DANCE ELECTRIC: ART AND CLUB CULTURE SINCE STONEWALL 1969-1989 / ARTIST TALK AT HIRSHHORN MUSEUM, Lecture Interview Ft Danny Krivit
Japanese Donuts Magazine Danny Krivit Interview
Japanese Donuts Magazine Danny Krivit Interview Article
Read Full Interview Online HERE:
来日公演スケジュール
4/26 (Fri)-Mago (Nagoya)
4/28 (Sun)-Keith Flag (Fukuoka)
4/29 (Mon)--Minority (Toyama)
5/2 (Thurs)-Contact (Tokyo)
5/3 (Fri)-Stone Love (Hakodate)
5/4 (Sat)Precious Hall (Sapporo)
リリース情報
Labelle - What Can I Do For You / Messin' With My Mind 7" edits By Mr K on Most Excellent Records （3月リリース予定）
"Rebel Nation" (Danny Krivit Edit) （4月リリース予定）
by Louie Vega, Patrick Adams & Cloud Two - Rebel Nation Feat. Anané. - Nervous Records
7インチ5枚10曲入りBOXセット（レコードストアデー発売予定）
Most Excellent Unlimited Presents Edits By Mr K Club Box,
Five 7"s = 10 songs
Twice As Nice (7" Edit By Mr K)-52nd Street
One More Try (7'' Edit By Mr K)-Ashford & Simpson
Come Back Lover (7'' Dub Edit By Mr K)-Fresh Band
Opposite People (7'' Edit By Mr K)-Fela Kuti
Release Yourself (7'' Dub Edit by Mr K)-Aleem
212 (7'' Edit By Mr K)-Salsoul Orchestra
If You Feel Like Dancin (7" Edit By Mr K)-94 East Ft Prince
The More I Get, The More I Want (7'' Edit By Mr K of Rafael Charres promo RMX)-Lorraine Johnson
Hot To Trot (7'' Edit By Mr K)-Alfredo De La Fe
Woman (7" Edit By Mr K)-Disco Ladies
7インチDanny Krivit Edits / Nervous records（レコードストアデーリリース予定）
Rain (DK 7" Edit)-Kerri Chandler
Rain (DK 7" Edit of Atjazz RMX)-Kerri Chandler
Rushing (DK 7" Edit of Mood II Swing Dub)-Loni Clark
It Makes A Difference (DK 7'' Edit of DK RMX)-Kim English
500 Edits: Danny Krivit & the Birth of Re-Edit Culture
5 Magazine, Danny Krivit talks about Editing
https://5mag.net/features/danny-krivit-500-edits/
Re-edits have become more and more prevalent over the last few years, with a seemingly endless reservoir of obscure disco and boogie cuts available to be plundered, cut up, looped and re-released every week. Re-edits range from the opportunistic or lazy to the sublime, and all points in between, and as access to production has lowered, so the gap between re-edits, remixes and original tracks has become somewhat blurred. Artists like DJ Koze, Ron Basejam, DJ Harvey, Greg Wilson, Joey Negro and Late Nite Tuff Guy have all made re-edits a big part of their respective careers in various ways, demonstrating that recycling older material can reap rich creative results.
But if you want to talk about re-edits, then why not go back to the source, to one of the central figures in the development of re-edit culture, New York resident, DJ and producer Danny Krivit. Krivit is one of a select group who can legitimately employ the biographical cliche of growing up surrounded by music as his mother was a jazz singer, his father jazz trumpeter Chet Baker’s manager. Bought up in Greenwich Village New York City in the 1960s, Krivit was DJing at a club called the Ninth Circle by the time he was just fourteen years old. Part of the Siano-Levan-Mancuso generation, he was a regular at the Loft and Paradise Garage, he lived through the Disco Sucks movement, he played to both disco and hip-hop crowds in the ’80s and to house music crowds today, and is one of the most well respected DJs around.
Danny Krivit is also known for his extensive editing career where he perfected the techniques needed to maximize the dance floor dynamics of a song whilst adhering to its original spirit. He’s spliced records from artists as diverse as Sade, Chaka Khan, Bob Marley, Gary’s Gang, Marvin Gaye, Thelma Houston, Sisters Love, Chairmen of the Board, Jazzanova, Blaze, Aretha Franklin, Stephanie Mills, Jody Watley, and literally hundreds of others.
We caught up with Krivit who was home in New York, perhaps unsurprisingly going through a big stockpile of unfinished edits he was working on, to chat about the birth and development of re-editing.
5 Mag Disco: Originally published inside #5Mag166 featuring more than 100 pages of disco heat, including Danny Krivit, Linda Clifford, Dr. Packer, Nick The Record, Marcel Vogel, Boogie Nite and more. Help support 5 Mag by becoming a member for just $1 per issue
“In the late-’70s remixing was still a rather recent development, but editing wasn’t really acknowledged yet,” Danny says. “DJs I knew and admired had their own edits, but they were mostly just for their dance floor, and rarely came out. They also rarely shared them. Most of the better clubs had a reel-to-reel, and most successful DJs had their own, including me. By 1980 a lot of my DJ friends had done some remixing, I was starting to feel like I was missing the boat.”
In the fledgling days of the remix, DJs like Krivit were in demand from record labels who wanted to get their releases some of that cool DJ kudos, but at the beginning of his remixing career he was continually frustrated by working with studio engineers who didn’t understand records the way DJs did.
“Every time I didn’t like where something was going, the engineer would say ‘no worries, we’ll fix that later in editing…’ When editing came, I didn’t know how to edit… but I clearly knew what a bad edit was, and this engineer was wasting our precious time with his one bad edit.”
Encountering the problem once again – “It was like deja vu, the engineer said “no worries, we’ll fix that later in editing… and he seemed worse than the first guy” – Krivit took some advice from New York DJ and remixer Jonathan Fearing who told him, “You have a reel-to-reel, and you already know how splice and attach the leader tape, so even if you didn’t realize it… you already know how to edit.”
