Eclectic electronic/acoustic producer, composer, guitarist and multimedia artist.

You can watch an audiovisual of my work here www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UCbl-BrCxE&ab_channel=CelseyMcFadden

I have released with BMG, Zest, Deep East, Diatribe, Jump, Traum Shallplatten, Covery, Mostar records and Sony/ATV, EMI among others.

I was also producer and guitarist of organic electronica group 'TeaTronik'. There are some tracks from our new album here too. Our debut single released by Mostar Records has got some great reviews and we released our debut album with Diatribe Records in May 2013.
Here are some tracks from our album.
http://soundcloud.com/tea-tronik

"Classical at its core, the music can be described as mad, instrumental, elegant, nonchalant, cinematic, fearless, foolish, and somehow very heroic - we love it. If parallel universes exist, this is how classical music sounds in the neighboring universe to ours"

Secret Eclectic

"Celsey manages to reinvigorate this timeless piece. Imagine the warm sound of analog electronics you could hear in a Vangelis’ song, sprinkled with some psychedelia drops wrapped in a melancholic package. A modern rework that is not afraid to experiment but at the same time respects and acknowledges the original work"

Music Dances While You Sleep

"Newly formed Dublin-based duo Celsey and Monica Harkin are already producing intriguing electronic sounds with nods and winks to Amiina, Fever Ray, and Portishead. Hear and download latest tracks on their Soundcloud page."

Jim Carroll, The Irish Times

"I love the rich texture of their sound involving field recordings, balanced beautifully by the sweet vocal."

The Confused Eclectic

"Wilder" connects Monica's sweet voice with all the elements above and it is truly almost impossible to put a genre on this one, but it really doesn't matter since it's an outstanding piece of electronic music."

Adalberto, Origamitracks.blogspot.com

“An excellent example of chilled out electronic that could easily rival the big names in the field. TeaTronik’s new release ‘Home’ is successful at developing a slow, easy-going pace that is neither boring or repetitive. Definitely looking forward to hearing future releases from this band; they’ll go far”. 4/5

"Newly formed Dublin-based duo Celsey and Monica Harkin are already producing intriguing electronic sounds with nods and winks to Amiina, Fever Ray, and Portishead. Hear and download latest tracks on their Soundcloud page."

thetearoommusic.tumblr.com/

For more info and music go to  www.celsey.net

I also play live in a guitar/violin duo -  'Les Troubadours' https://soundcloud.com/les-troubadours

https://linktr.ee/celseymcfadden

Paint and Yell is a Baltimore based experimental quartet playing original music and sounds. PaY combines written material with improvisation often using rock grooves and unconventional forms/harmonies. Check out more at https://www.dylanschuman.com/paint-and-yell

Getting fit and staying fit is a struggle we all have, but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring. My goal is for you to laugh your way to fitness!

Each podcast has free real world advice to help you reach your A-game. You’ll hear everyone from celebrities to comedians talk about healthy lifestyles, workouts, and what makes them tick. Special podcasts will feature workout routines you can do in real time. Whether you’re surviving your commute, sweating it out at the gym, or toning up at home, every sound bite is something you can eat up. So, laugh that ass off and tune in to Comedy Fitness now.


In Sunderland everything of worth was born of adversity. This is the terrible truth for the creative freaks in this city. 

In 2008, Frankie & The Heartstrings found each other in a bar on Sunderland’s left bank. It was raining (obviously), words were exchanged and the rest is up to you to pick out of the anecdotal lucky dip. The truth is the band had been formulating itself without us knowing. Our very own hideous experiences in pit villages, school-yards and Sunderland’s city center, meant that Sunderland knew long before we did. It wasn’t romantic, it was cold, and it was necessary. 

Frankie ran a bar at the time; it served poorly-kept lager at a price which regularly angered natives already juiced up on their cheap angry dust. Michael was a teacher who seemingly taught nothing but how to cope with being a teacher who teaches nothing. Den was handsome and enigmatic (turns out that was thrush) and I was getting older and less talented by the fortnight. The other one, with the benefit of hindsight, has been erased from the band’s history. We then recruited Mick Ross, who soon after was granted the freedom of The Cluny.

Having no aspirations beyond playing music and putting on shows the way we wanted to hear it and see it, we set about the North East, not giving a fuck as we went. We played the shows we wanted to play, politely (to their faces) said ‘no’ to the shows that made no sense - they were usually spearheaded by a promoter we thought was a wanker.  A demo recorded in a fucking freezing back room later, and Bob’s your uncle.  I’ll get to Fanny being your aunt later. 

We found a home with independent loose cannons Wichita Recordings who continue to tolerate 5 pig-headed wankers until they read this.

After dealing with the bombshell that Brian Connelly from The Sweet was dead, we recorded our first long player with Edwyn Collins from the 1980s.  Over 3 weeks we endured being treated with respect and love from the Collins family and in return we got drunk in their house and watched a man put his testicles in Edwyn’s didgeridoo.

