James Quinn (BA Music, MMus Performance) was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire in 1983. At the age of 3, James and his family moved to Gloucester and he has lived there since. From around the age of 8, James began to teach himself and was a relatively late starter with formal musical tuition. It was when he went to St. Peter's High School in Gloucester that he began weekly piano lessons.  He then began to study classical piano more seriously and had lessons with Linda Parsons for 4 years while finishing his sixth form studies. 

After leaving school where he was awarded the Governor's Award for Services to Music in 2002, he then continued his studies with Mary Cope. James went on to further develop his skills at summer courses, specifically Birmingham International Piano Academy and Chethams in Manchester from both single lessons and masterclasses with established pianists including Peter Lawson, Florian Uhlig and Steven Osborne as well as workshops with Malcolm Wilson and Phillip Martin. James has also been involved with the Cheltenham Festival of Performing Arts Competitions for 4 years, where he won the Dr. Janet Salisbury Cup in 2008 and a certificate of honours in the 2009 competition.
 
James graduated with honours from Bath Spa University in 2010 having studied piano under Connie Garforth. He returned in October 2010 to take the inaugural Masters of Music in Performance at Bath Spa University where he studied with Maria Garcia and Charles Wiffen. 

James has performed in a range of venues including Wells Cathedral, Bath Pump Rooms, Bath Abbey, Mission Theatre, Rondo Theatre, Assembly Rooms, St Michaels Without, the Bath Guildhall and the Michael Tippett Centre at the Newton Park Campus at Bath Spa University. He made his debut in the Bath 2008 International Music Festival, alongside other student pianists with Artistic Director Joanna MacGregor, performing the piano music of Sir Harrison Birtwistle in the presence of the composer. 

James has worked with a range of eminent conductors, including Gavin Carr with the Bath Spa University Choir, Nigel Perrin at Wells Cathedral in the Mozart Requiem, and Jason Thornton in Bath Abbey for the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony.

As an accompanist, James has worked as the répétiteur of the university's opera productions for 3 successive years for production of The Magic Flute in 2008, Don Giovanni in 2010 and for the musical production of A Little Night Music in 2010. He also performed in the band for Seussical The Musical in 2009. More recently, James worked with the cast of Suor Angelica, which was performed as part of an opera double bill including Gianni Schicchi in late January 2011. 

James has been the longest serving accompanist for both the university choir and the chamber choir for the last 3 years and has performed as a Harpsichord player in the University's period Georgian Band in several concerts both as a soloist and continuo player. 

After receiving choral conducting tuition from Nigel Perrin and Roger Heaton, James made his conducting debut in June 2009 directing Gorecki's anthem Totus Tuus. In 2010 he went on to conduct Handel's 'Zadok the Priest' with the university orchestra and choir, as part of the opening ceremony Party in The City for the annual Bath International Music Festival. 

James' repertoire ranges from mainstream Austro-German tradition of Bach, Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven as well as Chopin, Rachmaninov and Debussy, but particularly has a strong affinity for romantic music such as Liszt, Mendelssohn, Schubert, Tchaicovsky, Scriabin, MacDowell, Faure and Grieg. James has also given first performances of works written for him by Joseph Buckler, Katherine Addison and Adam Myatt.

Recent highlights of the 2010/11 season, have included the premiere of his own compositions ‘Christmas Medley’ for Flute and Piano with Flautist Megan Lea and ‘To Dream’ performed for him with the Bath Spa University Chamber Choir and String Orchestra. 

Other highlights also include a joint collaboration conducting Michael Tippetts 5 Negro Spirituals with Elizabeth Hales and the Bath Spa University Choir at Bath Abbey for the opening ceremony Party in The City in the 2011 Bath International Music Festival. James also recently gave a second performance of the two piano arrangement of Holsts ‘The Planets Suite’ with pianist Alfie Pugh and a final appearance accompanying the Chamber Choir in the 2011 Gala Concert in the Guildhall with Matthew Spring.

