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2005.05.22. FRANKIE KNUCKLES :: DAVID MORALES :: JELLYBEAN BENITEZ and more @ BOA
Longweekend Sunday May 22nd, 2005
BOA & DEF MIX present
3 House Music Legends
Over the past 9 months Def Mix productions have had a home in Toronto once every month. Boa has been delighted to host the Def Mix roster and Toronto House Music fans have welcomed Def Mix with open arms. Sunday May 22nd, 2005 will mark the final performances of both Frankie Knuckles and David Morales until Fall 2005. These Toronto favourites are taking up refuge in Ibiza for the summer to host there weekly residency at Pacha Ibiza. Frankie & David will be joined by yet another House Music Legend who has yet to perfrom at Boa, John "Jellybean" Benitez will make his debut in the Redux Lounge. Join us as we transform Boa into a tropical paradise to celebrate past 9 months with Def Mix and there embarkment to the island of Ibiza!!!
FRANKIE KNUCKLES
www.defmix.com, CHICAGO
The man many call the godfather of house, Frankie Knuckles began DJing in New York in the early '70s while still a teenager, years before the disco boom which proved to be the first flowering of modern dance music. Ten years later he was in Chicago, putting together megamixes of old disco hits with new drum-machine percussion for an appreciative audience at crucial clubs like the Music Box and the Warehouse. Another decade on from those first formative steps for house music, Knuckles was back in his New York home, working as a producer and remixer for the biggest pop stars in the business. His career spans more time than any dance producer and without him, the landscape would be immeasurably different.
Born in the Bronx in 1955, Knuckles listened to a lot of jazz as a child, thanks to his sister's record collection. He studied commercial art and costume design before taking his first job as a DJ in 1971. Several years later, he hooked up with childhood friend Larry Levan and the two began working at Nicky Siano's New York club, the Gallery. Levan later moved to the Continental Baths, and Knuckles worked at another club for several months before rejoining Levan. Again, Levan left — this time to set up his own club, the Soho Place — and Knuckles continued on until the Continental Baths was closed. A group of entrepreneurs initially approached Levan about becoming the DJ at a club they were starting in Chicago; instead of abandoning the interest in his own club, he declined but suggested his friend Frankie Knuckles.
Knuckles moved to Chicago in 1977 and began DJing at the Warehouse, spinning Salsoul and Philadelphia Int'l records in front of a crowd unused to the New York DJing style, which included beat-mixing and the addition of percussion fills (from a separate turntable) to spruce up the sound of traditional soul. In 1983, Knuckles opened his own club, the Power Plant. While Ron Hardy was entrancing a largely gay, uptown crowd at the Music Box, Knuckles introduced the sound to many of the Southside producers who made waves during the 1980s: Marshall Jefferson, Larry Heard, Adonis, Steve "Silk" Hurley and at least half a dozen others.
After more than 15 years spinning vinyl, Frankie Knuckles began recording as well, debuting with several singles released on the seminal Trax Records. Such efforts as "Your Love," "Baby Wants to Ride," "You Got the Love" and "Angel" (most credited to Knuckles though vocalist Jamie Principle undoubtedly exercised some influence) were among the best tracks released in the Chicago house explosion of the mid-'80s. Knuckles also recorded for Danica ("Let the Music Use You") and worked with younger producers like Marshall Jefferson as well as future Fingers, Inc. vocalist Robert Owens. Just as Chicago house began spreading worldwide during 1986-87 though, Knuckles returned to New York. He formed Def Mix Productions with David Morales (one of the other major names in house music) and began working on house treatments for the biggest pop stars of the 1980s and '90s, including Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, Inner City and En Vogue.
Despite the popularity of house in the international arena, the godfather of the music waited several years before the major labels came calling for something other than a remix. Finally, Virgin signed him to an artist contract in 1991 and released his debut album Beyond the Mix. The singles "The Whistle Song," "Rainfalls" and "Workout" moved up the dance charts, though the album failed to connect with pop or R&B fans. Knuckles continued to produce singles and remix tracks, while his second album Welcome to the Real World was released in 1995.