Our debut album Hunger entered the hit parade at number 32. The week after it didn’t bother. 
Then we went around the world a bit. 

We ate chicken cartilage in Japan, we tried (unsuccessfully) to get mugged in New York, drank beer from bags in Australia, confused Morrissey in Sweden, soiled beds in Germany, had chips in Wrexham and we have enough anecdotes from Holland to give my dad another heart attack. To all the countries I haven’t mentioned, just take it as read that we are sorry but that it will also probably happen again. 

Not being huge fans of liars we do try not to bullshit too much ourselves. We haven’t got 150 songs for our second album, we don’t always love one another, we frequently contradict ourselves and we are not the best band in the world*. We do play as hard as we can to whoever we play for, we do not take anything for granted and if we behave like dicks, it’s because we are dicks, not because we are dicks in a band.

We have been privileged enough to support The Vaccines (showed them my penis a lot), The Kaiser Chiefs (again, penis), Florence & The Machine (invented a game involving a well known confectionary and a penis). I could make a list of bands that we have played with to make us look cool but I've forgotten (Primal Scream) most (The Walkmen) of (The Beatles) them if I’m honest.

Last time round we played all the festivals you pay a fortune to attend and always said ‘thank you’ to the caterers, from Glastonbury to Deershed and then back to Split fest in Sunderland. Which is especially handy for me because I live round the corner and I had a dicky tummy. 

But these things are a privilege.  Over the course of the last few years, we’ve seen every backstage wanker in shades and boring band bastard going, and Harry Enfield and Steve Davis. We saw people ‘accidentally’ dropping snapper bags out of their pockets and one unfortunate band who thought it was a reasonable idea to take one of Dennis’s beers.

We remain a product of who we are, where we are from and what we do. And what we do is start our own record label (Pop Sex Ltd), curate our own Pop Sex Nite events, make our own merch and run our own shop. The bare minimum simply won’t do. We have seen the bare minimum and frankly we don’t care for it. 

We have another record coming at a time when the way we consume music is changing. A transitional period when bands and artists are afraid of something without really knowing what to be afraid of. We can only try our best. 
Its hard.
So what.

Dave

PS We didn’t forget about the pizza advert thing.

*that’s Focus.


I'm 19. 
Born: August 23, 1995.
I love to sing, dance, draw, write, act, do hair, cook/bake, and give massages.
I plan to go to college (in this order but not all at once) for masseuse, culinary, and cosmetology.
Some things I wrote:
-"You've never had your chance unless you've taken it. Even after you've taken it, take more. There is no limit of taking chances."
-"You are the most beautiful guy i have ever laid my eyes on, your  eyes are gorgeous with brown, green, blue, and hazel they are so beautiful they can warm up someones heart. And the words you speak can make someone feel better, your voice is like an Angel that fell from heaven and stole my heart, your glowing face and gentle touch makes this feel like a dream. only when we're looking at each other with loving gentle kind eyes as we fall into a trance."
-"Why does she see herself as less than what others see her as?  Everyone says she is beautiful, wonderful, and amazing in every way still, all she sees in herself most times is an ugly, worthless mistake. The only times she feels happiness  is when she's with her friends. Yet unknowingly they're hardly around.  Or being around that boy who makes her happy and makes her feel good, actually worth something, not just a waste of air. She knows he cares for her and likes her the same way she likes him. Even having that connection he won't date her. Pain he has caused past loves haunts him and scares away the chance of new love. Hurting her is what he doesn't want, but by staying away that's exactly what he's doing.
  Tell me why does she feel so alone?"
-"Crazy days and screwed up nights,
Tons of Crushes and stupid fights,
Secrets we will take to the grave,
Pictures we will forever save,
Through thicks and things,
Always true.
*FRIENDS forever, me n U*

As long as we have memories, yesterday remains; as long as we have hope, tomorrow awaits. As long as we have Friendship, each day is never a waste.

The 1 who holds Ur hand
every time when U need support,
is surely a Good Friend
But
A true Friend is 1 Who
holds Ur hand more
tightly when U say
“Leave Me Alone”

Loveless life is like a fruitless tree But friendless life is like a rootless tree  Tree can live without fruit but not without roots

FriEndSHiP iS A PRiCeLeSs GiFt tHaT cAn'T Be BoUgHt Or SoLd, BuT To Have An UnDeRsTaNdiNg FriEnd iS FaR MoRe WoRtH tHaN GoLd~!

Wat u see as truth wat u see as lies remember that true friendship never dies although we may change & drift apart, ill always value u deep within my heart!

God picked up a flower n dipped it in dew, He lovingly touched it, & it turned into you. And then he gifted it to me n said this friend is 4 you.

6 rules to be HAPPY: Free your heart from hatred; Free your mind from worries; Live simply; Expect less; Give more & Always have ME as UR FRIEND

The rain may be falling hard outside,
But your smile makes it all alright.
I’m so glad that you’re my friend.
I know our friendship will never end.

