Nick Siano, Usa- Official Interview

Name: Nicky Siano

Age: Ageless….and a lot younger than people think…remember I was a child prodigy…

Sex: Very.male

Born: March 18

Locat:ion: Brooklyn, New York

1.For the not so clued up person in regards to the world of Soulful House,Garage and Disco music could you tell us how you got started in this game. What led you into you becoming a Dj?

Well for the not so clued in, are you going to explain who I am?

Love for the music led me to becoming a DJ…My mom called me yesterday, and said she was watching old 8mm films of me, that my dad took; and they would be playing records, and I was 3 years old, and I would be dancing all over the house to the music….

That’s what happened when I went to my first dance club….I danced until dawn….I haven't stopped since….

A LOVE FOR THE MUSIC…an obsession with the music….I had to have it like I would hear a record…and I couldn’t sleep until I had purchased it and it was in my 45 box…

1a. Who or what had the greatest influence on what you listen to today? 1(a) Was through listen to your parents (Did they have an artists or performer that they constantly kept going on about that influenced you) 1(b) Was through listening at a early age to the Radio to a particular sound or artist 1(c) Was through going to the church (being part of a choir?) 1(d) Or was it by being forced to take musical lessons that influenced your choice?

My brothers….One in particular was in a band, he was 9 years older than me, and they would listen to all the R & B groups back then..the temps, the miracles, the Platters, then they moved on to rock, and I started going dancing…I met this girl in high school, and we wanted to hang out down the Village, because it was a hip thing to do, and we heard about this club where they didn’t proof you, we were 14, so I went to my first club, the Firehouse….

In 1969, and my brother went to the Electric Circus, and I read about it in the newspaper. BUT when I heard the music, I just feel in love, with that music, the one that made you DANCE…!!

2. Who was your first musical hero? Was it Artists from the.. Soul area Hiphop scene Rock/Heavy Metal scene Motown, The Sound of Philadelphia or Stax Records artists Jazz artists Or just any particular artist?

JANIS JOPLIN….I stayed home from high school the day she died.

I worshipped her….she was the greatest white soul singer EVER.

3. You are a DJ/Producer now. What was the first club that you played that allow you to gain vital experience to that is invaluable now! Is it still there now; and have you gone back to play there from time to time? What was the first Club that you ran completely. Well the answer to both these questions is the same….

THE GALLERY, the club that I owned with my brother, was the Dj at, that was where I really learned everything that I use, till this day, to make my nights of playing a magical journey.

The first club I played at was the Roundtable, but didn’t learn much there…neither of these clubs are there today…..I have played at the Rountable in 1971…The Gallery opened in 1972, closed in 1977.

4. I posed this question to DJ Cosmo(USA), a couple of years back and now I'm going to pose it to you.

Have you ever been given the chance to play any Pirate Radio Show's; any of them at all? Would or will you play on them? In short what do you think of the Pirate radio set-up within the London area? Have you heard any of them?

No I haven't heard of the pirate radio shows sorry…

Do you think that they serve a purpose, or have they out stayed their welcome?

Is there such a set up where you are based now? What are the penalties for getting caught running such a station in your area of the world?

I have no idea what they are, they are not in New York….

5.Still on being a DJ. What would you considered to being the music that you like playing the best. USA Garage, Deep House, Disco House, Jazz House or 2-STEP Garage, Soul, Rnb, Funk, Acid Jazz or Hip Hop music?

Now today, house is what I play mostly, but one of the things that make my night so new and fresh, is that I mix in a few really good things from other genre’s.

6. Are you a resident DJ some where, or do you work Freelance? (Only write down if its applies)

Resident at Twelve West, and I work freelance all over the world, will be on tour in England in December….

December 9 at Club non in Manchester, England…www.bar-club-non.co.uk….

I will be in Australia in October, in Switzerland in August, other guest spots in New York….and so on…

7. Have you traveled abroad to work? ?(Only write down if its applies) Where did you play..what country? Was it a success?? What is your favourite country to DJ in, and the favourite club.

