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Larry Lavens B-day, Tues....


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man im still not recoverd from sat i didnt sleep and went to work adn then after wards went to a party. And now i have to fill in for a girl today and tomorrow. But regardless i will be there. The only name i know for sure is JOEY LLANOS i think thats how you spell it. He was a bouncer at the garage and also spun there with larry. See ya tues dude. Meetup b4?

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man im still not recoverd from sat i didnt sleep and went to work adn then after wards went to a party. And now i have to fill in for a girl today and tomorrow. But regardless i will be there. The only name i know for sure is JOEY LLANOS i think thats how you spell it. He was a bouncer at the garage and also spun there with larry. See ya tues dude. Meetup b4?

I went to Vinyl Mania to get the flyer but Charlie said they went so fast cuz of the b/w pic of larry on the front....He showed me one he kept for the store, and I forgot to look at the lineup......

Anyway....yeah, I'll meetup b4....I haven't heard from deep or anyone else today......but I think he might be going...

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Thanks....... One more think , when does it close cuz I have work till 8 tomorrow night.

CHEERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

not sure about that.......if you end up going let me know..........probably a few people will go so we can meetup.

bull can probably fill you in on the closing time....

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not sure about that.......if you end up going let me know..........probably a few people will go so we can meetup.

bull can probably fill you in on the closing time....

I'll def. Let u know........ A meetup sounds good to me.

Oh silverbull...... I'm def. Up for an all nighter for this one......lol

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LLPG.jpg

LarryLevan.jpg

Heres a great read:

Larry Levan (1954-1992) - Remembering a Legend....

[Raven Fox]

There are no DJs, living or otherwise, who have had such potent mythology constructed around them as Larry Levan. His tragically premature death in 1992 signalled the end of a remarkable career that still casts a shadow over the dance community. Talk to any New York DJ of a certain age about music and it's likely that Levan's name will be mentioned in the first ten minutes. He is widely quoted as being the greatest modern DJ, whilst the club that he presided over for ten years - The Paradise Garage - is held in equally high regard.

Born in Brooklyn in 1954, Levan got his break in 1972 when the DJ at the club where he worked, the Continental Baths, was sacked. The owner told him to go home and get some records, "It was Memorial Day weekend," Larry recalled. "I went back to Brooklyn and borrowed records from my friend Ronnie Roberts who had everything. I went back and worked for three straight days." After spending over a year at the Baths, a friend, Richard Long (who would later construct the mighty Garage sound system) invited him to start a night together, the Soho Club on Broadway. After losing that space, they moved to 143 Reade Street where his reputation was swelling. "I started working there and it got so crowded I just used to open up the windows and let the sound go out onto the street. When the club had to close because of overcrowding, they asked me not to play anywhere else until the new club opened."

That new club was The Paradise Garage. A huge warehouse-like space that had been converted from a garage into a membership only club. It partially opened in 1977 with only the smaller room open (they didn't have sufficient funds to finish it) and a sound system that had been specifically designed by Levan and collaborator Long.

What made Larry so special was his understanding of drama and how to create it, with pauses between songs, sound effects or later, with his collaborator on Peech Boys project, Michael DeBenedictus, on live keyboards. He understood space as much as music - he was a great fan of dub reggae, and often played productions by Jamaican rhythmatists, Sly & Robbie. His genius was a great ear for music, often displaying bewildering eclectic tastes; telling stories through his sets. I remember that he played like he was in your living room. He played all types of music, whether it was slow or fast; he didn't care so long as he captured that vibe. Technically, he wasn't a great beat mixer, but he was, if not, one of the greatest music programmers.

From disco classics like MFSB's 'Love Is The Message' (A Garage Anthem) to unreserved rock freakouts like Steve Miller Band's 'Macho Citry', Levan threw the lot into the Garage melting pot creating a stirring brew of rhythmic intensity. Levan was the original balearic DJ before most people even knew where the Balearics were.

Larry not only made his mark as a DJ, his studio work demonstrated a progressive mind at work as well. From his earliest remixes ('Got My Mind Made Up' by Instant Funk, Dee Dee Bridgwaters 'Bad For Me') through to his work with Bernard Fowler and DeBenedictus as New York Citi Peech Boys, Levan showed the same stripped down dubwise mentality that producers such as Francois Kevorkian and Arthur Russell had shown with their work. The Peech Boys 'Don't Make Me Wait' and 'Something Special' were both Garage favorites as well as becoming great records on their own right elsewhere, while mixes such as 'Heartbeat' by Taana Gardner pre-empted the house sound with its stripped-to-the-beat sound.