I
May
Not
Be
The
Most
Important
Person
In
Your
Life
But
I
just
Hope
That
One
Day…
When
You
Hear
My
Name
You
Will
Just
Smile
&
Say
Hey
That’s
My
Friend..!!!

Never ever try to test friendship
because friends are like diamonds
when you hit them they don’t break
but may slip away from your life

Making a million friends is not an achievement,
The achievement is to make
“A” friend who will stand by you
when a million are against you….!

Life is 5 star
Mother is top star
Father is king star
Teacher is Ultimate star
Lover is action star
But A friend is the
“REAL STAR”

Friends and friendship

It’s a package of “Feelings”
Nobody can “Make” it,
Nobody can “Break” it,
Nobody can “Explain” it,

Only “I” and “U” can “FEEL” it.

let
“me”
show
you..
the
best picture..
in
the world..
()”‘”() ()”‘()
( ,’o’ ) ( ‘o’,)
(,) (,) (,) (,)
=hum tum=
friends. Don't get it but its cute

I met U as a stranger,
I leave U as a friend,
as long as the world stands,
our friendship will never ends.
All friends never split
N
even if they do they will
meet again.

Never abandon old friends.
They are hard 2 replace.
Friendships is like wine:
it gets BETTER as it grows OLDER.
Just like us… i get BETTER, u get OLDER.

Friends change, I know they do..
but this friend will always belong to you..

Friends hurt I know they do..
But this friend gets hurt more without “YOU”!

When the night comes, look at the sky. If you see a falling star, don't wonder why,just make a wish. Trust me it will come true,'cause I did it and I found you.

F R I E N D S Are Like Q U I L T S Lives Pieced Together , Stitched With Memories , And Bound By Love

A friend is sweet when it is new…
it is sweeter when it is true….
but you know that…..
it is the sweetest when it is you…”

If Ever There Is A 2morow
When We Were Not 2gether
There Is Something
You Must Always Remember
Even If I Were Apart
I’ll Always Be With You

24 sweet hrs make 1 sweet day,
7 sweet days make 1 sweet week,
4 sweet weeks make 1 sweet month,
But 1 sweet friend, Like You , helps to make 1 sweet life....

I don’t regret the things
I have done and the things I didn’t do.
For somewhere along the way
I must have done something right coz
I ended up with a friend like you.

Friend in different languages:
Irani: DOST
German: FREUND
Hebrew: CHAVER
FrencH: AMI
Dutch: VREN
Mexican: AMIGO
Egypt: KUBARI
Pakistan: ???
.
.
.
Aur suna LAANTI:p

Friends are like sketch pens –
they color your lives.
I may be not your favorite color
but u will need me some day
to complete your picture..!!

The 10 qualities of perfect friend
1 great & brave heart
2 sweet & soft voice
3 sharp & fast brain
4 cute & stupid smile
5 loving & caring
6 confident
7 attractive
8 deep connectivity
9 power of speaking truth
10 power of hearing lie about their self

A FaCT :

When you are up in life,
Your friends get to know who you are.

But

When you are down in life,
You get to know who your friends are…

If ur friendship be money, I’ll be richest man.
If ur friendship be pounds, I’ll be heaviest man.
If your friendship be love, I’ll be luckiest man.
But your friendship is trust & I’m the happiest man.

a friend gives hope when ur life is low,
a friend is place wen u hav no place to go,
a friend is a precious,
a friend is “”"”"”"”"”u”"”"”"”"”"

If someone asks me what is friendship,
“I would sit next to you,
Pull you all close to me,
Put my arms around you and say proudly,
This is friendship” :)

GOD is so wise that
he never created FRIENDS
with price tags, Because….. if He did,
I can’t afford a precious FRIEND like YOU!!!

Friend is one, who
F-inds you in a
R-ush of people,
I-nspires you to do something in life, Catches your
E-motions and
N-ever leaves you till
D-eath…

A deep friendship is like a rainbow when the perfect amounts of happiness & tears are mixed, the result is a colorful bridge between two hearts

F:Filed Of Love! R:Root Of Joy! I:Island Of GOD! E:End Of Sorrow! N:Name Of Hope! D:Door Of Understanding! Thats U my FRIEND

My Friendship Means
A Little Heart That
Neva Hates
A Cute Smile That
Neva Fades
A Smooth Touch That
Neva Shakes
&
A Strong Relation That
Never Breaks :)

If u are a chocolate you are the SWEETEST,
If u are a teddy bear you are the most HUGGABLE,
If u are a star you are the BRIGHTEST,
and since you are my friend…U R THE BEST !!!

When clouds break rain falls.
When coconut break water falls.
when love break tears falls
but
when friendship break life falls
so never break friendship.

