Keith Carlos

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Keith Carlos

New York Disco DJ (1954 - Present)

As a struggling mobile dee jay in Brooklyn I met dee jays Flowers and Ras Maboya and Pete DJ Jones from the Bronx. They sent me on a path, to the New York based record distributers and eventually to all the labels with offices in New York. We went to Alpha on the west side. to Sunshine distributers on 10th ave. Even the original Salsoul offices on 10th ave since they predominately sold Latin records. In the early days I would get records from Ken Cayre directly. Including a test pressing of the first Salsoul Orch LP.

As you proceeded west along 57th Street there was the Motown publishing office, got my 12" promo copy of Love Hangover there. Arista was just transitioning from Bell and had a killer tune by Mike and Bill "Somebodys Got To Go" I think thats the name of the tune And many many more. Eventually these companies wanted to end the traffic, and a lot of companies didn't believe the club or mobile dee jay, played any part in breaking records.

That is how independant companies began to prosper. Companies with a small promotion budget could give a tune to some dee jays on the weekends and by Monday a local buzz would begin. Orders would come in for records at local retalers without airplay. The frustration of jocks with these major companies is what spawned the idea for a central distribution point for records to go to dee jays. The idea of the record pool was formed. The first Pool was the New York Record Pool started by 65 dee jays including myself almost all who played at popular clubs like a lot of the midtown Manhatten clubs. You may think David Mancuso started the first pool since it was housed in his club at 99 Prince St, but if there was one person who organized the 65 jocks it was Steve D'Aquisto (uncredited remixer for Crown Heights Affair 'Say A Prayer for Two 12").

The pool grew quickly, but not nearly as fast as the number of clubs or dee jays. Recognizing this fact Eddie Rivera, out of his small family apartment on the lower east side of Manhatten, started I.D.R.C. I went to work for Eddiie after he moved to a loft on Broadway at 18th St. I was what was to be known as a product communicator, a liason between the pool and all record companies. I developed relationships with many producers and record executives on a quest to service records to our member club dee jays. Of course Ray "Pinky" Valasquez was a member, but did you know Steve Standard (Strafe) was also a member. We even had a few out of town members like The Reginald 'T' Experience. It was a great place to work.

I left I.D.R.C. and went to work with De-lite records, home of Kool and the Gang. The executives at Delite felt as a company they had lost contact with the streets. I was to be their eyes and ears of the streets. My first project I get to work with the 'Genius' Patrick Adams (thats what it says on one of his earliest releases Lamar Thomas 'Chained' on Columbia records) and the first disco 'Diva' Jocelyn Brown. The project is now a highly prized and valuable piece of vinyl "Dazzle" on Delite. It spawned no singles but there is a 12" of the title song 'You Dazzle Me', but its "Walk Before You Run" that really shows what Jocelyn can do. The remixer for this was John 'Jellybean' Benitez. I assisted with the promotion. I assume it was just too far ahead of its time.

Next I helped with the Kool and the Gang's album 'Ladies Night' Actually if you remember one of the members from that era , not an original, but a quite talented brother, keyboard player Earl Toon. He and I were in the studio one evening and as we listened to the tracks from the previous day, we recognized that no female vocals were planned for the track. We felt they should be there. So after fooling around with some phraseology we came up with the small Parliament theft "if you hear any noise it ain't the boys its Ladies night" we got in touch with the original female backup singers for Kool and the Gang 'Something Sweet'. And as they say the rest is history.

I continued with Delite by signing artist Leon Bryant. His voice and entertainment factor were quite high, but no real success achieved. Several artists came my way some I turned down and some I sent to other labels and they got deals. Tracey Webber with Sure Shot I sent her producer to see Ray Caviano who got John Driscoll at Quality to give him a deal on RFC Quality. Another comes too mind, the Leroy Burgess Greg Carmicheal project Convertion the song entitled 'Lets Do It' I had the tape for over a year . Eventually it came out on SAM records, which was a new disco division of Sam Weiss' Old Town Records. At this time Sam's daughter was married to eventual EMI president Danny Glass. Danny worked for his father in law and signed the record. I tried to warn Danny, Greg was not the best at business I mean a creative genius, but not a very scrupulous business person. SAM lost their shirt on that one. Delite released an Eddie Thomas produced group, from Chicago 'Coffee' it had a top 10 U.K hit with Cassanova, a disco version of the old Josh Armstead record. I mixed this and Slip and Dip. Lets not forget the Crown Heights Affair. They put together one more LP for De-lite. I promoted a few indy projects Vaugh Mason with Bounce Rock Skate Roll. The first night I had it I was with Russell Simmons and we went to 'Pippins' to see our favorite jock, Rick Richardson. Russell had Christmas Rappin by Kurtis Blow and I had Bounce Rock Rick played em both. I received another gold Plaque for that.

I eventually moved on to an independant company, Urban Rock records. We had artists 'Cousin Ice' I co produced Jocelyn Brown again this time with 'Hands Up'. I hired Tony Humphries to mix Diva Grays 'Call Me' which she wrote the rap to. I eventually went to work as a personal assistant to Ms Jocelyn Brown during her short tenure of solo hit records, one 'Somebody Elses Guy' Before she left for England I produced a Tony Lee record which a Dutch company showed some interest in I still have it it was mixed by Larry Patterson backup to Larry Levan at the Paradise and George Rodriguez who formed the Garden State Record Pool.
Peace,
Keith Carlos

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