At the time, Krivit was DJing at the premier hip hop venue in New York, The Roxy, where he played every Friday.
“At the Roxy, on Fridays it was my job to oversee the hip hop DJs they were experimenting with,” he says. “One in particular really made an impression on me: DJ DST. Two of the songs he used to cut up so well were ‘Funky Drummer’ by James Brown and ‘Scratching’ by the Magic Disco Machine. He was inspiring, I knew I could never physically cut them up the way he was, so I decided to make an edit of ‘Funky Drummer’…”
That edit became the un-credited “Feelin’ James,” the first in what Krivit estimates are about 500 re-edits he’s released in his career. Strictly speaking, it’s a medley (a collection of parts of different records strung together) rather than a re-edit, a series of breakbeats, snippets of James Brown, scratches and sound effects, retooled for the dance floor, from “about 1981.”
“Trying not to waste any tape, I did it all at 3 1/3rd speed – it was very hard, and I kept going back to fine tune it, but at that speed every sliver of tape was a mountain of music. When I was done, it sounded a little dull, I had handled it too much in editing. I took it around to the few DJ friends I knew that might play that kind of thing, Tony Smith at the Funhouse, Freddie Bastone & Curtis Mantronix of Danceteria. Another friend of mine was putting out medleys, like ‘The Big Apple Mix,’ and he said if I could make it a medley he would put it out. I did, and that was my first edit, ‘Feelin’ James'”.
The DJ DST inspired “Feelin’ James” was followed by perhaps Krivit’s most famous re-edit, the 11-minute epic “Love Is The Message” from MFSB. Out of all the re-edits he’s released, when pushed to choose his own personal favorite: “…if I have to pick only one, then it’s probably ‘Love Is The Message.'” Krivit completely removed the orchestrated major chord opening and jaunty chorus, and instead utilized the various vamps and solos to perfect effect, creating 11 minutes of sublime soulful tension, in stark contrast to the high-camp drama of the original. Krivit’s re-edit actually contains sections of “Ooh I Love It (Love Break)” from the Salsoul Orchestra as well as a brief Gil Scott Heron sample too, an approach that Krivit would soon abandon. Instead, for the rest of his re-editing career he adhered to the idea that a re-edit is not a remix. It’s not about adding to the song so much as re-arranging it. A re-edit maximizes the best parts and loses the parts that don’t work so well, and it’s Krivit’s proficiency in the creative decisions that make songs work for the dancefloor, which has contributed to his longevity in the field.
“Post-production, like adding keys… I feel is more like a remix than an edit. Louie Vega added the keys on my edit of [UK funk band Cymande’s classic funk track] ‘Bra.’ I liked it, but I don’t play, so I never think of doing anything like that. I stick to what I know: editing. As far as the terminology, my idea of editing is just rearrangement. Many ‘edits’ I hear today are really more what you should call a remix.”
For Krivit, editing is always about being true to the original and aside from refraining from additional production touches, even the use of EQ and compression are kept to a minimum, used only “sometimes, just very basic stuff.” Nightclubs, DJs, dancers – its a world of extremes, of large personalities, big tunes, massive nights. Yet Krivit’s editing technique is based on restraint, and this is the key to his success: keeping the producer in the background and allowing the song to shine through. You could call it ego-less re-editing, which relies on the DJ’s ear to identify which sections of the record are going to really work on the dance floor. It’s a simple, but deceptively important skill:
“Generally I’m picking things I really like, but maybe want more of, or repeat some key parts, or maybe even delete some parts that I feel are weak. [The goal is]…embellishment, more of what I like about it.”
Krivit’s early edits utilized the painstaking process of cutting and splicing analog tape by hand, but he has inevitably moved to working digitally.
“On the plus side, the sound of tape was very warm. Digital recordings can often sound cold, especially if it was an analog recording poorly transferred to digital, but the benefits of working with digital far outweigh the benefits of working with tape. When I was using tape, I religiously used Ampex 456 tape… there was really nothing like it… but try and get that now! I use digital now since the mid-’90s; I use Pro Tools for editing.”
The technical benefits for producers of digital editing are clear: it’s accessible, easy to use, and quick to get results. But the ubiquity of digital technology has also resulted in an explosion of edits, not of all which are of the high quality one would hope. As a true originator of the craft, remembering how painstaking it used to be to cut and paste tape together, it must be strange to see how easy digital technology has now made the process.
“[There are] pros and cons…There’s more great edits out there…but mostly there’s also an embarrassing amount of crap out there too. As a DJ and consumer, it’s a tremendous amount of work to weed through it all to find just a few gems.”
And of course, previously if you wanted to do a re-edit, you needed to own a reel-to-reel recorder, be able to use it and have the time to perform what could be a lengthy process. Now, all those barriers have been removed, with predictable results. As Krivit notes, “When it was tape only, the quality of work was remarkably higher.”
However, he’s in no way bitter about digital technology, particularly as it has made the whole process of re-editing more straightforward – “It’s easier for me to do what I enjoy doing” – and he clearly still enjoys working with music, both DJing and of course re-editing. Ironically, he’s putting a lot of his old edits back out on vinyl at the moment, as there is still a high demand for 12″ versions of his old re-edits.
“This past year I’ve been very focused on getting a lot of my edits out on vinyl. I have a lot of things currently out right now and quite a few coming soon. They can be quite limited in pressing, so best people are aware of them before they disappear.”
These include Mr K’s Salsoul re-edits series, re-edits of amongst others Earth, Wind & Fire, Alica Myers, Mtume, Fatback Band, as well as his Mr K Funk Box 7″ 45 funk edits. Lots of these songs are well known and have united dance floors the world over for years, becoming a part of our shared culture; all subtly sliced, edited, spliced and re-purposed for maximum dancefloor impact by Mr K.
Looking back over his successful career and a life lived in dance music, Krivit is characteristically low key:
“I’m extremely fortunate, especially to start when I did and still be enjoying it today.”