Last night God gave me 2 choices:-
Either to have a good friend like you
or
To have excellent memory
.
.
.
I don’t remember what did I choose."
-"Flowers need sunshine, violets need dew, all angels in heaven know I need you. years may fly, tears may dry, but my friendship with you will never die

If I could pull down the rainbow I would write your name with it & put it back in the sky to let everybody know how colourful my life is with a friend like you!!

Nowadays' it's really hard to find good friends. one who is true and not the so-called 'seasonal' friends. good friends don't desert you in times of problems. they are willing to tell you about your negative traits, knowing that you might be hurt but wants you to change. those who are not afraid to reveal to you their secrets. they trust you and are honest to you. they show their real selves to you and accept you whoever you are. they don't expect material things to you and they are willing to share to you everything they have. and they want you to be a better person. they want everything good for you."
-"People tell me you hate me
That you want me out of your life
Well they can go on tell me all they want
I know you wouldn’t backstab me like a knife

People tell me that you think I’m annoying
That you want me out of your sight
Well they can go on and keep talking
Our friendship is like the beautiful sunlight

People tell me you just use me
That you don’t care about what I think
They can keep telling me that
I know that our friendship will never sink

People keep telling me
People keep lying
And they can keep gossiping
I know our close friendship won’t be dying."
And those where only a few that I wrote.

 Listen to my 'CRIB RADIO' :
For some straight up DISCO-SOUL JAMS!!!!!!
http://www.crossfaderstudios.com/prochatrooms/index.php?roomID=1
I-phones & Devices:
http://tunein.com/radio/Crib-Radio-with-Jay-Negron-s229167/

 
You can Download the shows here:
 http://ajskidiscomix.blogspot.com/

BIO:
* What is your full name?
Juan Jay Negron 

* Where and when were you born?
July 1956 in TheBronx, NY, USA

* When did you get bitten by the Disco bug?
I always liked fast music with a beat. That started when I was a youngster. I started collecting records at the age of 6. No slow songs, They were all fast with a beat.
(Chubby Checker, DeeDee Sharp, Joey Dee & The
Starliters)
When Disco came out, I was already in.

* How come you started DJ'ing? Was it something you wanted to do, or did
it just "happen"?
It sorta just happened thru my love of music. Let me explain.
When I was a kid (ages 6-13) I used to study radio.
I used to study the DJs; Dan Ingram & Frankie Crocker were my favorite Radio DJs.
At college (1973) I was a Radio DJ at the Lehman College radio station WHLC 590 AM.
I was 16 yrs old and even playing hookey from class to do my show.
It was an uptempo R&B/Funk/Rock show. (Motown/Philly Sound/Rare Earth/Santana)
Eventually I was dropped from school for non-attendance, and the show died with it.

During the next year I met a neighborhood guy named Paul Solari, who was actually a club DJ.
He passed the corner where I was playing my latest cassette featuring some home made edits
of some current hits. ("Masterpiece" by The Temptations, "Jungle Fever", "Living For The City", "Mighty Love")
He liked the edits. He invited me to come to the club and I jumped at the invitation.
Soon he was showing me his craft--beat mixing---Gerrard turntables with no speed control.
He taught me everything, BPM, mixing during the intros & not the vocals, segue, double-copies,
self made extended versions using two 45s. He taught, I listened and got real good at it.
Paul became my mentor. We would spend 18 out of 24 hours together rapping about, disecting, listning to, debating
about MUSIC.

* Who was the first DJ you heard?
The first Club DJ I heard was at a place on W.81 st & Central Park West in 1971.
I was 15 years old and snuck in the club with a false ID. I paid $5 and they gave me a ticket to get a drink--->in the bar next door!!!
The club didn't serve liquor.
It had all kind of different color lights, strobe, and people dancing wall-to-wall.
I immedietly was excited.
He was playing "Funky Nassau"---and that's the first thing I noticed.
I said to myself, I have that record home.
Then he played "Get On The Good Foot" by James Brown.
I said, WOW, I have that too.
I wound up having over 75% of the music he played and that was a boss feeling.
I said to myself, I could do this too.
So I spent the rest of the night watching him go from song to song, using a toggle switch.
No mixing---no cueing---No headphones.
Crowd was screaming to his selection all night.
At the end of the night, I thought, I've got to do this again.
I got bitten by the bug.

* Did you have any DJ "mentor(s)" or someone who influenced you? Some
comments on them?

My mentor/teacher was the man previously mentioned, Paul Solari. I was so young 16 & 1/2 years old so he had to teach me everything:

How to act, how to behave with bosses, who to respect at the club, who to keep away from, etc.

In addition what songs do the club like & don't like.

My taste at the time was very soul, pop & funk orientated.
I didn't know about the 'underground hustle music'.

He taught me that also.

* Could you name some of your personal favorite DJ's of the Disco era?

My absolute favorite was Walter Gibbons.

We used to go to Galaxy 21 after work to listen to him spin. Our clubs closed at 4am---Walter would be getting warmed up around that time. He would go until 11am sometimes. He had his own 'home made' remixes that he would play. He also worked on a 'tri-amp' system in which he would have separate volume controls for the bass, treble, & midrange.

