Music that makes you want to wave your arse about is a primal, transcendent thing. A powerful, beautiful and, in some ways, instinctive part of being human. Music that manages to have that effect and yet be so far ahead of the curve, so creatively ahead of the pack that it bears more listens than a lifetime is capable of is truly, truly special. Make no mistake, every single second of this superlative look at Larry Levan’s contribution to sweat, passion, sex and the wonderland of the night is essential.
Whether you are of an age to have heard the tracks here on their first, bewitchingly groovy, release is one thing, what is everything is that all 22 fully extended mixes, filtered through the mind of a deliriously talented man, from the New York mayhem of the Paradise Garage and beyond are a joy to behold. And a ludicrously influential joy at that. If you are the sort of person who can be seduced by coming across a dark, dark room with the ominous thumping grind of a long night ahead – and you should be – you need this record. Not an ounce of filler; every journey through disco, post-disco, dubbed out effects and the rest seethes with talent and downright rudeness.
With a story bookended by hanging about with drag queens aged 15 in Brooklyn to his untimely death at just 38, Larry Levan had a life well lived, that’s for sure. Taking in early work with Frankie Knuckles he came into his own at the aforementioned Paradise Garage. And that space, with its stripped down aesthetic, monstrous, and custom-built sound system, set the blueprint for modern clubs. A blueprint that still exists, putting the music at the centre, putting the person closest to the music, the DJ, in control of the whole shebang, edits, remixes and all. This is a dancefloor that steps away from the glitz and glamour and into the filth and the fury.
So that’s how we end up with tracks like Man Friday’s ‘Love Honey, Love Heartache‘. Released in 1986 it may have been yet it anticipates the Deep House sound not yet fully emerging from Chicago. The musical revolution that came out of that city may have been just on the cusp of breaking through but the minimal and moody groove here is entirely contemporary and a world away from the Saturday night music that came before. It ushers in what was to follow. Indeed, its vocal crops up on one of the all time greats of that genre, ‘Keep On (Pressin’ On)‘ by That Kid Chris that caused havoc on discerning yet entirely bonkers dancefloors in 1992.
Going further back to 1983 the reworking of ‘Padlock‘ by Gwen Guthrie still holds the essential funk of disco whilst stretching it out, adding reverb and a dub aesthetic. No surprise that Sly and Robbie had a hand in this also. That taking of the most effervescent of melodies and pulling things into the darker recesses surrounding a booming sound system pretty much defines the art of remixing. And made to match the marathon sets he played – again, such a popular phenomenon even now with clubs such as Berghain hosting Ben Klock going at it for eight hours and more.
It’s pretty much impossible the overstate the importance of Larry Levan in the urban musical lineage. He may not be around any more, but these 2 CDs represent a wondrous window into the world of a creative genius. What you have here is, in a sense, snapshots of when disco grew up and started to reflect its immediate surroundings. Yes there is ecstasy and abandon but also darkness and inner-city grime. Even if such nerdish interests pass one by, put on his mix of NYC Peech Boys‘ ‘Life is Something Special‘ and try to avoid wriggling to the Italo-tinged groove. Rattle along to ‘Tell You (Today)‘ by Loose Joints with its raucous percussion and blasting horning section. Let your mind drift on the trippy and thumping rework of ‘And I Don’t Love You‘ by Smokey Robinson. Heck, put the whole lot on.
No disco lasts forever, but Levan left behind an idea. An idea of what it is to DJ; to make people dance but, more than that, to push the limits of sound and clubs further and further down alleyways which remain rich seams to be mined. And, of course, the small matter of a collection of speaker exploding cuts like these.
One may live to regret this – nothing can ever be perfect, surely? – but, whether you’re interested in Larry Levan and his effect on music and culture, both then and now, or whether you simply want to crank it up and get loose, this collection is faultless.