Forthcoming edits from Danny Krivit (or his Mr. K alias) include Parquet Courts’ “Wide Awake!” (Rough Trade), Aretha Franklin’s “Jump/Rock Steady” (Atlantic), MFSB’s “Love Is The Message” & Jones Girls’ “At Peace With Woman) (Philadelphia International), Incredible Handclap Band’s “Let Out On The Loose” (US), Quincy Jones’ “Stuff/The Story” (Razor N Tape), Kool & The Gang’s “Love The Life You Live” and Gary Toms Empire’s “Drive” (Most Excellent Unlimited), Kokomo’s “Use Your Imagination” (Columbia), Marlena Shaw’s “Pictures And Memories” (Columbia), and Lambert, Hendricks & Ross’ “Moanin'” (Columbia).
Danny Krivit's (All 45’s) Birthday Playlist For 718 Sessions @ Output 4/8/18
Danny Krivit's (All 45’s) Birthday Playlist
For 718 Sessions @ Output 4/8/18
6:56 #1 Take Five Disco Dub // Disco Reggae Band // Music Master
6:59 #2 Love For The Sake Of Love // Claudja Barry // Philips
7:03 #3 Easin’ In // Edwin Starr // Neva On A 45
7:06 #4 Can You Feel It // The Voices Of East Harlem // Just Sunshine
7:09 #5 Love Train (Part One) // Bunny Sigler // Philadelphia International
7:12 #6 The Message // Cymande // Janus
7:15 #7 Same Beat Part 1 // Fred Wesley & The JB’s // People
7:17 #8 Mary Jane // Rick James // Motown
7:21 #9 Something’s Gotta Give // Afro-Cuban Band // Arista
7:24 #10 You’re Gettin’ A Little To Smart // Detroit Emeralds // Bellaphon
7:27 #11 Waitin’ For The Rain (Inst) // The Philly Sound // Jamie
7:29 #12 Waitin’ For The Rain (Vocal) // The Philly Sound // Jamie
7:32 #13 It Ain’t No Big Thing // Personal Touch // Pap
7:34 #14 Stories // Chakachas // Biram
7:36 #15 Funky // Chambers Brothers // Columbia
7:38 #16 Chicken Yellow // Miami // Drive
7:41 #17 ‘T’ Plays It Cool // Marvin Gaye // Tamla
7:43 #18 ‘T’ Plays It Cool (Jorun Break Edit 1 RMX) // Marvin Gaye // Jorun
7:46 #19 Funky Music // Luther Vandross // Cotillion
7:49 #20 Is It Love // Machine // RCA
7:52 #21 Billy Who? (Pt. 1) // Billy Frazier // DJM
7:55 #22 Billy Who? (Pt. 2) // Billy Frazier // DJM
7:58 #23 Keep In Touch (Body To Body) // Shades Of Love // Ram’s Horn
8:01 #24 Black Grass // Bad Bascomb // Paramount
8:04 #25 Soul Makkossa // Manu Dibango // Fiesta
8:07 #26 Tittle Tattle // Baricentro // GV Music
8:11 #27 Dance For Me // Queen Latifah // Troya
8:14 #28 Keep On Doin’ What You’re Doin’ // Bobby Byrd // Brownstone
8:17 #29 Double Cross // First Choice // Salsoul
8:21 #30 All Over Your Face // Ronnie Dyson // Cotillion
8:24 #31 I Need Somebody // Kechia Jenkins // Profile
8:27 #32 Do It Properly // 2 Puerto Ricans, A Blackman And A Dominican // Grooveline
8:30 #33 Definition Of A Track // Precious // Big Beat
8:34 #34 Smack Dab In The Middle (From Middle) // Janice McClain // RFC/Warner
8:36 #35 Don’t Go Lose It Baby (From End, & Back To Beginning) // Hugh Masekela // Jive Africa
8:40 #36 Slang Teacher // Wide Boy Awake // RCA
8:43 #37 Black Betty (Ben Liebrand Rough 'n' Ready RMX) // Ram Jam // Epic
8:46 #38 Dirty Cash (David Morales Sold Out Mix) // Stevie V // Mercury
8:49 #39 Weekend // Class Action // Break
8:53 #40 Rainbow // Mateo & Matos // Henry Street/BBE
8:55 #41 Din Daa Daa // George Kranz // Ariola
8:59 #42 Sixty Nine // Brooklyn Express // Carrere
9:00 #43 X-Medley // Francois K. // White
9:04 #44 My First Mistake (Full Ver Twice From The Middle) // Chi-Lites // Mercury
9:08 #45 Inside America (Full Ver From The Middle) // Jiggy Murray Jones // Jupiter
9:11 #46 Love Money (Inst) // Funk Masters // Tania Music
9:15 #47 Tomorrow Never Knows (Lefside Edit) // The Beatles // White
9:20 #48 Wish I Didn’t Miss You // Angie Stone // Real Side
9:22 #49 Back Stabbers // O’Jays // Philadelphia International
9:25 #50 Love Rescue (Pt 1) // Project // Amo
9:27 #51 Love Rescue (Pt 2) // Project // Amo
9:29 #52 Nobody’s Got Time (Org. Ver) // Eddy Grant // Torpedo
9:31 #53 Work That Body // Taana Gardner // Carrere
9:34 #54 Theme From King Kong (Pt 2) // Love Unlimited Orchestra // 20th Century
9:38 #55 Trinidad (DJ Muro Edit) // John Gibbs & U.S. Steel Band // Captain Vinyl
9:42 #56 Dirty Talk // Klein & MBO // Zanza
9:45 #57 Problem D’Amour // Alexander Robotonik // Sire
9:50 #58 Shuffa (Beatsy Collins Re-Edit) // Fela Kuti // Wah Wah Dubplates
9:53 #59 The Bomb // The Bucketheads // Henry Street Music
9:58 #60 Street Player (From Middle) // Chicago // Columbia
10:00 #61 I’ll House You // Jungle Brothers // Phase One
10:02 #62 Can You Party // Royal House // Torso
10:04 #63 You Don’t Know // Serious Intention // Easy Street
10:07 #64 No Favors // Temper // MCA
10:10 #65 Don’t You Want My Love // Debbie Jacobs // MCA
10:13 #66 Love Insurance // Front Page // RCA
10:16 #67 Point Zero // Voyage // Polydor
10:20 #68 Chicano // Black Blood // Biram
10:23 #69 Treat Her Like A Lady // Cornelius Bros. & Rose // United Artists
10:26 #70 Money (One Chorus) // Barrett Strong // Motown
10:26 #71 For The Love Of Money // The O’Jays // Philadelphia international