He would work the controls in & out to make a different sound everytime he played the song.

It was incredible. He once played the break from "10%" and "Disco Party" back & forth, changing the bass, horns, & highs in & out, song to song; the place went nuts!!!!

Another DJ I loved was Francois Kervorkian.

He would take chances and be very progressive with his music. At 5am with the crowd screaming on he switched genres and went from "Super Freak" to "Bedsitter" to "Cake" to "Start Me Up" and back to
'D' Train. The crowd screamed even more. And he has remixes no one had. "Bedsitter" & "Cake" were a couple of them--->took me 2 months to find. (imports)

* What do you think made you a top DJ? Any specific skills, special
technics or...?

I didn't invent the wheel or anything. I like to spin with momentum. I don't like to keep it on the same plane. I like to be progressing to an emotional upswing. It has to keep going up or it has to change.

If I see people on the dance floor getting bored even a little, I will change the music completely and start over. I want them hooping & hollering; havin' fun.

Another thing that made me a lil different is that I liked to have my own versions of the top songs. I made lots of plates at Sunshine Sound and even more on reel-to-reel or cassette.

* When did you start DJ'ing? Which was your first gig and how did you get it?

Paul Solari, my teacher/mentor gave me my first gig.

It was at 'The Last Laugh'--it was latin night - Thursday night and I had to play in between The Joe Cuba Sextette, a very popular salsa band from the late 60s. I was young & nervous and Paul would not be there--I was on my own and I did well.
I remember playing "Love's Theme" for the 1st time that night and people asking me "what is that song?".

I knew I was there to stay.

The first 2 places I worked at (Last Laugh & The Playhouse) was very Mob orientated places. I was young & naive to this fact. An older gentleman asked me to play Frank Sinatra; I then told him that I didn't have any and we don't play that here anyway. (I told him with the boldest face that a scrawney 17 year old could muster up)---The boss was there 10 minutes later looking in the closet for an old dusty Sinatra LP that he had stashed just in case; he was very very nervous as he pleaded/ordered me to play it. I naively asked him why? The people will stop dancing. This was at the height of the night. He was shaking at this point and said "Just do it NOW!"


* Have you ever worked with something else - Or is DJ'ing your life?

I've had different great jobs in my life.

I was a bus driver for the New York City Transit Authority for 10 years.(self-explanitory)

and I was a case manager/court liason for NYC T.A.S.C. {Treatment Alternatives for Street Crime}

I assessed defendants in prison for admission into various residential drug treatment programs.

That went on for 10 years.

I had my own problems with addiction.

With the help of Narcotics Anonymous I finally delt with my own demons. One day at a time!!!!!!

* Which clubs (and years) have you played?

The Last Laugh was my first in 1974.(3 months)

The Playhouse was 1975-1976.. (18 months)

Act III was 1976. (4 months)

Tropicalia was 1976-1980 (3 & 1/2 years)

Pegasus was 1980-1982 (18 months)

The Roof Top was 1984. I played there for 3 weekends until I was fired for partying in the booth. (I won't get into it here)

Any favorite club of those?

Obviously Tropicalia 'cause it was the most famous & beautiful club. The Playhouse because I was so young and could play ANYTHING there and they loved it!

* Would you say there Was a different crowd in each of the clubs? Were
there songs that were floorfillers in one club that didn't work in another
club?

Absolutely---In the Bronx, I was well known. People would come to hear me play & to hear NEW music. That was easy. Once I went into Tropicalia in Manhattan, an established club, they didn't care for what I used to play in the Bronx and wanted to be entertained in a different way. They were like 6 months behind in the music, and I had to adjust BIG TIME!!!

When I got to Tropicalia they were into "MIDNIGHT LOVE AFFAIR", "LADY BUMP", & "TRY ME" and in the Bronx we were over those songs already. So I had to get the crowds favor by playing their favorites while training them to like newer music at the same time.

I worked there 5-6 nights a week so it was easy but still a task. Took me the better part of a year to do this. Ask Louis Pegno, who was the doorman. He would see the frustration in me from time to time.

* Can you name some special "anthems" for some of these clubs?

The Playhouse: "ZING WENT THE STRINGS", "DATE WITH THE RAIN", "LA LA PEACE SONG", "WHEN THE FUEL RUNS OUT", "LOOK ME UP", "HONEY BEE"

Tropicalia: "DISCO PARTY", "TEN PERCENT", "DEVIL'S GUN", LOVE & KISSES, "THIS TIME BABY", "MAGIC BIRD OF FIRE", "I FEEL LOVE", "B-2"

Pegasus: "JUST A TOUCH OF LOVE", "JUST A LITTLE BIT OF JAZZ", "I'LL DO ANYTHING FOR YOU", "I'M IN LOVE", "AND THE BEAT GOES ON", "LOVE IS THE MESSAGE", "HEARTBEAT", "GIVE ME", "NIGHTS, FEEL LIKE GETTIN DOWN"

* Any comments or special memories from these clubs?

