Tom Savarese

Last updated

Tom Savarese is a DJ best known for his role in the 1970s Disco music scene. He was born on April 26, 1944, in New York City, and grew up in the Bronx neighborhood. He eventually attended Fordham University. [1] Savarese began his career as a DJ in 1969, playing apartment and house parties. Over time he became the full-time first professional Disco DJ in the US, and doing remixes for record labels in NYC. [2] By the late-1970s Savarese was interviewed as an expert in the Disco music scene by major publications, including the New York Times [3] and Billboard Magazine , [4] calling Savarese the "key New York Disco DJ" in 1977. [5] Billboard Magazine named Savarese the New York DJ of the Year that year, [6] as well as national DJ of the year in 1976 and 1977. Savarese' remixes also charted in the top 20 tracks of the New York Daily News Disco charts. [7] The clubs Savarese played during this era included 12 west, [6] and famously turned down the opportunity to become the first DJ to play and hold residence at the club Studio 54. [2] [8] [9] He was also one of the first DJs to play live during New York City fashion runway shows. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disco</span> Music genre

Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric piano, synthesizers, and electric rhythm guitars.

House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground club culture in the early/mid 1980s, as DJs began altering disco songs to give them a more mechanical beat.

Chicago house refers to house music produced during the mid to late 1980s within Chicago. The term is generally used to refer to the original house music DJs and producers from the area, such as Ron Hardy and Phuture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twelve-inch single</span> Type of vinyl phonograph record

The twelve-inch single is a type of vinyl gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surface, compared to LPs which have several songs on each side. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the mastering engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality. This record type is commonly used in disco and dance music genres, where DJs use them to play in clubs. They are played at either 33+13 or 45 rpm. The conventional 7‐inch single usually holds three or four minutes of music at full volume. The 12‐inch LP sacrifices volume for extended playing time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paradise Garage</span> Former discotheque in New York City

Paradise Garage, also known as "the Garage" or the "Gay-rage", was a New York City discotheque notable in the history of dance and pop music, as well as LGBT and nightclub cultures. The 10,000 square feet (930 m2) club was founded by sole proprietor Michael Brody, and occupied a building formerly located at 84 King Street in the SoHo neighborhood. It operated from 1977 to 1987 and featured resident DJ Larry Levan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frankie Knuckles</span> American DJ and record producer (1955–2014)

Francis Warren Nicholls, Jr., better known as Frankie Knuckles, was an American DJ, record producer and remixer. He played an important role in developing and popularizing house music, a genre of music that began in Chicago during the early 1980s and subsequently spread worldwide. In 1997, Knuckles won the Grammy Award for Remixer of the Year, Non-Classical. Due to his importance in the development of the genre, Knuckles was often called "The Godfather of House Music".

Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged in Northern England and the English Midlands in the late 1960s from the British mod scene, based on a particular style of Black American soul music, especially from the mid-1960s, with a heavy beat and fast tempo or American soul music from northern cities such as Detroit, Chicago and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Tenaglia</span> American DJ and record producer

Daniel "Danny" Tenaglia is an American DJ and record producer. He is a Grammy nominee for the best remixed recording. He is also a three time International Dance Music Award winner, 3 time DJ Awards winner and 2 time Muzik Awards recipient.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Sanchez</span> Musical artist

Roger Sanchez is a Dominican-American house music DJ, remixer and producer. He won a Grammy Award for his remix of "Hella Good" by No Doubt in 2003, and is best known for his song "Another Chance", which was an international hit in 2001. He is a four time DJ Awards winner for "Best House DJ" in 1999, 2002, 2004 and 2007 and has received twelve nominations in total. He won the first International Dance Music Award for Best Podcast in 2007 and has received 8 IDMA nominations for Best American DJ (2003–2010).

John Benitez (born November 7, 1957), also known as Jellybean, is an American musician, songwriter, DJ, remixer, and music producer. He has produced and remixed artists such as Madonna, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and the Pointer Sisters. He was later the executive producer of Studio 54 Radio. In December 2016, Billboard magazine ranked him as the 99th most successful dance artist of all-time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DJ Disciple</span> American DJ and house music producer

David Banks, known by his stage name DJ Disciple, is an American DJ and house music producer from Brooklyn, New York. For much of his early career, he worked in London and was influential in the rise of UK garage music. Stateside, he was considered a cornerstone of New York City's house music scene.

Walter Gibbons was an American record producer, early disco DJ, and remixer. He helped pioneer the remix and 12" single in America, and was among the most influential New York DJs of the 1970s.

Electronic dance music (EDM), also known as dance music, club music, or simply dance, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres made largely for nightclubs, raves, and festivals. It is generally produced for playback by DJs who create seamless selections of tracks, called a DJ mix, by segueing from one recording to another. EDM producers also perform their music live in a concert or festival setting in what is sometimes called a live PA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A-Trak</span> Musical artist

Alain Macklovitch, known by his stage name A-Trak, is a Canadian DJ, record producer, and record executive. He came to prominence in the late 2000s as an international club DJ and remix artist, known for incorporating highly technical turntable skills and scratching into his genre-spanning work. He is also president of the record label Fool's Gold, which was founded in 2007, and is credited for developing the careers of artists such as Kid Cudi, Danny Brown, and Flosstradamus. Among other collaborative projects, he is part of the DJ duo Duck Sauce with Armand Van Helden and was nominated for a Grammy in 2012 for their song "Barbra Streisand".

Nicky Siano is a former resident DJ at Studio 54.

Nu-disco is a 21st-century dance music genre associated with a renewed interest in the late 1970s disco, synthesizer-heavy 1980s European dance music styles, and early 1990s electronic dance music. The genre was popular in the early 2000s, and experienced a mild resurgence in the 2010s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesse Saunders</span> American house music artist

Jesse Saunders is an American house music artist, DJ, record producer, film producer, and entrepreneur. His 1984 single, "On & On", co-written with Vince Lawrence, was the first record with a house DJ as the artist that was pressed and sold to the public. Since his emergence as a DJ, Saunders has run several of his own independent labels, and worked extensively in music and film production, as well as artist promotion and management. He is also a long-time member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Burgess (producer)</span>

James Michael Burgess was a disco record producer and New York DJ of the 1970s. He was openly gay.

Terje Olsen, known professionally as Todd Terje, is a Norwegian DJ, songwriter, and record producer. His stage name is a homage to house music producer Todd Terry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of DJing</span> Aspect of history

DJing is the act of playing existing recorded music for a live audience.

References

  1. "DJ Tom Savarese" . Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  2. 1 2 James Cummins (2009). Ambrosia: About a Culture. ClarkNova Books. pp. 86–87.
  3. Jesse Kornbluth (February 18, 1979). "MERCHANDIZING DISCO FOR THE MASSES; THE FRANCHISER". New York Times . Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  4. Radcliffe Joe (October 23, 1976). "Deejays as Important as the Music they Play". Billboard Magazine. p. 37. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  5. "Disconet Service Unveils Inaugural Record Program". Billboard Magazine. November 26, 1977. p. 66. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  6. 1 2 Tim Lawrence (2004). Love Saves the Day: A History of American Dance Music Culture, 1970–1979 . Duke University Press. p.  234 . Retrieved November 20, 2012. Tom Savarese Billboard magazine.
  7. Lawrence, 334.
  8. Lawrence, 418
  9. 1 2 James Cummins (March 29, 2007). "Tom Savarese – Dressing Disco in NYC". Fly Global Music. Retrieved November 20, 2012.