10:30 #72 Jungle Fever // Chakachas // Polydor
10:33 #73 Mister Magic // Grover Washington // Kudu
10:37 #74 Tell Me What You Want // Jimmy Ruffin // Polydor
10:39 #75 Everyman // Double Exposure // Salsoul
10:42 #76 Voices Inside My Head (DK Edit) // The Police // Most Excellent
10:47 #77 Hyped Up Ants (Naughty Nmx Rerub) // James Brown // Dusty Donuts
- Celebrating Danny’s Birthday with crowd
- Benny On The Mic & DK On The Mic
10:54 #78 Computer Incantations For World Peace // Jean-Luc Ponty // Polydor
10:57 #79 The Night The Lights Went Out (Full Ver From The Middle) // The Trammps // Atlantic
11:00 #80 Calling Out // Sophie Lloyd // Classic
11:04 #81 Got To Have Loving // Don Ray // Polydor
11:07 #82 Down To Love Town (Full Disco Ver) // The Originals // Gordy
11:13 #83 I Need You (From Middle, & Back To Beginning) // Sylvester // Fantasy
11:17 #84 Stubborn Kind Of Fella Pt.2 (Just Break) // Buffalo Ssmoke // RCA
11:17 #85 I’m Here Again (From Middle) // Thelma Houston // Motown
11:18 #86 Get On The Funk Train // Munich Machine // Carrere
11:21 #87 Blow Your Head // Fred Wesley & The JB's // Breaking Baaad
11:24 #88 Sexy Dancer // Prince // Warner Brothers
11:29 #89 Love The Life You Live (Edit By Mr K) // Kool & The Gang // Most Excellent
11:33 #90 I Don’t Want You Back // Ramona Brooks // Q
11:36 #91 Get Ready For Future (From Middle) // Winners // Roadshow
11:38 #92 Vertigo // Dan Hartman // Blue Sky
11:41 #93 Relight My Fire // Dan Hartman // Epic
11:44 #94 Motherland // Tribal House // Chrysalis
11:48 #95 Rocking On Sunshine // Rockers Revenge // London
11:51 #96 Chove Chuva // Samba Soul // RCA
11:53 #97 Woman // Barrabas // RCA
11:54 #98 Can We Come Together (Full Ver. From Middle, & back To Beginning) // The Trammps // Atlantic
12:04 #99 Music Got Me (Vocal Intro, then Inst) // Visual // Ram’s Horn/Prelude
12:09 #100 No News // Kreamcicle // Blue Bird
12:11 #101 I Like It (Full Ver) // Players Association // Vanguard
12:16 #102 Fish & Funjee (Komi Ke Kenam) // Lantei Lamptey // African Music Explosion
12:19 #103 Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing (Full Ver) // Stevie Wonder // Tamla
12:23 #104 Mambomango // Mongo Santamaria // Vaya
12:27 #105 Eminence Front (Full Ver) // The Who // Warner Brothers
12:31 #106 You Got The Love // Rufus Ft Chaka Khan // ABC
12:35 #107 Honeydripper (DK Edit) // Delores Ealy & The Kenyattas // Most Excellent
12:38 #108 Pick Up The Pieces One By One // A.A.B.B. // I Dentify
12:42 #109 Baby, I’m Scared Of You // Womack & Womack // Elektra
12:46 #110 Why D’Ya Do It (Full Ver) // Marianne Faithful // Island
12:52 #111 Vitamin C // Can // Galaxy Sound Co.
12:55 #112 Lets Get Brutal // Nitro Deluxe // Cooltempo
12:57 #113 Apache (Full Ver) // Incredible Bongo Band // Mr. Bongo
1:02 #114 Release Yourself // Aleem // NIA
1:06 #115 Pipeline (Full Ver From Break) // Bruce Johnston // CBS
1:10 #116 Dancin’ & Prancin’ // Candido // Salsoul
1:13 #117 Disco Circus // Martin Circus // Derby
1:17 #118 Life On Mars (Full Ver) // Dexter Wansel // Philadelphia International
1:21 #119 I Like (What You’re Doing To Me) // Young & Company // Brunswick
1:25 #120 Say A Prayer For Two // Crown Heights Affair // De-Lite
1:28 #121 Heobah // Fonda Rae // TMT
1:32 #122 (I Wanna Give You) Devotion (Inst) // Nomad // Rumour
1:35 #123 Killer // Adamski Ft. Seal // MCA
1:38 #124 Rock With You (MAW RMX) // Michael Jackson // Epic
1:44 #125 Got A Love For You // Jomanda // Giant
1:47 #126 Good Life // Inner City // Virgin
1:50 #127 The Beat Goes On And On // Ripple // Salsoul
1:54 #128 Makes You Blind // The Glitter Band // Arista
1:56 #129 Peace Pipe (DJ Nori Edit) // B.T. Express // Roadshow
2:01 #130 Welcome To Our World // Mass Production // Cotillion
2:05 #131 The Spirit’s In It // Patti Labelle // Philadelphia International
2:08 #132 When You Touch Me // Taana Gardner // West End
2:11 #133 The Choice Is Yours // Blacksheep // 5 Borough Breaks
2:15 #134 Oh Love // Creative Source // Sussex
2:18 #135 Rain // Dorothy Morrison // Elektra
2:20 #136 Give Me Your Love // Sylvia Striplin // Uno Melodic
- DK On The Mic
2:24 #137 Thinking Of You // Sister Sledge // Atlantic
2:28 #138 Are You For Real // Deodato // Warner Brothers
2:33 #139 Love’s Gonna Get Ya // Jocelyn Brown // Warner Brothers
2:37 #140 I Feel Sanctified // The Commodores // Motown
2:40 #141 Make Me Believe In You (Full Tom Moulton RMX Ver.) // Patti Jo // BGP
2:44 #142 Planet Claire // The B-52’s // Warner Brothers
2:49 - End
Compiled By Go Kiryu
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718 Sessions 15th Anniversary - Interview with Danny Krivit
718 Sessions 15th Anniversary - Interview with Danny Krivit
by Andrew Mason
The first 718 Session was in October, 2002. Fifteen years ago! It's really unusual for a party to run that long. How did things get started? Why "718 Sessions"?
