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larrylevanlive@thepardisegarage1982
larrylevanlive@pardisegarage1982pt2
Larry Levan (Lawrence Philpot)
Born: 7-18-1954
Died: 11-8-1992 at the age of 38.
Larry is revered primarily as the DJ and driving force of the
famous gay disco "Paradise Garage." With engineer Richard Long, he custom-designed the Garage's monster sound system and DJ
booth, complete with audiophile Thorens turntables.
Larry's brilliance lay not only in his technical
skill and audio expertise, but also in his unique and eclectic taste. He confounded and greatly broadened the "rules" of what
"dance music" could be, mixing everything from gospel, reggae, Philly soul and Euro-disco to rock ("Stand Back"/Stevie Nicks
and "Eminence Front"/The Who, to name but two), post-punk ("The Magnificent Seven"/The Clash, and Talking Heads), ambient/environmental
music (Klaus Schulze and Manuel Gottsching, for example), and just about everything else. He augmented this aural collage
with disorienting sound effects and mind-expanding audio manipulations, working the crossover and balance controls to throw
sound around the room as if it had a will of its own. Larry was a shaman who opened a sonic Pandora's box when he D.J.'ed,
with all kinds of beautiful, scary and indescribably bizarre sounds careening around the room like spirits flying out of the
Ark of the Covenant.
Larry cut his musical teeth at The Loft, essentially the first underground, afterhours
disco. Started by David Mancuso at the advent of the '70s, The Loft combined psychedelic culture with proto-disco music, which
then consisted of longform, psychedelic-influenced soul ("Melting Pot"/Booker T. & The MG's, "Papa Was a Rolling Stone"/The
Temptations, etc.), jazz-funk like The Blackbyrds, funky rock ("Woman"/Barabas, for example) and trippy head music like Pink
Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon." When "Paradise Garage" opened in 1976, Larry added gospel-and R&B-flavored disco to his
musical menu.
With Larry at the helm, the Garage embodied all that was beautiful about disco: glamour,
unpretentiousness, excitement, hedonism, epiphany through music, black/white and gay/straight harmony, and the general concept
of the dancefloor as family. Celebrities like Grace Jones, Keith Haring, Nile Rogers, Chaka Khan and Madonna hung out and
danced the night away along with thousands more of Larry's dedicated flock.
As a remixer, Larry applied
his inimitable touch to countless all-time club classics, including "Got My Mind Made Up"/Instant Funk, "Ain't No Mountain
High Enough"/Inner Life, "Can't Play Around"/Lace, "Heartbeat"/Taana Gardner, Gwen Guthrie's "Should Have Been You" and "Nothing
Going On But The Rent" and many, many others. As a writer and producer, he helped create the sound of the innovative New York
Citi Peech Boys and their seminal club hits "Don't Make Me Wait", "On A Journey", "Come On, Come On" and "Life Is Something
Special," a joyous, mesmerizing celebration of life, love, and music. Larry's work has a spacious, epic, atmospheric quality,
with a haunting blend of joy and pain.
After the Garage closed in 1987, Larry kept a considerably lower
profile, doing guest spots at various clubs, including "Studio 54," "Palladium" and "Mars," and D.J.-ing regularly at "The
Choice," arguably the inheritor of the Garage's underground legacy. "The Choice" didn't have the grandeur of the Garage, but
Larry made it his home, casting his psychedelic spell on a diverse crowd of devoted Garage heads and various other afterhours
types. Although his remixing work (and, according to some, his spinning ability) diminished, there's no doubt that Larry,
even on a bad night, was still infinitely more creative, interesting and unpredictable than any other jock around. It was
that unpredictability that was the reason for many of his followers disenchantment by the mid-and-late '80's: it was also
the reason that legions more literally lived to hear him play, or were inspired to make their own careers in music and the
music business.
Larry's legacy is more than just a legendary nightclub and a fistful of club classics.
Larry Levan was the ultimate DJ: he didn't just excel at his job, he reinvented the concept of the DJ, blurring the boundaries
of music, race, sex, sexuality, and changing thousands of people's perception of music, sound and the world around them. For
those reasons alone he is still revered and talked about to this day. Larry.....we miss you, the club world has never been
the same!
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........THE PARADISE GARAGE........
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.
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