I've been to Italy 6 times, Switzerland 4 times, Paris three times, South Africa once, England twice, Canada twice.

Fortunately, I thank my higher power, all the gigs I have played over seas, accept maybe for one, was a tremendous success and all have asked me back….

And when I go back, the crowds are larger, and it seems that I have been building a following…especially in Italy, which is my favorite…they really go crazy for me there….

But I love playing, and all the gigs over seas have been tremendous experiences for me, with lots of people screaming and carrying on on the dance floor…I love that…and I love getting them like that……crazy, like they’re going to loose it on the dance floor, screaming so loud, they forget where they are….

8. What are your thoughts on the music such as 2-Step Garage music that is busting out of London? The music has bulldozed its way into the Garage and House music world. Its the newest hybrid of the music within that scene. Some people hate it.

Some people love it. What are your views on the scene? Have you heard this music before? No…I've probably heard it, no doubt, because I listen to everything that comes through the store, but I don’t know that it was called "2 step Garage"…

To tell you the truth, I shy away from these categories, I think its all music, and if its good dance music….Ill listen, and if its great dance music, no matter the category, I will play it…

9. There seems to be a love for GARAGE at the moment that resembles the early days of Hiphop within the USA. Labels are being sought after, the pirates are canning the music. Underground clubs via word of mouth are becoming "Sought after places to visit".

Is the bubble going to burst soon though do you think? Can Garage and Soulful House music last? Will the majors move in, in a big way to take their share of the profits? What are your thoughts?

House music has been around before the garage, after the garage, and will continue after this latest burst of popularity….

But will this wave of garage mania end….Yes, I think it will…..I HOPE IT WILL…actually, as one of the people who lived through it, and doing all these interviews lately, I'm tired….I've said everything I could possibly say about it…its time to move on….

I play new house music..AND ITS HOT!! As far as the majors go, the scene has not yet met critical mass, and the current wave isn't big enough for the majors in the states yet…but many eyes are open, watching, and dare I say, a few are bulging.

9a You have met and seen on your club travels and dj guest appearance so many famous dj/producers, Djs and club engineers come and Go. From Frankie Knuckles to Walter Gibbons, from Richard Long to Alex Rosner, from Tee Scott to Larry Levan.

Out of all those names, who had the greatest impact on this music (House and Garage )that we all take for granted today and why...???

The two people whose names just don’t come up enough are David Mancusso, and, I'm shocked you mentioned him, ALEX ROSNER…

David, as you know, owned the Loft, and the Gallery, my club, took the ideas of the Loft and I adapted them to my own, it was a commercial version of the Loft….Anyway, the root, the LOFT, was really THE CLUB that everything down the line, was based on….

Until today…David’s ideas are still being used, poorly, but they are… and Alex Rosner, the man who built the first pair of tweeter arrays, the first crossover, and had A LOT to do with the development of the sound systems we listen to today, has a small sound company, and is barely mentioned in SO many historical documents of this time….

ALEX, as far as I'm concerned, was and is, the greatest Sound man OF THE TIME. Richard certainly did things that Alex would have never done, but again, the root, the first, the originator…was Alex.

10. You moved to New York at such an early age in your life. Yet, within a year, you had created and started up the club known as the "Gallery".

Where you always conscious that you were going to create a club that was going to create history in CLUBLAND? Was the "Gallery", really an attempt by you to try and recreate the "Loft" and David Mancuso sounds there under another void?

I didn’t move to New York, I was born in New York…in Brooklyn.

It was a big deal back then, in the late 60’s, going into Manhattan from where I lived in Brooklyn --Coney Island, which is the very tip of Brooklyn, totally opposite Manhattan….

So anyway, my mom ( I was 12 when I first started riding the subway) freaked a lot…especially when I came in late. And the Loft opened at midnight….

I was 15 when I started going there….I was entranced by the Loft….I had gone to a few other clubs, and nothing was like it…it was all very underground….They checked your membership, very very carefully, you were only allowed a certain amount of guests, THAT WAS IT….No negotiating.