In recent news, James received his MMus Performance degree from Bath Spa University in July, and has been appointed Deputy Accompanist with the Churchdown Male Voice Choir in January of 2012, and has now taken the post of Principal Accompanist in July. The range of soloists James has accompanied include members from the choir as well as Kathryn Skipp, Bill Armiger, Sue Black, Kate Bennett and more recently, Ralph Barnes. 

James also gives occasional recitals for patients and staff at the Leckhampton Court Day Hospice for the Sue Ryder Charity, and continues this activity for the Music In Hospitals charity. More recently, James has also devoted time to assist as a freelance accompanist for Beaufort Community School and the St. Peter’s High School & Sixth Form School Choir, as well as singing in the Philomusica of Gloucestershire and Worcestershire Choir. 

As a singer with Philomusica, James has performed across many venues in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire including St. Peter’s Church, Pershore Abbey and St. Peter’s & St. Paul’s in Upton-upon-Severn performing a range of well established and contemporary music such as Mozart’s “Requiem”, Michael Tippett’s “5 Negro Spirituals”, Karl Jenkin’s “The Armed Man” and Bob Chillcott’s “Missa Cantate”. 

James has performed with Churchdown Male Voice Choir at other venues including Gloucester Cathedral, Cheltenham Town Hall, St. Paul’s & St. Stepehen’s Church, Churchdown Community Centre, Christchurch (Cheltenham) and more recently St. Barnabas, Gloucester. James recently appeared with the Churchdown Choral Society in their summer concert in early July.



THE FUNKTASTIC WORLD OF --
STAYALIVE CREW

---------------------------

Stay Alive it's a group composed by five elements
under the wing of their "uncle" Giulio Lenotti, at the beginning of the 2011 winter season, they had the chance and the possibility to bring out their passions in one of the most important clubs in North Italy, Alterego Club.

After a season on the hill, the crew was called by The Blaq Ship Collective to be part of the Moxa Family in Mantova for two amazing season till the club was closed.

The StayAlive Crew.
NotConventionalClubbers.

Booking Contacts:

stayaliveparty@gmail.com

Despite what kind of day I am having, music can be my mood regulator, my tension release valve, or my escape from the problems of the world. A simple melody can change everything. It is my rocket ship to a place far in the sky and I hope to stay in the sky forever...

Edinburgh-based guitarist Adam Brown has performed throughout Europe, the United States and South America. Numbered among his many concert appearances are recitals at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall (NY), the 92nd St.Y-Tisch Center for the Performing Arts (NY), St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Purcell Room, and the Wigmore Hall (London). He has appeared at such renowned music festivals as Aspen (USA), Spoleto (Italy), Accademia Chigiana (Italy), Amsterdam International Guitar Festival (Holland), Bath International Guitar Festival (England) and the Musica y Danza Festival (Peru).

Recent performances have included solo recitals at the Purcell Room at London’s Southbank Centre, the Bath, Bermuda, Bolivar Hall-London Guitar Festival, and Cheltenham International Guitar Festivals, the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival and the International Guitar Festival at Kings Place in London in addition to performances throughout the United Kingdom as a Making Music Selected Artist.

The Rebels Within (2009), Adam Brown’s first solo album, features four twentieth-century masterpieces that fuse progressive compositional techniques with aspects of archaic musical structures and language.  Gladios (2010) presents the melodic lyricism and dynamic rhythmic interplay of music from Latin America. Without Limits-An American Century of Music for Guitar (2013) highlights the guitar’s pre-eminent role in America’s cultural life by presenting a number of contemporary genres that cross boundaries between classical and popular music. Pássaro de Madeira (2019) presents the musical migrations and creativity of Latin America. Each piece portrays a unique musical world and provides distinctive insights into the culture of Latin America, in all its diversity.

