kaspi – Empire (Subandrio Mix)
16.	ARTBAT – Upperground
17.	Sandra Collins & Micke – Zero Logic (Chuck as CB Radio’s Chop Top Mix)
18.	Rufus – Innerbloom (HOSH Remix)
19.	Rufus – Innerbloom (Original Mix)

Samhain DJ MIX

This 100% Breakbeat DJ Mix was created a long time ago but never shared. I didn't want to be pigeonholed as ONLY a breaks DJ, so I always included house in my demos, even though I've been asked to play 100% breakbeat sets at times. Anyway, these are older, mostly from 12" vinyl with a couple of tracks that were among my earliest digital purchases. Tracklist:

1. Dusky - Skin Deep (Global Communication Remix)
2. Moshic - The Myth of Osiris
3. John Creamer & Stephane K - I Wish You Were Here
4. The Modifiers - Take Me Higher
5. Yum Yum - Glass House
6. Electroliners - Loose Caboose
7. Metro LA - To A Nation Rockin' (Short Mix)
8. Dubpistols - There's Going To Be A Riot
9. Anoesis - Trouble Down
10. Sol Brothers - That Elvis Track
11. Meat Katie + Christian J - Turn Me Out - (Dylan Rhymes Remix)
12. Mesmer - Whenever You Want Me
13. Mike Koglin - The Silence (Tekara Mix)

Broken Little Pieces DJ MIX

Transcendental Meditation

“Transcendental Meditation” is the fourth and final retro DJ Mix that I have made for two reasons: To pay homage to my inspirations and to record some of my favorite music into one long, continuous DJ Mix as it might be heard on the dance floor. With its electronic synthesis, organic groove, and ethereal voices, Trance and Progressive House tap into the most primal senses, taking us for a ride on both an extra-sensory and earthly level. 

From my Raving days in the early 90’s, to my many endless nights @ NYC’s Twilo; From the magic of Ibiza to the amazing events in South America that I have both played and danced at, I have been touched on a very Spiritual level by Electronic Dance Music, especially Trance. This is my offering and compilation of some of the stand-out selections I’ve listened to along the way. 

A condensed reflection of what I might have played on the tail end of a peak slot, all the way through closing, Transcendental Meditation starts out Epic and Deep, gets very up-front and strong quickly into the mix, gradually goes light, then dark and forlorn, then up high again, moving ever deeper toward the final moments. 

Those pops and clicks you hear occasionally – that’s the sound of Vinyl, my favorite but imperfect medium. Having taken meticulously good care of my records, those little blips are little pieces of Love from having played the records so many times. 

I hope you all have enjoyed these retro DJ Mixes as much as I enjoyed making them. 

Keep On Dancin’

Track List:

1.	Unionjack – “Two full Moons and A Trout” – Caspar Pound Mix
2.	Unionjack – “Two full Moons and A Trout” – Original Mix
3.	Escape – “Cascades Part 2”
4.	Breeder – “Twilo Thunder”
5.	Rebirth – “Pure”
6.	BT – “Mercury & Solace”
7.	Pete Lazonby – “Sacred Cycles”
8.	Humate – “3.2” – Bedrock Mix
9.	Underworld – “Jumbo” – Francois K. & Rob Rives Remix
10.	Lustral – “Everytime”


Charles Acquisto - Classic Series # 4 - Transcendental Meditation DJ MIX

I am a New Jersey native who grew up in the NYC club and early rave scene, now living in Portland, OR I’m digging back into my roots, working on the region’s only all-analog surround-sound system built for underground dance music, and an intelligent lighting rig to go with it. 

I have been involved in the underground dance community since 93, immediately being introduced to the behind-the-scenes operations at my first event. I started DJing and hosting nights in 95, doing my best to offer something of quality and positivity to a culture that has provided me with so much.

In the early years, aside from DJing I ran sound and programmed lights for a ton of Raves, nightclubs and lounges. Owning a sound system let me travel and put together a lot of great parties in the area. I produced, hosted, and performed at fund-raiser events to raise awareness and dollar support for The Kailo Mantua Art Center, as well as for RAINN - the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, founded by Tori Amos. In around the year 2000, I sold my original sound system and lights to build a studio, which ushered in two decades of music production and expression as an artist that continues today.

I am thankful to have played at some amazing events around the world and in different cities here in the US. I find that even in countries where we know not a lick of each others' languages, once that music starts, it's a common language that let's us all communicate on every sensory level. I can't say that I have any one favorite place to play but New York has been my musical home and I truly Love the underground community that I've watched grow from the NASA era through now. The love and acceptance that I learned there now accompanies me in my new home of Portland, OR. There were many before me, there will be many after. What's important to me and indeed to us is to welcome newcomers, not alienate them, and continue to spread the music and the special vibe that comes with it.

Charles (Chuck) Acquisto

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