About six months before that, me and Benny Soto tried our first party together at Halcyon, which then was located on Smith Street. It went so well that we got together to talk about doing a monthly party. The first one was on Water Street in Dumbo, Brooklyn. We weren't even thinking long term, we just wanted to try a few parties together and see how they went. The name 718 came from the Brooklyn telephone exchange. "718 Sessions" seemed to fit well, and even when the party moved to Manhattan, "718 Sessions" stuck. "212 Sessions" just didn't seem to cut it! I traveled a lot for DJing, so I couldn't commit to recurring date every month, so we kept it loose—approximately once a month, which we thought worked out pretty well, more like a special event than something so predictable. I had just come off six years of weekly Body & Soul parties at Club Vinyl, so there were a number of dos-and-don'ts I brought from that. I think our shared goal, besides just having a dope party, was having a diverse crowd that came for music first, and a great sound system. And a welcoming, easy-going atmosphere that was affordable and positive.
As you know, a party is only as good as the folks attending. What makes the crowd at 718 so special?
From the start, it was a very diverse group of people. Very quickly, this was the party that I felt most musically free in. There is this great group of people that were regulars at The Loft, The Garage, Gallery, Shelter, and Body & Soul. Obviously not young in age, but their energy is through the roof! These are the people that line up at opening and when the younger people show up, it's this crowd that shows them how to get up and starts this whole great mix.
Of course, a dedicated group of dancers comes back again and again because they trust the DJ. How would you describe the mix of music you play at the 718 Sessions? In what ways is it different from what you might do elsewhere?
This is the party I feel most musically free in. I've spent my whole life in NYC, and this is a true New York crowd. Often when I play certain songs, you can tell, at certain parts, it's a shared experience. A New York experience. I get some great crowds around the world, but this is unique and my favorite crowd to play for.
I know you are sometimes asked about doing a 718 Sessions outside of New York City, but you've turned down the offers. Why?
718 Sessions is the crowd that comes to these parties in New York. Unless they can come with me… I don't care what you call it, but it ain't gonna be a 718 Sessions party!
There are behind-the-scenes folks who contribute a lot to making the party a success. Can you tell us a little about them?
Benny Soto has a great, easy-going energy, but also a very keen sense of people and club life. It's been a great pleasure working together all these years. It was really his first party as a promoter. Now, he's a top New York promoter, but you can tell 718 Sessions has always remained special to him. He puts a lot of care into it and it shows. People really love him! There would be no 718 Sessions without him.
I've worked with Ariel over 25 years. He's just the best light-man out there—He's more like a DJ than a technician. And then there're others, like Go, who has helped compile the playlist of every party for most of these years. And you have people like Mark Rivas and Carmen Valentine at the door, they're the face of the party as people enter, and make everyone feel welcome and special.
Although every party is special, there must have been a few moments that are particularly memorable. Can you describe any that come to mind?
There have been so many incredible moments that they kind of blur together, so they're more like memorable parties. Consistently, our New Year's Day parties are extremely special, also our annual 718 Sessions Boat Party. But over all there have been so many incredible parties. There've been voguing battles and runways, and times where the crowd almost sings the entire song. We've had some incredible impromptu performances, from people like Ann Nesby of Sounds Of Blackness, Leroy Burgess, D-Train, Joi Cardwell, Róisín Murphy of Moloko. Josh Milan and Blaze performed at our very first 718 Sessions. We've had a Brazilian carnaval, and a cascade of incredible guest DJs: Frankie Knuckles, Osunlade, Joe Claussell, Timmy Regisford, Sting International, Kenny Dope, Honey Dijon... just to name a few.
Like many great DJs, you are fond of telling a story with your selections. There is a "message in the music."
When I started DJing, everybody paid attention to the words, and all the DJs I knew told a story with the songs they played. It's something I do too, but not consciously. It's just the way I think about music and the way it comes out. Afterwards when I look back, there's a very clear story, mostly of love and positivity. People do notice. I don't have a particular song to point to, there are just too many. But I love when songs are well-written and the words really talk to you.
What are you looking forward to in the future with 718 Sessions? How long can this go on in a changing New York City?
I love what it is, so it seems natural that it will continue. I never really thought of it in terms of expectations of how long it should last—It still feels great, fresh, special... I can never get enough of that. The city is changing, and has changed: It looks like Brooklyn is the new center of club world. And in this 15 years, music and music culture has seen many changes. But I've never been one to follow trends. I just play the music I love for a group of people that are feeling the same way.
Sunday October 22nd Danny Krivit 718 Sessions 15th Anniversary!