So many memories!!

Like the time Peter Martins the owner of Tropicalia threw George McCrae out of the DJ booth & club because he wasn't dressed properly (he had a jeans suit on)--Peter thought he was one of my friends from around the way. George was bringing me his latest 12" "LOVE IN MOTION / GIVIN BACK THE FEELIN"

At The Playhouse we booked The Trammps to play live on a saturday night in '75. We thought it would be 4 dudes lip-singing to their hits like American Bandstand or Soul Train. I mean they only has 4 singles out--no album yet--they were pretty cheap to get--only $1100 total for 2 sets.

They came with a 14 piece band--2 vans full, complete with a baby grand piano--they did ALL the Philly Sound hits to perfection: "LOVE TRAIN", "TIME", "BACK STABBERS", "THE LOVE I LOST", "SATISFACTION GUARANTEED", and their 4 singles:

"ZING......", "WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE / SHOUT", "LOVE EPIDEMIC", & "TRUSTING HEART".

They even did "SEXY" (MFSB's hit at the time).

I was pleasantly shocked!!!!! (for days)


* How did you land your first residency? Which Club was that?

The Playhouse was the first where I was the house DJ.

Paul Solari got US the job; we were partners.

He was like my agent, he did all the talking, all the negotiating, all the scheduling.

The other clubs I got on my own, thru the owner visiting where I was working (Tropicalia) or auditioning (Pegasus).


* Can you tell more about the Tropicalia? The Club, interior, DJ booth, location, bars and so on...

Tropicalia was beautiful. Mirrored walls. Silver shiny dance floor. Very elegant. DJ booth was not huge (one huge step up from the dance floor), but I could fit 3 crates of records in the shelves so it was ample. When you walked in the bar was to the left, tables to the right, bright colors all around, very elegant. Then the back room was huge & dark--flashing lights bouncing off the mirrors & dance floor--it was very hard to see.

* What about Pegasus, where were it located? What did you do when the
building were sold, did you quit DJ'ing, or?

Pegasus was on 2nd Avenue between 63 & 64 street.

I had to earn respect there. I was the only white person in a black club, so on appearence I didn't have much credibility at first. Only the backing of the floor manager who hired me. It took a few nights but I settled in nicely. I knew I was in when the bartender, a LL fan and Paradise Garage member, gave me the thumbs up!!!

When Pegasus was closed I didn't look for a DJ gig right away. The music was changing and the atmosphere was changing. I knew I just couldn't go to ANY club and play what I played to any crowd. Disco was split up to different factions in 1982.

Freestyle & HiNRG clubs abounded where "Funkytown" & "It's Raining Men" & "So Many Men" were must plays and I didn't want to do that.

The clubs that I could play freely were few & far between; and they were taken up already by new & hungrier DJs. Like I was when I was 17-20 years old.

Now I had a full time job (bus driver, paying me well with medical benefits) and I was happy doing private parties once in a while. That's when my problem with addiction went into full bloom. (I missed alot of songs between '84-'90)

* Since you're one of the classic "Disco-DJ's" - have you got
any comments on how the DJ was regarded in the beginning and how it has changed during the years?
Also, any comments on the techniques, equipment and stuff like that?

In the beginning the DJ was the guy who broke the music. In The Playhouse the crowd EXPECTED me to play all the BRAND NEW HOT music at the height of the night--1am. They went there for that. Up to 1980 the DJs ruled. After that Radio ruled. The dancing crowd listened to Disco Radio that would play the same 20 songs and would start expecting the DJs to do the same----and a lot of DJs did. There were many DJs that got good gigs being human juke boxes and that ruined it for many.
Many club owners concerned with business only would hire a DJ that would cater to the radio crowd.

If a DJ balked, he would be 'out' and the owner would hire someone that would.

There were clubs that played 'progressive' but were few and far between.

* Which music is the easiest to mix?

I guess the newer music is because the breaks are prevalent and the beats are constant, but if you are not careful what you program, 'like sounding beats' can get pretty boring. You can be technically the best mixer and have a pretty boring set. It's not always about the mix. It's about the atmosphere & the music you play.

* Easier or harder to mix back in the Disco days compared to today?

Easier to mix today, but harder to judge a dance floor.


* How
would you describe your playing style? Any "trademarks"?

Like noted above, momentum, drama, emotion, & happy music.

* Do you remember/can you tell which was your best gig ever?

Tropicalia & Pegasus are tied.

I could play the new mixed in with the classics at any given time.

* Do you or did you know many of the other great DJ's of the Disco era?

I seen most of them at the record pool (99 Prince St.)
I generally kept with myself & my friends Paul Solari & David C.

David had 2 nights at Ipanema, and then a residency at Coatails Disco.

*Have you got any comments/memories/info about them?

