The tenth edition of my ‘Discotheque Archives’ series for DJ Mag is now online, featuring more landmarks in pre-Rave club culture:
JELLYBEAN BENITEZ – John ‘Jellybean’ Benitez was a DJ and producer who appeared at the perfect moment, becoming the first Latin superstar of the dance scene – his residency at The Funhouse elevating his status, landing a mix show on NY’s popular WKTU radio station and mixing some of the early ’80s biggest tracks.
EMERGENCY RECORDS – Emergency was a New York label underpinned by Italian influence thanks to owner, Milan born club and radio DJ Sergio Cossa. Emergency quickly positioned itself amongst the leading underground labels of the early ‘80s, stacking up an impressive array of club favourites and picking up on the burgeoning electro scene, becoming a pivotal exponent of that sound.
THE GALLERY – The Gallery was amongst NYC’s most influential venues of the ‘70s. Its DJ and heartbeat was Brooklyn born Nicky Siano. Having cut his teeth at The Round Table, Siano, his then girlfriend Robin Lord and brother Joe, found their own Manhattan loft party space. Whilst originally geared towards a straight audience, The Gallery adopted the template of Mancuso’s parties, right down to the balloons.
NOW THAT WE FOUND LOVE – In 1978, Jamaican band Third World unleashed their uplifting reggae-disco fusion, ‘Now That We Found Love’, written by Philadelphia soul icons Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff for The O’Jays. Despite chart successes in the US/UK, The Third World cover version strangely remained absent from the US disco chart, despite achieving classic status at the Loft and Paradise Garage.
Read this month’s column here:
http://djmag.com/features/greg-wilsons-discotheque-archives-10
Read all pieces in full here:
https://blog.gregwilson.co.uk/greg-wilsons-discotheque-archives/
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