Larry Levan's physical decline began well before the Garage closed in 1987 and continued as he guested at clubs around NYC and, by that stage, the world. London's Ministry of Sound brought him over for 3 days and he stayed for 3 months. He arrived 8 days late with no records. 'No records they said? Where are they' 'I've sold them all'. He had a massive heroin problem at that stage and he'd regularly do his wages before he finished playing. And he's sell his collection on a regular basis. His friends would go to the market and see it for sale; buy it back for him and he'd resell them again. In the end, they gave up. Shortly before his death, he went on a tour of Japan with Francois Kevorkian, who remembered it like this: "Larry went into a set of Philadelphia classics which was just so poignant, so emotional because the message of all the songs said he was really hurting. We all felt it at the time, but I think he pretty much knew he was dying and all the songs he played were so deeply related to how life goes. He played Jean Carne's 'Time Waits For No One' and the Trammps 'Where Do We Go From Here,' and I realised that this was one of the best moments of greatness that I had ever witnessed in my life. It was so obvious, so grand, such a drama to it, that you just knew."

Larry Levan died two months later in November 1992. Each July on his birthday, a remembrance party is held in New York for him with old Garage DJs like David Depino, and Francois Kevorkian holding court (NYCs Sunday Night Party at Vinyl 'Body & Soul') a testament to the influence he has exerted over dance music in general and New York in particular. (MOS The Manual)

I know that I will always remember how nice Mike Brody, Mel Cheren, Joey Llanos, David DePino, Kenny Eubanks and the rest of the Paradise Garage family were to me during my upbringing in this religion of music. I also thank God for my late friend Keith Haring who introduced me to Larry at his 'Party of Life' at the club. And to all the Core Mechanic "card carrying" Saturday Night Garage Hippies - 'Uno, Dos, Tres, Quatro....boom boom boom boom R.I.P. Larry - Raven Fox

And heres a great readabout 84 KING STREET:

Opening in February 1978 and closing down in the fall of 1987, Paradise Garage is quite possibly the most revered of all of the great Dance clubs. Strongly influenced by David Mancuso's stellar sound system and familial atmosphere at The Loft, Paradise Garage became known for industry-defining sound and a congenial, loving environment serving as respite from the dangers and concerns of the streets of New York City. DJ Larry Levan presided over the Garage (as it was lovingly known) and inspired a reverence from club audiences unsurpassed in the history of Dance music. Paradise Garage became known musically for preserving the spirit and ambience of classic Disco while moving resolutely forward in musical style and innovation. The Dance music genre Garage is a lasting tribute to the club's importance to Dance music history.

Located at 84 King St., New York City, in an old garage building, Paradise Garage officially opened February 17, 1978 in 20,000 square feet of space after hosting a series of construction parties while the space was under construction. Envisioned as an ongoing party by its owner Michael Brody instead of a club, Paradise Garage issued much-coveted memberships for those who wished to attend. Throughout its history, the clientele of Paradise Garage was predominately black, Latin, and gay, but as its reputation grew, key figures in Dance music from all backgrounds came for the Paradise Garage experience. In the early 1980's visual art became a significant part of the Paradise Garage experience as the walls became an ongoing exhibition space for the exuberant colors and celebratory energy of artist Keith Haring's work.

Throughout its history Paradise Garage had only one resident DJ, Larry Levan, widely revered as one of the most talented of all Dance DJs. A veteran of the Gallery, Continental Baths, and Reade St. (Paradise Garage's immediate precursor), Levan had strong connections with the New York Disco community. One of his closest colleagues, Frankie Knuckles, left New York for Chicago shortly before the opening of Paradise Garage. Knuckles would go on to fame as a key founder of House.

Aside from Larry Levan's worshipful following, Paradise Garage was also known for building and maintaining one of the best Dance music sound systems ever. Richard Long was hired to design the sound system and he brought in Al Fierstein. Together they developed equipment specifically for the space at the Garage. A paper presented at the International Convention of the Audio Engineering Society explains in detail their application of acoustical principles when designing an optimal system. A number of clubs have attempted to recreate the aural qualities of the Paradise Garage sound system, but have never succeeded in creating a true duplication. Long and Fierstein put together the system for the specific space in which it was used making the sound experience unique to Paradise Garage.

Larry Levan's musical palette at Paradise Garage was one of the most diverse ever in a Dance venue. He would incorporate elements of Rock, Disco, Jazz, R&B, Latin and more if it seemed to fit the mood of the moment. While nearly anything might be heard on the dancefloor, a more specific style began to emerge as a predominant sound. Ultimately known as Garage, this style was true to the sound and feel of Disco while adding technological elements that successfully brought the music forward. Levan's intimate connection with the record label West End Records, run by Michael Brody's life partner Mel Cheren, insured success for such West End classics as Karen Young's Hot Shot, The Peech Boys' Don't Make Me Wait, and Taana Gardner's Heartbeat.

As with most all classic Dance venues, Paradise Garage did come to an end. Owner Michael Brody announced that the Garage would close after a final party September 26-27, 1987 which drew an estimated 14,000 people over the two days. The official reason for closing was failure to renew a lease. Michael Brody claimed local residents 'did not want a black club in the neighborhood' and so refused to renew its lease, but Brody was also very ill and would die within months of the closing of Paradise Garage. The reputation of the Garage and Larry Levan has dimmed little with the passing of years. In recent years, West End Records has engaged in a program of re-releasing live sets by Larry Levan and a number of favorite mixes from the Paradise Garage era. Part legend and part reality, Paradise Garage is certain to live on.

paradiseg.jpg

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