Born in Scotland, Adam Brown studied with Phillip Thorne at the City of Edinburgh Music School before starting studies with Carlos Bonell as a Foundation Scholar at the Royal College of Music in London, where he earned his Bachelor of Music degree with Honours and received several prestigious awards. He continued his studies with Sharon Isbin at the Juilliard School in New York City, completing the Masters of Music degree. He subsequently became the first guitarist to receive the Artist Diploma, Julliard’s most prestigious performance award. He went on to earn a Doctorate in Musical Arts at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he studied with the celebrated guitarists William Kanengiser and Pepe Romero.

To investigate - means to learn. Knowledges - one of fundamental needs of the mankind from the beginning. Only unrestrained curiosity is capable to force us to devote the life to Science, to go to Space, to plunge into depths of the World Ocean and to spend days in laboratories. The harmonous picture of the Universe in our heads is subjected to testing daily when scientists start their work with numbers.
The cold atmosphere and fundamental questions about the Physic World are subject of Short-Stay Mission project.

Produced by Dmitry Trofimov (music, lyrics, arrangement, bass guitar, programming) and Dmitry Borisenkov (guitar, voice and leader of Black Obelisk - famous russian heavy metal band), this album will ship you in the cold atmosphere of searching for answers to questions of world - boundless space, ocean depths, virtual reality and our loneliness in the Universe.

In spite of the fact that the music close to various substyles of modern Heavy Metal, its combination of guitar riffs played by Dmitry Borisenkov with a sensual clean male vocal of Alexander Yurov ("Sabbath Inside", "Megalomaina", ex "Eclipse Hunter") takes this work out of limits of the existing styles, and also the elements of electronics and symphonic music makes some compositions sound like a sci-fi movie OST.
Drums are written by Maxim Oleynik - the drummer of Black Obelisk band. Among other guests it is possible to hear the piano played by Andre Osokin ("Eclipse Hunter") and guitar solos of Sergey Isayenko ("Art Vitae", ex-"Branches Of The Past", ex-"Eclipse Hunter").

Street musician from Linz, Austria, creating music inspired by the handpan.

On my site you can see what I am doing or working on in the moment. I shall try to update as often as I can so stay tuned people! I will post some videos and pictures from me and my music while traveling the world.

I bought my first Handpan in 2012 and I taught myself. I loved it and kept up regular practice,  now my collection of handpans is growing and growing.

My first album was made in 2014 and it's called “Songs from the Steel”. Usually I sell it while busking on the street but if anybody is interested in it, I can ship a copy.

If you guys have any questions just write me a message. I’m also playing the drums and Kalimba but my favourites are my pans. I just like creating music and if you feel like you wanna jam, just message me!

for booking, contact : sensitiveseeds.live@gmail.com / digitalshamans@gmail.com

Working on a new album, STAY TUNED :)

NEXT GIGS :

11/01/2025 TRIP TO NEVERLAND V7 ( Switzerland)


16/11/2024 DSR 10 Years Label Party UK
03/02/2024 DSR 10 Years Label Party (Genève)

24/02/2023 DSR label Party (Suisse Nendaz)
25/02/2023 EDC Promo Party (Suisse Genève)
24/03/2023 DSR label Party (Denmark)
23/06/2023 Ethereal Decibel Festival (France)

09/04/2022 Liquid Dimensions (Switzerland)
20/05/2022 MANADNA Festival (Spain)
14/10/2022 Freaky Friends Festival
19/11/2022 Rescue Freaky Friends

03/09/2021 : Lucid Dream Theatre (Hungary)

21/02/2020 : Datura Festival 3.0(Rajasthan India)
07/03/2020 : DSR label Party by Oreades (Paris)
10/05/2020 : Trance to Tek #6 Geneve (CH)
31/07/2020 : DSR Label party Kunayala (Portugal)
12/08/2020 : Solarado 2020(Turkey)
01/06/2019 Festival "Jme La Touche #2 "Toulouse
12/04/2019 DSR Label Party (Suisse) 
15/12/2018 Jungle Mantra 2  Bangalore (India)
17/02/2018   Cortical systematics Showcase