DAVID MORALES
www.defmix.com, NYC
With his 1999 Grammy for Remixer of the Year, plus his influential Def Mix label, his constant touring, and his new residency at Montreal's Stereo club, Morales is using his high profile to preach the gospel of house music to dancefloor churches around the globe. "I come from a different era of music," says the 37-year-old. "I'm there to educate people. I try to blend yesterday with tomorrow so the new kids can understand it." For Morales, the Grammy represents industry recognition of his life's work. Having remixed heavy hitters such as Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, and Jocelyn Brown, David Morales has a résumé that reads like a Who's Who of the diva circuit, just look at the calalogue!! When Morales checks into the recording studio or DJ booth, he doesn't spend time blueprinting. "When we go into the studio, we don't have a plan," he says. "We have a live session, like playing records in a club. Theory goes out the window. Production is about heart and soul. My ear knows what makes people dance." In the studio, Morales relies heavily on a Korg Z1, E-mu Orbit and Planet Phatt, and Roland JV-2080. "My 2080 is maxed out," he reports. "It's loaded. I have the Pop card, the World card, the Techno card, the Piano card. . . . I can't help myself!" But live musicians also play an important part in Morales's high-powered remixes. "No matter how good the keyboard sounds, the essence of a flute sound is all about the breath." When it comes to drum machines, Morales finds that "different machines have different feels. Some have a cheesier, rougher edge. I can sample the same sound into the Akai MPC60, S950, or S3000, or into the [E-mu] SP-1200, and they'll have different feels." That's why he keeps a stable of beatboxes and percussion modules onhand -- which also includes an E-mu Procussion and a classic Roland TR-909. "What I use depends on what I'm looking for sound- and feel-wise. If I'm making a commercial remix, for example, the 909 may be too dark for the track." DJ gigs during the early days of house music at New York's Better Days and Brooklyn's Ozone Bar were essential building blocks in Morales's remix career. "In 1985 we used to remix records live on the spot using three turntables, a homemade trigger, and a little Roland TR-505 drum machine," he recalls. He hopes his residency at Stereo will ignite the old-school spirit of his youth, spent in legendary rooms like the Loft and Paradise Garage in New York. "I want to create something special. Stereo is a pure dance club. What they're selling is music." Morales himself requested the residency, seduced by the club's monster sound system. "This one touches you deep inside. A club's system is made to be worked. I can wreck the place like a train coming through; I can take the bass and pick you off the ground and drop you without you even knowing!" Morales has come a long way from his humble beginnings as a bedroom DJ. "My mother cracks up," he says. "She remembers when I was at home with two turntables, trying to make noise. And now, even though the money is ridiculous, at the end of the day nobody can take away what I love to do. If I wasn't famous, I'd still be a bedroom DJ."
JELLYBEAN BENITEZ
www.jellybean-recordings.com, NYC
John Benitez was born in South Bronx, New York city, back in 1959. The family lived in an apartment on Burnside Avenue in the Bronx, and his sister Debbie was the one who gave him his nickname - Jellybean.
Already as a child he used to entertain his family and friends by playing them different records on the turntable. This was the time when songs like "Don't leave me this way" by Thelma Houston was among the hottest songs in the charts. It was back then he first started to collect records and he soon learned, during his home sessions, that he could get the "audience" in different moods depending on what song he played...
He always thought of a DJ as a guy playing records on the radio, but when he entered the Sanctuary nightclub in Manhattan in the late seventies his life changed forever... When he heard the DJ mixing two songs together he definatly know he wanted to become a professional Discoteque DJ !
Jellybean started his DJ career in a club in the Bronx, called Charlie's. But he really wanted to go further... he wanted to work in the famous Manhattan clubs. He got a gig at a club called Experiment 4 and by getting the right contacts he came to play at the trendy Xenon.
In 1976, Jellybean was spinnin' here. Francois Kevorkian replaced him for an evening.
This was Francois K's debut as a DJ.
This was really a break-through for his career...
During 1978 to 1981 all the hottest clubs, like Electric Circus and the legendary Studio 54, all wanted to hire Jellybean to play in their club.
From april 1981 'til june 1984 he was the resident DJ of the Manhattan club Fun House.
It was during his sessions at this club the well known phrase "Jellybean Rocks the House" was founded !
The crowd at the Fun House were very musically aware and Jellybean got total freedom to explore dance music and examine the break beats, instrumental fills and all the other components of the 12-inch extended mixes. His style was so popular that he were asked to host a weekend dance show in America's No.1 radio station - WKTU.
Many new upcoming bands and artists got a break thanks to John playing their songs at the Clubs and/or in his radio show. Already back in 1980 he's included in the Special Thanks section of the Invisible Man's Bands self-titled album, which include the awesome Disco song "All night thing".
John had achieved his DJ goals and he now wanted to go on to remixing singles. His first remix was "the Bubble Bunch" by Jimmy Spicer, soon followed by the classics "Walking on Sunshine" by Rockers Revenge and Africa Bambaataa's "Planet Rock".
NEVIO
Boa Resident, www.djnevio.com, TORONTO
PM or Email me for tickets!!
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Last edited by DigDeep on May-09-2005 at 14:13
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