No we did not keep in touch. I have reunited with Paul thru this site. We are in touch now constantly; trading music & reminiscing

* Many Disco DJ's went into remixing as well - have you ever been
remixing?
Only private remixes. Nothing released.

* I know you did the "Hollywood Dub" acetate, did you do other
mixes/remixes as well?

I've done many on acetate (Paul has them all) and on Reel & cassette. The story about the Hollywood Dub is on Disco Patrick's website.

http://www.discopatrick.com/home/14-jay-hollywood.html


* Can you tell how you worked when creating these remixes? And what drove
you to do them?

Mostly Me & Paul were inspired by Tom Moulton & Walter Gibbons. They didn't change the music. They just wanted to get the best part of the song longer & better suited for the dance floor. And that's what I did.

* What about Record Pools- Which did you belong to and when (how long)?
Did you recieve much records from them? Most records you got in a
day/week?

First before the Record Pools, Me & Paul used to go to the record companies to get product. Each company had mostly the same DJs getting music. Then Billy Smith the promo guy of 20th Century Records circulated his list that most of the companies adopted to be "the list"---if you was not on the list, you wasn't getting any music.

I was a charter member of the first record pool called "The Record Pool" at 99 Prince St. It was run by David Mancuso, David Rodriguez, & Steve D'Aquisto.

After politics was going to tear the pool apart many DJs went with Judy Weinstein's "For The Record" run by Eddie Rivera, the 'Cork & Bottle' DJ.

I went to LI Disco DJs run by Jackie McCloy. I knew him and I knew he ran a tight ship. None of his DJs were bogus. The most records I got in a week was around 50 with an average weekly pick up of 35. Only a few were good---lots of BS music being pushed on us at the time.

* Which other DJ's was members of the same Record Pool, any one of them
you were good friends with?

I wasn't "good friends" with any, but I used to pal around with Bacho (everyone did)

* Have you still got your DJ record collection? Or have you sold it off?

I still have most of my records---I used to give at least 100-200 discs away each year ('77-'00)---I figured if I didn't play them, I didn't need them. I was foolish. Wish I had some of 'em back!!--I still have about 2,000 discs behind my couch.

*You must have got a HUGE (and GREAT) collection if you've kept all your
records
during the years.

I kept the cream of the crop.

* Could you name some of your favorite Disco songs? Like some kind of Top
Ten or likewise...

That's always hard! ok, today it's:

"DISCO PARTY"--"10%"--"MY LOVE IS FREE"--"HIT & RUN"--"DOCTOR LOVE"--"DREAMING A DREAM"--"THAT'S WHERE THE HAPPY PEOPLE GO"--"BAD LUCK"--"MAKE IT FUNKY"--"HEARTBEAT"

Did I tell you that I love the Philly Sound??


* Did you like Disco music during that era, or was it just a job? (Since
you were a DJ I guess you liked it !)

It started going bad for me when real commercial bubble gum songs (to me) started being real big hits: "FUNKYTOWN", "IT'S RAINING MEN", "SO MANY MEN", Viola Wills, all the freestyle sounding the same drove me away for awhile. When HOUSE, which I see as a direct decendant of Disco, came on I got interested again. Artists like Ten City, Jamiroquai, C&C, & Incognito brought it back for me.

* If you could choose one Disco track that would describe you, which track
would it be?

"DISCO PARTY" The Trammps.

"you only go around once in life, and it's about time you have some spice; all work & no play makes a very dull day, yea,yea, yo, yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaoh!!!"

* What kind of music do you personally preffer?

Music that moves me---mostly Disco/House/Funk with momentum.

That narrow it down for you??

I just LOVE music.


* Since you DJ's helped launching many fine artists during the years...
Any special ones you wanna mention?

The Trammps, I told the story above.

* Do you still know or have contact with any other of the old Disco
acts/divas/DJ's from the late 70's early 80's?

None;
Barry White used to hang in Tropicalia every Tues & Weds; He used to have his own table in the corner and would hate when he heard his songs played.

Ashford & Simpson lived across the street from Pegasus and would bring me their latest projects when they would be ready to release them.

Phyliss Hyman used to come to Pegasus all the time.

I am in touch at least every week with Bobby Vitteritti, Lary Sanders, Danny Pooch, and of course my main man Paul Solari; we have become 'best friends' again after all these years!!!

* Anything else you can think of that you wanna tell me about? All
information is very welcome, some fun happenings....
My life is wonderful now. I have a sweetheart (My Patty-Ann) that shares my life & love for this music (not as crazy as I am) and I have my CRIBS RADIO Show with hundreds of listeners where I share my music & my thoughts with on a weekly basis.

WHO GOT IT BETTER THAN ME??????!!

 

Gadi Mizrahi - Bio 

Since he first hit the scene in 2001, Gadi Mizrahi has been one of New York's most essential new artists. As half of the duo Wolf + Lamb, he transformed Brooklyn's underground party scene, releasing modern house records by local acts and throwing legendary parties at The Marcy Hotel. As a producer, his deviously playful style of house has proved as infectious abroad as it is at home, earning him international praise and gigs at clubs like Fabric, Watergate and Club Der Visionaire. And as a seasoned underground DJ, his subtle finesse and sense of groove makes the party get deeper, weirder and way more sexy. 