Brazil Tour 2017 : Oct / Dec
14/10 Back to Nature @ Araxa
20/10 After Back to nature @ Libertas Bar
02/12 Santa Liberdade Festival @ Analandia
08/12 Undervision Festival @ Veranopolis     
-----------------------------------------                      


Nicolas Baroni aka Sensitive Seeds is a composer of electronic music.Since his childhood, he has bathed in the culture of psychedelic and progressive music (70’s rock as Jefferson Airplane, Can, the Doors, Pink Floyd).

Through percussions and didgeridoo is what he practices, he discoverd acoustic trance. Quickly and naturally he started to compose ambient and experimental tracks on analoge machine.
His musical evolution tempted him to explore all psychedelic trance sides, through the different styles which he composes now on PC: downtempo, progressive trance and psytrance. In 2012 he created a new organization in the south of France with Sanlayana and N’yurona: « Suraja Project ».

In 2013 he joined Nataraja records on which he released several tracks on various compilations of the label. Following a musical evolution he came back to his first inspirations, the psytrance like wildthings records, Bom Shanka, Sangoma records and in 2016 he joined Digital Shamans Records in Switzerland for new adventures .  In 2017 He released his first Ep "Sprawling Roots' and also lot of tracks for differents VA on digital shamans records .After many gigs in Brazil, India, Switzerland, he's now coming back with a new banging EP "Alchemy" released in 2020 on Digital Shamans Records!!

 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??????!!

 

Gaudium's Upcoming Gigs
Sat 10 Dec, 16 
Out Bauru, tba, Bauru, Brazil
Sat 17 Dec, 16 
Dantesk, Eurexpo, Chassieu, France
Sat 11 Feb, 17 
Iboga 20 Years, Øksnehallen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Sat 18 Feb, 17 
Central Park, Babette Club, Zurich, Switzerland
See the full listing here 
 http://gigs.gigatools.com/u/Gaudium

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2004 was the year that two old friends, Andreas and Denis, decided to hit the studio to have some fun. After a couple of days the first tune was created and they were both very happy with the result. They decided to continue making music together and so Gaudium was born. Gaudium is the Latin word for satisfaction which is basically what music should be to the ears.

Both Andreas and Denis have been involved in several music projects before they decided to start producing together. At the end of 2004 the Swedish record label Spiral Trax heard a Gaudium track that really caught their attention and that became the start of the first album Nordic Nature. The album was released during the summer 2005 and received great reviews from both fans and critics all over the world, some even claiming it to be the best progressive release of the year (!)

The year after the album was released turned out to be a very productive time for Gaudium and they released tracks on labels like Flow, Plusquam, Sinn-Tech and Yellow Sunshine Explosion. Remixes on tracks by artists like Ace Ventura, Sensifeel, Visua and Symphonix were also made. 

Gaudium creates music that can be described as progressive psychedelic trance with elements of both house and techno. This attracts an audience that is used to the sounds of Spiral Trax, Iboga and Digital Structures as well as the crowd that are more familiar with harder progressive house such as Marc O’Tool and Krüger & Coyle.

In 2006 after the sad news that Spiral Trax label group stopped existing Gaudium went back to the studio to focus on not going down with the ship. A new album started to take shape and a record deal with the highly respected Danish label Iboga was made.

Gaudium is a name you will hear a lot from in the future. New remixes, performances around the world and fresh material produced for the second album will be presented. Stay tuned and make sure not to miss any of it :)

Abhishek Mantri is a man with ‘music’ as his life’s mantra, a producer, an inventor, a pure music professional.
Abhishek Mantri is an House Music connoisseur and his motto is to stay on top of the party scenes across India & Internationally.

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