@ Output, Main room, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC, USA
More Detail
The MR. K Edits Limited Edition Box Set
The MR. K Edits Limited Edition Box Set
5x7" Record Store Day 2017
Limited Edition Box Set
More Info: TBA
Danny Krivit's 45th Anniversary Playlist @ Output, Brooklyn 8/8/16
Danny Krivit's 45th Year As A DJ Celebration Playlist @ Output, Brooklyn 8/8/16
6:24 #1 Take Five (Full) // Dave Brubeck Quartet // Columbia (Japan)
6:28 #2 Ball Of Confusion // The Temptations // Gordy
6:31 #3 Ready Or Not Here I Come // The Delfonics // Philly Groove
6:33 #4 Just Don't Want To Be Lonely // The Main Ingredient // RCA
6:36 #5 Baby Let Me Take You // Detroit Emeralds // Westbound
6:40 #6 Surrender // Diana Ross // Motown
6:43 #7 I Just Want To Celebrate // Rare Earth // Motown
6:45 #8 Mas Que Nada // Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 // A&M
6:48 #9 Gyspy Moths // Labelle // Epic
6:52 #10 I Will Get On // Annie // Telle
6:58 #11 Reach Your Peak // Sister Sledge // Cottilion
7:00 #12 California Soul // Marlena Shaw // Jazzman
7:03 #13 Hang On In There Baby // Johnny Bristol // MGM
7:07 #14 Kool Is Back // Funk Inc. // 5 Borough Breaks
7:09 #15 A Real Mother For Ya // Johnny Guitar Watson // DJM
7:12 #16 Rebirth Of Slick // Digable Planets // Originals
7:15 #17 I Get Lifted // George McCrae // T.K.
7:18 #18 (Oh No! Not) The Beast Day // Marsha Hunt // Vertigo
7:21 #19 Burning Love Breakdown // Peter Brown // T.K.
7:26 #20 Do Ya Wanna Get Funky With Me // Peter Brown // T.K.
7:29 #21 Chicken Yellow // Miami // Drive
7:31 #22 I'm Gonna Fool You! (Inst) // Ella Hamilton Don Willis Spoon Band // Queen Constance
7:33 #23 I'm Gonna Fool You! // Ella Hamilton Don Willis Spoon Band // Queen Constance
7:35 #24 Help Is On The Way // The Whatnauts // Harlem International
7:38 #25 Everyman // Double Exposure // Salsoul
7:41 #26 Flash Light // Parliament // Casablanca
7:45 #27 You're Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else // Jones Girls // Philadelphia International
7:48 #28 Seventh Heaven // Gwen Guthrie // Island
7:52 #29 Which Way Is Up // Stargard // MCA
7:54 #30 Let The Music Take Your Mind // Kool & The Gang // De-Lite
7:57 #31 I Really Love You // Heaven & Earth // WMOT
8:01 #32 Deeper (Inst & Vocal) // New Birth // Warner Brothers
8:05 #33 Express // B.T. Express // Roadshow
8:09 #34 Can't Play Around // Lace // Atlantic
8:12 #35 Touch & Go // Ecstasy, Passion & Pain // Roulette
8:15 #36 You Can't Have Cake And Eat It Too // BT // West End
8:19 #37 Don't Turn Your Back On Me // // Front Line Orchestra // ICE
8:23 #38 Thinking About Your Love // Skipworth & Turner // Island
8:26 #39 Do It // Billy Sha-Rae // Hour Glass
8:28 #40 Gotta Find A Way // Russ Brown // Jump Street
8:32 #41 World Famous // Malcolm McLaren // Island
8:34 #42 Set It Off // Strafe // Hard Soul
8:38 #43 Billy Who // Billy Frazier // DJM
8:41 #44 Nytro Express (Edit) // Nytro // Whitfield
8:44 #45 Love Has Come Around // Donald Byrd // Elektra
8:47 #46 Searching To Find The One // Unlimited Touch // Prelude
8:50 #47 She Can't Love You // Chemise // Full Time
8:54 #48 Come Let Me Love You // Jeanette "Lady" Day // Prelude
8:58 #49 What Can I Do For You (Ending Twice) // Labelle // Epic
9:01 #50 You Can't Hide From Yourself // Teddy Pendergrass // Philadelphia International
9:05 #51 I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love // Emotions // Columbia
9:08 #52 Love Sensation // Loleatta Holloway // Salsoul
9:12 #53 Give It Up Or Turn It Loose // James Brown // Urban
9:18 #54 K-Jee // The Nite-Liters // RCA
9:21 #55 Come Go With Me // The Pockets // CBS
9:25 #56 Any Love // Rufus & Chaka // MCA
9:28 #57 This Time Baby // Jackie Moore // Columbia
9:32 #58 Give Your Body Up (From Middle) // Billy Nichols // West End
9:35 #59 Bad For Me (From Middle) // Dee Dee Bridgewater // Elektra
9:37 #60 Go Bang! (Pt 1&2) // Dinosaur L // Sleeping Bag
9:44 #61 When You Touch Me // Taana Gardner // West End
9:47 #62 I Don't Know What I'd Do // Sweet Cream // Bareback
9:50 #63 Free Man // South Shore Commission // Scepter
9:55 #64 Love Hangover (From Middle) // Diana Ross // Motown
10:00 #65 Love Thang // First Choice // Gold Mind
10:02 #66 Let's Go All The Way // Brenda & The Tabulation // Casablanca
10:05 #67 Coke (Pt 1) // Tribe // Probe
10:08 #68 Smoke (Pt 2) // Tribe // ABC
10:10 #69 Moody // ESG // 99
10:13 #70 I Got The Feeling // Two Ton's O' Fun // Fantasy
- Benny' on the mike
- DK on the mike
10:23 #71 You Know How To Love Me // Phyllis Hyman // Arista
10:27 #72 You Can't Hide (Larry Levan RMX) // David Joseph // Mango
10:31 #73 Here's To You (From Middle) // Skyy // Salsoul
10:35 - End
Compiled By Go Kiryu
Danny Krivit Reflects on 45 Years of DJing on THUMP
Danny Krivit's 45-year DJ career reads like the evolution of dance music itself. He grew up in the '60s and experienced the world's most legendary nightspots. The Loft, The Gallery, The Paradise Garage—Danny was a regular at them all.
