LEATHERETTE #002 - Music by Phil Kieran 22/12/22

smart mix 69: @songleader

producer, dj and vocalist extraordinaire Mr. White was the obvious choice for smart mix number 69.  you've probably heard him singing alongside collaborator and house legend Larry Heard or rocking the decks at smartbar. here Mr. White delivers over an hour of infectious grooves, laden with sultry house vocals.

check out Mr. White's foundation of choice and consider donating: https://dancesafe.org

Smart Mix 69: Mr. White

Swayzak (12/3/23)

"We were doing parties in Staten Island that were completely packed; Manhattan didn't want anything to do with us." Three New York visionaries discuss the city's '90s heyday.

'90s nightlife in New York conjures images of Party Monster, jacking disco house and a rotating cast of mega clubs that saw thousands of revellers pass through their doors each weekend. From Limelight and Sound Factory to Palladium and countless others, clubbing was hitting its stride in New York, while producers like Joey Beltram, Frankie Bones and Damon Wild were producing game-changing 12-inches. But it was also the beginning of a decline, catalysed by the rollout of Mayor Rudy Giuliani's discriminatory policies that slowly gutted the club scene and the communities that called it home. 

To honour Resident Advisor's partnership with Wire Festival in Brooklyn this weekend, we're revisiting a panel recorded at our 24/7 party at Nowadays in 2018. We tasked the beloved Brooklyn fanzine Love Injection with presenting discussions covering five decades of dance music history. In this panel, Strictly Rhythm cofounder Gladys Pizarro, DJ and producer Lenny Dee and drag superstar and vogue performer Kevin Aviance spoke with journalist (and former RA staffer) Max Pearl about the rise and fall of the city's club scene during its golden decade. They also discussed how the city was sequestered, forcing many artists at the vanguard of '90s-era techno to make music and throw their own parties as the scene grew and shifted beneath the weight of city-wide reforms.

"We were doing parties in Staten Island that were completely packed; Manhattan didn't want anything to do with us," said Lenny D. "So when we were doing it, we were making parties out in Brooklyn. A lot of music at that time was made here in Brooklyn—Joey Beltram, Frankie Bones, Tommy Musto, Damon Wild. So we had this scene where we're making great music, but no one's letting us play, so we're just going to do it ourselves." 

Listen to the episode in full.

EX.661 New York Nightlife In The '90s

X-Press 2 are DJ Diesel and DJ Rocky. They need little introduction to be frank.

Two pioneers of UK House music who released some of the most influential records of the 90’s and 2000’s when Dance music might have been at its very biggest and frankly coolest. A lot of the music they released back then has stood the test of time – whether it be singalong classics like ‘Lazy’ featuring the voice of David Byrne or a classic Junior Boy’s Own Cut like ‘The Sound’. Their music still bangs loudly in clubs all over the world to this very day and in all honesty they remain two of the most interesting and committed to House music in the game.

All of this made it even more exciting when we were sent over a copy of their firth album upcoming on Acid Jazz. The pair describe the forthcoming record:

“We’re so excited to be releasing ‘Thee’ with Acid Jazz. It’s been a long time coming, and some of the tracks have been with us for around ten years now. So it’s fantastic to finally get them finished and pulled together with a bunch of new tunes to form an entirely new album.”

The new album is a testament to their ability to adapt and weave their sound into new interpretations of style and genre. The record is a playful collection of floor fillers and grooves which are highly addictive. Reminiscent of some of the greatest X-Press moments.

This mix shows us that they remain just as classy as ever.

RA.427 Luke Abbott

Resident Advisor