Tuesday 23 August 2011

Legends of the dancefloor: A Piece Of Paradise - Part 2 230811


Preston FM are proud to broadcast Parts 1-5 of the excellent documentary "A Piece Of Paradise" New York's Paradise Garage club and its DJ Larry Levan. This was first broadcast by BBC 6 Music earlier this month.

Part 2 features 9 interviews from the movers and shakers of Manhattan during those halcyon days from the 70's.  Produced by Eddie Gordon & Lenny Fontana.  Two Towers, Levan & Crocker own NYC.

Danny 'Pooch' Pucchiarelli, the first ever DJ to travel from New York and play the UK where the DJs were still talking in-between playing records and were blown away by "Pooch's" ability to mix the records together. Danny gives a personal view of why Larry Levan was the best DJ in the world and why the Paradise Garage was the best club he ever went to.

Music beds:
Dexter Wansel - Life On Mars
Manu Dubango - Soul Makossa
Change - The Glow Of Love
Geraldine Hunt - Can't Fake The Feeling
Lenny Williams - Choosing You
Instant Funk - I Got My Mind Made Up

Curtis Stevens - A young Afro-American writer who has just completed over 200 interviews on the life and times of the best radio DJ to be on air in the USA - Frankie Crocker from his WBLS days in New York City, the book entitled Frankie Crocker The Chief Rocker details the relationship between Frankie Crocker and Paradise DJ Larry Levan, how Frankie would go to the Garage hear Larry play a big song then immediately put on on 'air' across New York the next days which would send people flying to the record stores.

Between Levan and Crocker they helped sell millions of records, plus break many of the days new artists who are still in demand today. Curtis speaks on the that special relationship.

Music Beds:
McFadden & Whitehead - Ain't No Stopping Us Now

Diane 'Foxy' Strafaci - Manhattan fashion creator who found the Garage after a bad night at Studio 54 then went religiously every weekend to advice DJ Larry Levan on his clothes and WBLS Frankie Crocker on what records were exploding on the Garage dancefloor. "Foxy' talks candidly about her relationship with both men in their prime and what is was like for a young well-heeled lady to fall in love with a big dirty nightclub.

Music Beds:
Fatback Band - Spanish Hustle
The Chakakas - Jungle Fever
Cymande - Bra

John Morales - a remixer of world renown as M+M with Sergio Munzibai, who broke into the industry by mistake takes us through the beginnings of the New York City's thirst for special remixes of popular songs so the club DJ's could play extended versions including one his biggest remixes of Inner Life's "Caught Up In A One Night Love Affair" plus the studio times with Larry Levan who became one the first superstar remixers himself.

Music Beds:
Musique - Summer Love
Inner Life - Caught Up In One Night Love Affair

Ramon Wells - The head of the US Grammy panel for dance music, owner of DotDotDot Records and long time Manhattan resident reveals how significantly powerful the influence of the music from the Paradise Garage was on the city through the 10 years that the club was open plus its many changes of style.

Music Beds:
Unlimited Touch - Searching To Find The One

Michael Paoletta - As a journalist and editor, Michael Paoletta has been part of the music and entertainment industry since the late-'80s.

Michael tells of his journey from Cleveland, Ohio as a music fan to discovering the Paradise Garage after being tipped off about the club whilst buying records in a Cleveland record store, thousands of miles away, inspiring him to move to New York where he became a very influential writer for Billboard Magazine.

Music Beds:
Lamont Dozier - Going Back To My Roots
Chi-Lites - My First Mistake
Grace Jones - Pull Up To the Bumper
MFSB - Love Is The Message
The Clark Sisters - You Brought Sunshine Into My Life
Pat Benetar - Love is a Battlefield
Jeanette Thomas - Shake Your Body
Phreek - Weekend
Yoko Ono - Walking On Thin Ice
Stevie Nicks - Stand Back
Taana Gardner - When You Touch Me

Dave Shaw - Connecticut based DJ who moved to New York to A&R for Warner Brothers speaks of the influence the Paradise Garage and DJ Larry Levan had on his career both at Warner Brothers and as a DJ

Music Beds:
Ashford and Simpson - Bourgie Bourgie
Sharon Redd - Can You Handle It
Madonna - Holiday
Jocelyn Brown - Somebody Elses Guy
Mick Jagger - Lucky In Love
Gwen Guthrie - Ain't Nothing Going On But the Rent

DJ Freddy Turner - Freddy is a DJ from New York City, he produced Darry D'Bonneau and Barbara Tucker "Stop Playin With My Mind", talks about the Paradise from his perspective as a local DJ seeing this club and DJ re-write history in the city, still to this day retaining its legendary status nearly 25 years after it closed its doors.

Music Beds:
Mr Fingers - Can You Feel It

Marcus Wyatt - Los Angeles DJ and promoter tells of his pilgrimages from the West Coast to the East Coast just to hear DJ Larry Levan operate the incredible Garage sound system and how it inspired all his work on the other side of the country.

Music Beds:
Serious Intention - You Don't Know
Joyce Symms - All and All


Tuesday 23rd August 2011
Preston FM
10-11pm

Listen online here or tune to 103.2fm

Parts 3-5 will be broadcast Wednesday to Friday this week - 10-11pm.