Source: https://youtu.be/SpuzLGeAxb8
718 Sessions Oral History in Love Injection
Danny Krivit & Benny Soto give a full oral history of 718 Sessions for Paul Raffaele's Love Injection magazine celebrating it's 13 Year Anniversary! Read Here
Eric Duncan Interviews Danny Krivit
Get ready with a Q&A with Mr. K and take a trip way, way back to the Village in the 1970s.
While Danny Krivit has been part of New York club scene since the '60s, Eric Duncan (of Rub'N'Tug) has made his mark on the underground parties of the '90s. Last time they played together at Le Bain (in January 2013), we asked Eric if he was up for interviewing Danny, and here it is. Enjoy the trip way, way back to the Village in the 1970s.
ERIC DUNCAN: I have heard various stories about you over the years. Is it true you grew up in your family's bar? When and where was this?
DANNY KRIVIT: I grew up in Greenwich Village, New York City, in the 1960s and I literally was surrounded by music. My mother was an accomplished jazz singer and my father was the manager of legendary jazz trumpeter Chet Baker before he went on to open up The Ninth Circle, a Village hot spot on West 10th Street just west of Greenwich Avenue, where I also worked as a boy. It was here that I met some of the most influential people in the music scene: Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Charlie Mingus, John Lennon, and Yoko Ono, amongst others. The Mothers of Invention lived down the hall from me, and Sid Bernstein (Manager of The Rascals) lived upstairs. The Rascals would regularly pop down to our house to practice most of their future hits on our piano. At school, a close friend and classmate of mine was Creed Taylor, Jr., son of Creed Taylor, the production genius behind many artists who recorded on the VERVE, C.T.I. and KUDA labels. I remember always hanging out at his house with his father trying to introduce us to his musicians, people like Freddie Hubbard, Hank Crawford, and Stanley Turrentine. I was maybe 11. I didn't really know who they were yet.
Danny as a boy, working in his father's bar
When did you start DJing? Was it at The Ninth Circle?
By 1970, another close neighborhood friend at that time, Nile Rogers, helped me pick out my first guitar, taught me a little to get me started, and said: “If you practice with that, you’ll be jammin’ in no time.” I didn’t practice. I was already a vinyl junkie and an amateur DJ and never really believed I could play guitar even close to the way he did, or like I was hearing on all the fabulous records I was into. But DJing as a profession wasn't fully realized until 1971, after another neighbor/friend introduced me to one of his artists, James Brown, who gave me white-label advance promo copies of his “Get on the Good Foot” and “Think” by Lynn Collins. Around the same time, I started DJing and programming music for my father’s place, The Ninth Circle, which following the events of the Stonewall closing, had newly been transformed from a steak house into a disco.
What was the equipment you were playing? Can you remember what sort of people were there? Were they dancing or hanging out?
Hard to recall the exact equipment we were using back then, small names. It was very primitive. Huge problem keeping records from skipping with a full dance floor in an old Village brownstone. The crowd was mostly gay men, very downtown and funky. There were two floors: downstairs was the dance floor and upstairs was the bar and more of the social scene. Both floors were generally packed and very happening.
The Ninth Circle, a Village hot spot
When you were outside of the family business, how was it to be in the middle of this supernova of New York City's underground culture, music, sexuality, and art?
I was only 14. It was difficult to get into many other clubs, but I remember my father taking me to places like The Electric Circus on St. Marks Place and The Dom (Andy Warhol’s club), which was directly under it. When The Dom closed, I bought their sound system for my house. I had nice neighbors back then. My father also took me to places like The Sanctuary, Hippopotamus, and The Haven. My friends and I would go to the Limelight (the original on 7th Ave), where David Rodriguez was DJing (which was very good), but we were all too young, especially as a group. So we would hang out outside next to the wall of the dance floor. The music would come through loud and clear, even the mixes. All of us would have our own party right there on the street on a Friday, and then come back and do it again on Saturday. I could easily get into live concerts, which I had already been doing a number of years. Seemed like I was at the Fillmore East every couple of weeks, and there I saw Santana’s first performance, Sly & The Family Stone, Jimi Hendrix, Big Brother & The Holding Company featuring an uncredited Janis Joplin, and tons of others.
Who were the other DJs?
I had really become a part of the downtown underground scene by 1975. I club-hopped a lot, and I became close friends with some of the greatest DJs of all time, including Nicky Siano (of The Gallery), Walter Gibbons (of Galaxy 21), Tee Scott (of Better Days), David Rodriguez (of The Limelight), Richie Kaczar (Club Hollywood, before Studio 54), and Bobby DJ (of Le Jardin), amongst others. Clearly some of the best, but one in particular really stood out from the rest: DJ David Mancuso and The Loft. The Loft was like a musical center or Mecca for all of NY’s best DJs; a completely unique place and home of the original DJ record pool. This is also where I began my longtime friendships with DJs Larry Levan and Francois Kevorkian.
Where were you DJing at that time?
My father opened another club, (in a very early Tribeca) called Ones at 111 Hudson Street (about 2 blocks south of where the club Vinyl was). I was their only DJ through 1977. I was doing so well there that I opened my own after-hours club down the street. In 1977, I started Djing at Trude Hellers. I was also an avid roller skater, and my girlfriend at the time and I would regularly skate over to the Paradise Garage, where Larry would let us skate around the club while he would check out some of the new records that week on the sound system. The Garage remained my main stomping ground until it closed in 1987.
What kind of music was being played? What did it smell like? How late did it go? Take me there. Set the scene for me.
