Big Apple Resonance: ADA 2010 Retrospective
The year is coming to a close, and it’s time to wax romantic about the program’s journey in 2010. It’s been a pleasure to strike a weekly routine of preparing and playing the music that has kept us spellbound for the past three years. We’re planning to hold steady in 2011, and to continue expanding the calendar of guests and programming appeal by doing what we’ve been doing. As I said last year, its the comfort of knowing there are folks out there in radio and internet land who are genuinely into our thing and make it all the more worthwhile for us to come in week in, week out to do that very thing. A special thanks to those close friends of the program that have made a lot of the connections along the way – you know who you are! Let’s toast to the music, and run down a fabulous year of records and recordings held for posterity…
If January were any indication for the year ahead, it certainly bode well after we stacked the calendar with a series of exceptional guest DJs. A last minute booking through LOVE ON THE RUN put us in touch with Jeremy a.k.a. Underground Paris, who gave us a glimpse of his truly eclectic taste and penchant for the rarer sounds spanning genres, formats and geographies. We had our guests for the next week booked for quite some time, as I recall the anticipation of having Darshan Jesrani, Doug Gomez and Henry Maldonado on the program. Known together for their party Play It Loud! , and perhaps more individually for their importance and contribution to the ever-evolving sound of ‘Disco’, it only seemed right to hand over the reigns and have them play through the entire program. For those in the know, there is an enduring bright spot in the revolving door of the NYC party circuit in the form of a weekly music-minded gathering called Lost and Found in Brooklyn, with a rotating cast of DJs; JBX, Honeydripper, Boogieman and Old Chris played on the program to represent this venerable institution.To close out January, we invited Frantz Barosy to the program after striking a friendship with this estimable dude; he played us some cuts that are now committed to memory, and champed through our negligence on booth monitoring for the majority of his set (still sorry!).
As co-hosts of a radio program called A Downtown Affair, there’s always one date on the calendar that’s circled in lipstick red – February 14th, Valentines Day. Covering the both sides of this special occasion seemed like the dignified approach, hence the airing of our special Boogie Lovers session on the 12th followed by the Lovers Lost program on the 19th. We were certainly content after props came dribbling in from Marly Marl (!!!) days after airing, with some interesting context about the celeb-status donned on cats like Daryl Payne and Michael Bailey in Queens Bridge during the early ’80s.
It almost felt like a relapse after Adam Stegs of Vietcong Disco came through and played a heavy hand of R&B in advance of one the first of a few Camp Debonair outings sprinkled throughout the year. Next we had Frank of Voodoo Funk broadcasting his disinterred African vinyl plays in advance of his Lagos Disco Inferno compilation. The rest of March was nothing short of spectacular, as evidenced by the multiple plays of a certain Michael Boothman record. We started in good company with the PRAT crew – James Mulry, Porkchop & Lloydski, who translated their much-heralded party Particularly Random at Tandem beautifully to the radio format. Robbie Busch, a.k.a. DJ McBoing Boing, assembled a program composed of head-turning records we’d never heard of, leaving us with a standout recording that’s still in steady rotation here at LGS. It’s easy to see why Chairman Mao is one of the most esteemed DJs in the business, and more importantly why he’s such a damn pleasure to have on the radio. Twice. He first came through at the end of March and dropped a time capsule of soul, funk, and disco from the dollar bins to the gold vaults. With no intention of breaking pace, we arranged for Peter Reyes to make a guest appearance in early April. Peter gave us a formal introduction to sleaze after playing through some of the selections plucked from his incomprehensibly large and varied record collection dwelling in Newark, New Jersey. Quite a treat, and we’ll have him back in February of this year for more. The next week brought the Nigerian ex-pats Osita & Osore into the studio for what became a nice counterpoint to the shows leading up to it – a self-crafted course of jazz, fusion, brazilian, afro and their outpourings.