And when you got inside, you entered opto the dance floor, a tiny room, totally devoted to dancing….the dance floor was in a totally separate room…..So it gave David a lot more control over the experience, and he messed with your mind…..all the time….

10a. Frankie Knuckles and Larry Levan got their DJ schooling at the "Gallery". Is this true?

I don’t know what people mean by this….

I didn’t have classes, there weren't any books….Larry and Frankie worked for me in the early seventies, 72-75…

Larry lived with me, he was my best friend and roommate…I would go record shopping, he would go with me….

Then he started working my lights, and sometimes at night, when the gallery wasn’t open, we’d go by, and he’d play records for me, and I’d tell him what I felt about mixing, and how I approached it, and how I felt about the music, and telling stories with lyrics…and sound effects, and working the sound system…and when he started playing, well, lets say, our styles were very similar….

11.By the Mid 1970's, it is estimated that there were around 150/200 nightclubs within New York alone, making it the club capital of the world.

Was this down to the music sweeping the city called "Disco"...Or was it due tot he popularity of the influencial "Gallery Nightclub. Alot of clubbers that frequented the "Gallery were inspired and went instead to create some thing similar.

Is this true or was it due to Disco mania sweeping New York City at the time.

I don’t think it was one thing, I think it was a lot of things together….The Gallery was like the Studio 54 of 1972 IN THE USA, it was different, new, everyone wanted to emulate it….But did it cause the explosion, well that’s a bit too much credit, the scene exploded….

People were ready to dance, especially gay people, which most of the early clubs back then were, they were gay clubs, although they were mixed, they were predominantly gay….

The whole gay liberation had a lot to do with it….Remember, until 1969 it was ILLEGAL for a man to dance with another man on a dance floor, they would literally close places down, lock the door, and cart everyone off to jail…..Gay people stood up at the Stonewall riots of 1969, and the law was repealed….So that was a huge factor….Gay people wanted to socialize in the open, and Gay clubs opened….everywhere

11. Disco music, has always been laughed about or sniggered at whenever the music is mentioned out loud. However, within that period of time. Disco music was seen as a release to people tensions about the nation. Due USA involvement in "Vietnam" and a bad recession that had made things worse in New York. People wanted a release. Is that true? Or are they any hidden facts that have been missed laid?

I think I answered this in the last question.

12. New York produced two dj's that could lay came to the best Dj's ever. Walter Gibbons and Larry Levan. Who in your opinion was the best? Or this is a question that cannot be answered? For technique than I suppose it would be Walter, but for getting a crowd on the floor and making them stay there maybe it would be Larry. Who was the best?

Well, I don’t know how to say this without sounding egotistical, and I really don’t mean it in a negative way…,but many people who were actually partying at all these places say I was the best; but many people missed the Gallery, and they partied at the Garage…;and as I said in an earlier question….

Larry and I, well our styles were almost identical….I got side tracked, drugs became my music, and when I finally got off the shit in 82, I had wrecked my career, and was afraid to work in clubs, cause I didn’t want to use anymore drugs….

But if you exclude me from this question, and you included, technical aspects of sound, balancing and building the system….Controlling the dance floor atmosphere to enhance the musical experience….My king was David Mancusso

13.You have visited London, England before on a few occasions. It is the practice of dj's over here and in some European states to only be allowed to get a few hours Djing time. At places like "Twilo" and the "Tunnel". Dj's are expected to only play for a long of Hours at a time. Are we losing out here?

I heard time and time again that our American Cousins are able to really work a crowd by taking them to different level, etc, etc. Is this something that we are missing out here?

Yes….at Twelve West, every Tuesday, we go on a journey together, my audience and I, go on a musical journey, and we definitely hear things, that only a full night playing would allow us to program….

14.Dubbed the "New Ibiza" by music critics and fashion experts alike(Ayia Napa, Cyprus). Do you fear for the islands (Ayia Napia, Cyprus) beauty? Do you think that the island will attract all the wrong types of people? Watching the film called the "Beach" starring Leonardo Da Capiro.