This was clearly a golden era for great music, DJs, clubs, artistic freedom, and the leisure time to enjoy it. No Internet, no social networks, no cell phones, no YouTube. You only could hear this music in the clubs and everybody was going out, all without a been-there-done-that chip on their shoulders. In the peak of the '70s, NYC had over 4,000 cabaret licenses, and a whole slew of clubs without them. All the clubs were packed, all the time. The scene was that big and growing. Today, NYC has about 40 cabaret licenses and the clubs that have them struggle to survive. The real estate market also plays a big part in this. Before the '80s, Greenwich Village (the poster child for the 1st co-ops) had a big prison right in the center, The Women's House of Detention. Rents were very low. For a century, artists and musicians flocked to this area. In 1962, when my father rented the building for The Ninth Circle, he got a 33-year lease for a three-story brownstone with two basements and a backyard, in the heart of the Village for $540/a month rent! The landlord was happy he had a tenant for 33 years. Now you're lucky to get a parking space with a one-year lease for that!
Eric Duncan
Let's go back to the early '70s. What were you playing at that time?
Here are records that I was playing in 1971 (in alphabetical order):
Al Green - Let's Stay Together, Tired Of Being Alone / Andwella - Hold On To Your Mind / Aretha Franklin - Rock Steady The House That Jack Built, See Saw, Don't Play That Song, Think, Spanish Harlem, Since You've Been Gone / Baby Huey - Listen To Me / Beginning Of The End - Funky Nassau / Bill Withers - Harlem / Billy Preston - Outa-Space / Bobby Byrd - I Know You Got Soul, Hot Pants (I'm Coming, Coming, I'm Coming) / Booker T & The MG’s - Melting Pot / Brenda Holloway - Just Look What You've Done / Brian Auger & the Trinity - Listen Here / Chakachas - Jungle Fever / Chi-Lites - Are You My Woman / Chicago - I’m A Man / Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose - Treat Her Like A Lady / Curtis Mayfield - Get Down, Underground, Move On Up, If There's A Hell Below We're All Going To Go / Diana Ross - Ain't No Mountain High Enough, Surrender, Remember Me / Donny Hathaway - The Ghetto / Dorothy Morrison - Spirit In The Sky, Rain, All God's Children Got Soul / Earth, Wind & Fire - Moment Of Truth / Elephant's Memory - Mongoose / Equals - Black Skinned Blue Eyed Boys / Everyday People - I Like What I Like Because I Like It / Exuma - The Obeah Man / Four Tops – Don’t Bring Back Memories / Isley Brothers - Get Into Something / Jackie Willson - The Fountain / James Brown - Give It Up or Turnit a Loose, Sex Machine, Hot Pants, I'm A Greedy Man, Soul Power, Make It Funky / Little Sister - You're the One / Marva Whitney - It's My Thing / Marvin Gaye - What's Going On, Mercy Mercy Me, Inner City Blues, Chained, That’s The Way Love Is / Nite-Liters - K-Jee / Ruth Copeland - Gimme Shelter / Dennis Coffey - Scorpio / Spinners - It's A Shame / Supremes - Up The Ladder To The Roof, Stoned Love / Temptations - Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are) / Titanic - Sultana / Traffic - Glad, Gimme Some Lovin' / Wilson Pickett - Don't Knock My Love /
Wow! Thanks Danny for that trip through time. I could talk about this with you all day...
Eric Duncan interviews Danny Krivit for The Standard Hotel Culture Blog.
Danny Krivit Red Bull Music Academy 2005 Seattle Lecture
Danny Krivit "A Message In The Music" feature on Resident Advisor
via Resident Advisor
Stephen Titmus spends time with one of dance music's foundational figures.
Danny Krivit's 45-year DJ career reads like the evolution of dance music itself. He grew up in the '60s, experiencing the very earliest days of New York disco, and later gained a musical education at some of the world's most legendary nightspots. The Loft, The Gallery, The Paradise Garage—Danny was a regular at them all. Remarkably, Krivit is one of only a handful of DJs other than Larry Levan to have played at The Garage.
Krivit's experiences in the '70s and '80s have had a lasting effect on him, informing almost every move he's made since. His legendary Body & Soul night, co-founded with François Kevorkian and Joe Claussell, and 718 Sessions, his still hugely popular monthly party, were established on principles laid down during this golden period. Aside from his illustrious DJ career, Krivit is also a remix legend. He has over 130 editing credits to his name, including his rework of MFSB's "Love Is The Message," which is considered by many to be the greatest edit of all time. In anticipation of an eight-hour set in London later this month, I spent time with one of dance music's most storied figure
Read full article here
718 Sessions is Selected by Time Out Magazine
"The Best Of NYC 2011"
"The Best Parties Of NYC 2011"
"Best Nightlife Events of 2011"
Celebrating 9 Years of 718 SESSIONS is already an incredible joy, & to crown that with "The Best Of NYC 2011" is a truly an amazing honor… A huge thanks to my dear friend & partner Benny Soto, together we have put our heart & soul into this, & to all of you, the dancers & wonderful supporters of 718 SESSIONS ... It couldn't have happened without all of you, & our shared love for the music. Can't wait to see you all @ 718 SESSIONS,
Danny :)
Funk & Soul Covers Contribution
Danny Krivit helped compile this gorgeous 425 page… 500 record cover picture book, released worldwide in 6 languages by Taschen in collaboration of Wax Poetics magazine. Noticeably larger then most other record cover picture books on the market, a must have for all soul-funk-disco-vinyl-lovers :)
Buy Here
“A living legend of DJing. He crossed the 70’s alongside names like Larry Levan, David Mancuso, & Francois Kevorkian.The DJ as a central figure was created in this generation. Danny Krivit is a vinyl collector, soul-funk-disco-lover and dance-floor master – even for the most demanding! From his long professional journey, his re-editions should also be mentioned, in the course of which Krivit reinvented classical pieces, re-arranging the originals.”
Danny Krivit in WaxPoetics Issue #52
718 Sessions Flyer Set
Over this past 10 years of 718 Sessions, I've managed to save a small amount of unused flyers from each party, & have now put together an amazing group of 100 flyers in a hand stamped commemorative package. Some you will recognize & some you surely won't, very remarkable to see them all in one place.