The following week, DJ Monk One, the hallmark of a musicologist-selector, joined the program and pulled records out of his collection for a special ADA appearance.DJ Red Greg was on the shortlist of out-of-town disc jockeys we hoped to have on the program some day. Luck would have it he was coming through town to play at the selector’s paradise Love themed parties put together by DJ Love on the Run. This one was a treat; Red Greg is an outstanding DJ who remains a reference point for us, as evidenced in the mix he put together in the studio during his appearance. As the fair weather set in, we welcomed Mikie Lixxx, who put together a program that envisaged warm weather cruising (top down) in NY when the FM-band was king. A well curated homage that carries THAT much stronger when it’s routed through the same broadcast antenna which beamed out the songs on this mix at their initial release and radio airplay. Mikie will be back with us for another go in January 2011. The next few weeks Tackleberry and I hunkered down for a chance to showcase new finds and re-instill some of the program staples as we geared up for the summer. There’s some core ADA vibes in these go-between weeks, since we’re skipping out on our guest-hosting duties and bringing full crates for the 2.5 hr journey, re-defined each week, and much, much more prone to indulgence.
July kicked off with DJ Kamui’s return – his second appearance on the program for yet another true to form all 45s set, this time going back-to-back with Tackleberry. We were hasslin’ Vin Sol to come back on the program after his guest mix at the end of 2009… He obliged, and brought Derrick Love on board for an express trip to GEMINI DISCO, a SF-based party they’ve partnered on for some time. This one was right, and carried well past the 1AM broadcast cutoff. Next up: Teddy King, a 5x DMC finalist who also hold a deep knowledge of tasteful classics, breaks and the like. Teddy’s was also a repeat appearance, as the studio calls and archive recording both serve as a testament to it’s found favor on the airwaves. In no small thanks to Peter Reyes, Hippie Torrales dropped in for a guest set in anticipation of his European summer tour. This one was a humbler – it’s easy to hear that Hippie earned his chops in the club circuit back in the halcyon years. Listen back for a supremely crafted mix, harmonious blends and a track list that is unmistakably classic.
There’s bound to be one Friday the 13th each year, and when this happens we reach back to many of the cuts that evoke the darker, more carnal side of what fits in our format. This time ’round we had DJ BLT of LEGWARMERS fame join us to indulge, and construct a Friday night Radio Freakout. Ah, and then a respite for a few weeks, allowing us to refresh and re-familiarize ourselves with the console, the mixing duties, and the joy of trekking through 40-50 records in continuous mix on Friday Night FM. Asaf Segal joined us in September for his second visit, treating us to a program filled with seldom seen 45s & 12s that remind us why we love 100 LIMOUSINES FAM and the sounds & vibes they champion.
Our first delve into the Go Go sound was directed by Matt Stackswell, who came up from DC in early October with a bunch of vinyl that was new to the program. The following week, Chairman Mao returned and rightfully carried us through the full 2.5 hours. We reached out to Jonny Paycheck & Doc Delay of Good Records to come through the studio, both of whom stepped in-and-out of bounds of the program format to bring us a night of broad musical styles while remaining anchored to the rhythm of Friday Night FM. We had the pleasure of Jared Boxx a.k.a. JBX’s return to the program, this time bringing his partner Scian Smooth into the studio to share the set. Never to disappoint, JBX and the larger Big City fam came through again, gracing us with a sweet, soulful selection of records that adds a bit more each time I return to listen.
Josh Dunn – a.k.a. Fox 50 – the man behind 100 Limousines came downtown for a Halloween joyride in late October. The dude had left over half his bag at home but still managed to piece together a strong string of plays, replete with his ever-present nods to the hometown that’s D-town. Josh, we’ll need you back for more! DJ Emskee, long time resident of WBAI came along for a role reversal and played guest on our program in November – what ensued was a well tailored mix of underground classics knit into a narrative of NYC club sounds over these years. We followed with a double booking of heavy hitters: Cosmo Baker of NYC’s The Rub split the show with DJ Rahaan out of Chicago, both of which bookended a highlight fall program. Our good friends Rockers Galore came on Thanksgiving Eve to share the sound showcased at their oft-occurring Rockers Galore jams around Brooklyn. The last guest mix of the year was left for Spankie Hazard, a rare-groove savant based in Tokyo that has been a big supporter of the show over the years.
Tomorrow night on New Years Eve, Tackleberry and I will be on the dial as duty calls, and we’re oh so ready for a special NYE night broadcast. Forthcoming is our 3 Year Anniversary Jam on Saturday January 8th at the Counting Room in Williamsburg. We’ll be following through with the details shortly.
Here’s to many returns for y’all out there… Thanks for the support & let’s carry the torch.
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