still alive and kicking

[whisper]

came across the site while browsing and it caught my eye..
i started deejaying at local youth club in 1976...
decks..carlsboros..i only thought they made amps at the time..
rotary controls..lol..going through a mono output..i remember they were bsr turntables on them.
the amplification was 100 watt laney amp and two 12 mckenzie drivers in each speaker..and homemade light that was a youth club project...
the youth bought about 8 new records a week..se we had to be choosy about what we wanted to buy...
the girls always won..the wanted things like carpenters mr postman...dance yourself dizzy..kelly marie and things like that .
they always said if you don't get them were not going to disco...pure blackmail as the guys wanted harder rock...like queen etc..remember it was a youth club ...all between 12 and 18 years of age...
anyways break came when local venues band didn't show up and they phoned the youth leader to see if he knew any bands .in the end up they had me and my best friend do this disco .....with the most basic of stuff..
they loved it....bear in mind i was 16 ..couldn't drink legally until 18..and ws in this huge venue playing pop hits of that day. !!!
i think the reason we wee a hit is that the venues catered fo 18 to 24 year old at the time..so we had the pulse of that time....

now i'm still working 5 nights a week..retired from nightclubs years ago..
so sticking to pubs ...no later than midnight finishes...except on the rare occasion that a gg takes my interest..like a 70's disco night.

i always had that distinct feeling that i played too much 70's music and put it down to the fact that it was my era..only to be told on numerous occasions i had been lucky to have been through that era it was the best as far as music was concerned...especially disco.

nowadays i'm computer based using otsav and recently got back in to to the trendier side of things by using videos as more and more places have multiple screens in the premises...so playing to younger crowds again..lol
i have came across a few videos where the flavour is disco if it were still alive and kicking big style..
one that comes to mind - solange (i think it's beyonces sister) - sandcastle disco...i would have no hesitaion in putting this into a disco night..so maybe if we look a bit harder not all disco is strictly the golden years of 70's and 80's.
how times have changed..first vinyl..then cd ...then mp3...now mp4..and a computer...
about 10 of us dj's got together a few years ago and ripped our vinyl to mp3.....as most of the stuff couldn't be bought on cd or was unavailable..
i only have one regret...
if anyone has the tappen zee sampler with four tracks..
mongo santamaria..wilbert longmire etc was on it i thjink...
but manly for the mongo santa maria watermelon man ...fantasting bit of music (herbie hancock had something to do with it)

here hoping and a end to my ramblings

take care
whisper

[SandraDee]

Welcome whisper. Without looking where u were from I guessed you were from UK when u mentioned the Tappan Zee record. Uk DJs were always into the jazz-funk side of things weren't they? P.S. I remember seeing that 4-track sampler in Vinyl Exchange 2nd-hand record shop here in Manchester a while ago - they may still have it, give them a try.

[the disco kid]

Welcome Whisper, loved the read, thanks for sharing!

The "watermenlon man" 12" is pretty easily had on Ebay and Gemm for a small amount of change. it's not the 4 track sampler, but if that's the song you really wanted anyway, it's easily obtainable.

keep kickin'!