Sometime around the turn of the millennium, Gadi met Zev Eisenberg at a party, and Wolf + Lamb was born almost immediately. Their methods were DIY right from the start: instead of sending demos to labels who didn't fit their sound, they founded Wolf + Lamb Music and released their own tracks digitally. Rather than playing boring gigs in Manhattan to make a buck, they leased a loft in Williamsburg and turned it into The Marcy Hotel, now one of NYC's most notorious venues, with parties that regularly run past noon the next day. In the beginning, most of W+L's artists were young and inexperienced, but Gadi coached them personally, pushing them until their tracks were strong enough to be released. By the end of 2009, Wolf + Lamb had put out almost 70 records, received accolades from Mixmag, Groove and countless blogs, and been named #3 label of the year by Resident Advisor. 

Wolf + Lamb continued to grow over the course of 2010, and so did Gadi himself. In June, he and Zev released their debut album, Love Someone, which made Mix Mag's album of the month and landed the pair on the cover of DJ Mag. From there, Gadi spearheaded The Wolf + Lamb Experience, a tour that hit some of house and techno's most important hubs (Detroit, Chicago, New York, London, Berlin) with a full cast of W+L characters in tow, including Soul Clap, Deniz Kurtel, Nico Jaar and No Regular Play. The label's profile was steadily on the rise, but Gadi didn't let himself rest, instead he launched a new vinyl-only imprint, Double Standard Records, and released an armful of 12-inches by himself, Soul Clap and former Beirut trumpet player Greg Paulus. As he spends the summer on a solo tour of Europe, he has the best of both worlds: a front man for house music's most well-loved rat pack, but with total independence to pursue his own ideas. He still has the easy demeanor of a party DJ from Brooklyn, but by now, Gadi Mizrahi is a global trendsetter. 

Will Lynch 


I'm a composer and musician from Alberta, Canada.

I've composed music for games, animations, short films, and charity. Between 2005 and 2014, I released dozens of free tracks under the Creative Commons license for the benefit of the community. 11 years later I decided it was time to quit my job, start my own electronics design company, and start releasing music again.

I'm very pleased to be back, and I can't wait to share what I've been working on with you.

Thanks for being here!

Cheers,
OS

We're a band called The Venetia Fair and we have no fucking clue what we're doing. 

Our names are Benny, Mr. Chark, Mike, Joe Brown, and Chris. My name, specifically, is Benny and I feel like I'm babysitting four 12-year-olds all the time. Actually, I feel like I'm a 12-year-old babysitting four other 12-year-olds and doing a really bad job (even for a 12-year-old). Mr. Chark is like that weird 12-year-old who has a calculator watch, carries a compass (but still gets lost all the time), and loves the sound of his own voice, especially when he's not using words. Mike's more like a hyperactive 14-year-old who got held back and has to hang out with the younger kids but doesn't mind because he gets to be better than them at everything and the older kids are boring, anyway. Joe Brown is the obnoxious 12-year-old who steals "chromies" off of tires in the parking lot and learns obscene words to scream so he can explain that "it actually means female dog!" to his angry teachers. And then there's Chris, the excitable 12-year-old who can't wait to get a sip of his dad's beer or a peek down a girl's shirt. Hanging out with us is probably more aggravating than anything else but I think we're all best friends. If we actually were 12 years old, we'd be in a secret club and have an awesome fort.

We get compared to a lot of different bands that don't sound anything like each other so it's hard to believe anyone. We try to make music that is theatric, chaotic, catchy, and sometimes a little silly but not too silly because it's also serious business. We have a lot of fun writing the music we write and performing the way we perform. 

Not a single one of us had any substantial training in our instruments or music in general so being in a band was really hard for us sometimes but we worked really hard to make up for it. It takes a lot of work to pretend to be good at something. Then Mike joined up with us and he knows how to play stuff but we still talk to him like we're idiots (we're idiots) so we're still working pretty hard (not smart). We try to play together every single day and some of that playing involves music. 

We tour a lot (but never enough) and consider the van our primary home. It doesn't have an address that you can mail stuff to (we've tried Van, USA. No dice.) so if you want to mail us something just wait until we get to where you are and then just hand it to us. When we play shows, all of our shit gets broken because we pretend we have infinite money to replace things and then we perform accordingly. We also pretend we're invincible. I think Mr. Chark might actually BE invincible. After our first tour, Chark and Chris had to build all new equipment so they just made everything bigger because we like stuff big.

We crash our van all the time. Our van gets towed all the time. We don't take care of ourselves, each other, or really anything. The only thing we care about is that after you see us play, you tell your friend(s) that you have no idea what you just watched. 

Clement Candyce is following