We all saw what could happen if rules are bent and relax to accommodate wealthy holiday makers. Do you think that Ayia Napia, as a holiday resort could be spoilt.? What are your views as a Brit, and also a resident of Ayia Napa? Is Ayia Napa, Cyprus, known in the Usa as dance holiday resort?

I have no idea, and no opinion on this….I've never been to the island, and have not even heard of Ayia Napa until now….so I have no idea

15.Do you still do your own stint of record shopping or hunting? Or do you leave it up to being supplied by labels, etc to keep you up to date? When you play out?(If you play out) A lot of DJ's nowadays survive by living of what given to them by Record labels of all shapes and sizes. What about you. Does this apply to you?

I do a lot of different things….I have a network of friends who are djs and we turn each other on to product, I'm mailed a lot, I get stuff in the pool, and I go to several stores and listen and buy new product….

16. As labels go..Have you a favourite. One that you always stop by as you flick through the piles of Records in your specialist record shop?

No, unfortunately, I haven't felt any label to be that consistent where I would consider them someone I would always check out the product.

17. New York's title of the club capital of the world has gone. What went wrong with the club culture and the club scene that had everyone traveling from all over the world just to get a glimpse of the stars in action?

It turned into a business. When we began, we did it for the love of, for the excitement, for the music. Then people started looking at it only from a business aspect...demographics, dissecting it, like you could, so that they could re-create it, and sell it....Well you couldn't, as soon as it became homogenized, and you took the heart and soul out of it, you took out the innovation, the things that made us the leaders....people are afraid to take risks, everyone is playing it safe.

18.We all know you are Soul Boy at heart. Has this changed a little as you have gotten older. Are you playing other styles of music in your set/s?

I still lean toward those Soul vocalists, male or female, that make my skin crawl and my feet move. But, I listen to ALL types of music. I through in a jazz groove the other night, because I thought it was a hot jammy.St.Germain, Rose Rouge....good record...sometimes I through in a drum and bass...rock...techno...but if you ask what the majority of the set is...house...and deep house.

19. Record mixing. Your technique when playing out. Do you use a style of blending when you playing out; or are you a person who like to jump straight in and out of a track without warning!!! What styles do you like to use? Or are you of the opinion that mixing is taken so seriously that it has harmed Djing???

Personally, I think the choice of the record is more important than the mix.So if I want to play something next, that I know will work, but the mix won't work, then will just let the record fade, and put on a sound effect, and start the new jam from the first note.

19. Are you running a label of anykind? And if so, who have you got signed to the label? Any important Releases that we should keep a look out for?

No I'm not, yet...

20.Deep House music made famous by Larry Heard (Chicago) is a form of House music that is probably the most followed style in the House music gender. Do you listen to tunes from the vinyl labels such as Paper, Guidance, Glasgow Underground, Wave, Yellow at all....???

Yes, absolutely.....Glasgow Underground(Scotland) is a great label...I love there stuff, and Wave(New York, Usa), and Yellow(France)....the other two I don't know, but those three all have had records ive played this year...

20. Who do you rate as one to look out for in the future (DJ Wise?) Who should we keep an eye out for! From your own country? DJ/ music artist/s producer and from what you have heard or seen from abroad? DJ/ music artist/s producer

I like DJ Will, and Reed Mc Gowan...both good dj's and great producers, there making great records.....

21. Dj's have become superstars. More famous then the people that make the tracks themselves. Is this right or wrong?

I don't think they're more famous then people who make the records, maybe in an area, but not world wide...and I think its fine, ive always looked at myself as a performer...I put my heart and soul into my work, my not share the notoriety.

22. Have you got any advice for any aspiring record label producer, DJ or club owner within the world of House and Garage. Any rules that he should adhere to!

The people who make it, are often the people who don't give up....no matter what, don't give up, just keep on trying over and over....DON'T GIVE UP...if you believe in yourself....surround yourself with people who also believe in you...it boosts the positive energy.....don't get into the ego stuff too much, but you must be firm and know.....HEY, I'M GOOD AT THIS......and people around you, telling you so, increases that energy, and could help you manifest a job....whoever you are.....good luck!