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June 2007
LET ME TAKE YOU ON A JOURNEY
By DJ MARK BISSON
I was in Fort Lauderdale a few months ago on vacation and caught a performance by a Christina Aguilera look-a-like performing Christina’s song Hurt. It’s a great song, especially the Chris Cox Club Mix that was being played. What really surprised me was that she was only wearing sequined pasties and a g-string and was prancing around the stage Las Vegas style. It just didn’t seem to correlate with the song, which is a grief stricken lament about loss and heartbreak.
As a DJ, one of the first things I do when I am listening to new music is to determine what the song is about. That way, when I am playing for a group of people, I am familiar with the “story” behind each song that I am playing. A DJ’s goal is to tell a story, or take their listeners on a journey, with the music they are playing. To echo DJ legend Larry Levan, each successive song played must “make sense” in relation to each other.
One of my favorite veteran DJ’s, Susan Morabito, was recently advertising her party for Black Party weekend in New York City as a “complete journey”. Even though I wasn’t able to attend, I did communicate with her regarding the changes she has observed over the years in regards to DJs, parties, and nightclubs. We both agree that the whole aspect of a musical journey is being lost in our community. The “complete journey” involves different types of music during the course of the evening or party. Warm up music (lighter, often very melodic) would be played first, with the intensity slowly building to peak hour (higher energy and intensity), winding down into sleaze (sexy, slower tempo), and ending with morning music (uplifting, beautiful music). This style of playing was created in the Seventies and Eighties in venues like The Loft, The Gallery, Flamingo, Paradise Garage, The Warehouse and The Saint by DJ’s like David Mancuso, Nicky Siano, Larry Levan, Frankie Knuckles and Michael Fierman.
The LBGT Community has had a major influence over the years in the creation of dance music and the template of what makes a great party or nightclub experience. It is up to our generation (and generations to come) to honor those pioneers who have gone before us by carrying on their legacy.
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