This is the 20th anniversary of my first record, "Bits & Pieces 89" so I figured I would write a little about it.
I always listened to "Paco's Supermix" on 92 KTU (1978, 79 more on that later) so that's where I learned this Medley style of mixing. I started djing when i was 13 years old, around 1983. My grandfather used to take me to a great record store in the Bronx called Harmony Records. The owners were Nat and Lenny, turns out my grandfather knew them from years way back, so it was cool to go there and "Pop" could hang with Nat and Lenny. My first time there, I bought some great records, and 1 or 2 of the "Bits-and-Pieces" style of mix records, and I told Nat that one day he'd be selling my records...He just said "that's great, I hope so"
Fast forward to 1986. A great friend of mine, Eddie, he was older and a very established dj in ny, lent me his Pioneer Reel-to-Reel and taught me how to edit. Thats where it started. Now here's another layer...Eddie's good friend was a guy named Jeff (me and jeff still talk almost every day). Jeff, way way earlier worked at the Funhouse in NYC, and he was there before Jellybean, in-fact he was the dj that broke Jellybean into the Funhouse before he (jeff) left. We all know what Jellybean did after that...AND it turned out that Jeff used to do some of Paco's Supermixes for 92 KTU in the 70's, he did my favorite one "Keep on by D Train." So through all of that, I had 2 guys to really show me how to get this done. My first mix in 1986 was on WBLS in NY.
Fast Forward again to 1989. I now have an Akai Reel-to-Reel, couldn't afford the Legendary Technics 1500, but I have one now! So I start working on a mix. I have a few friends at a "Vinmymania" record store in NYC. They took a listen and gave me a phone number. I called it from the pay-phone on the corner of 7th ave and Carmine st. The guy shows up within 10 minutes in a completely restored 81 Toyota Corolla, no back seats because it was filled with the biggest sound system that I ever saw. He puts the cassette in and blasts my mix. My little cousin Mark was with me. So the guy then tells me that if I would sell him the master, or a good dupe, he would press it as "Bit's & Pieces 89!" That's all I needed to hear. I met him a couple of days later with the master, because I couldn't dupe it, and he gave me $150.
The best part of the story is that I got to go back to Harmony Records and buy MY mix record from Nat. He was so happy and remembered what I told him in 1983.
So, the whole Paco thing now...in 2005, I did a few mixes for 102.7 here in NY. Paco worked for the station. Later on I was the LIVE Dj for Paco's 102.7 Nightclub Parties. We did this from "Posh" in Long Island. Because of this I was able to tell him that about 28 years earlier he was the reason I started DJing, and his supermix guys were the ones who taught me. It was very cool........and it meant alot to him and he appreciated it.
More on the mix - it took about 12 hours to do, no samplers. 2-Technics 1200's, a Bozak Mixer, a razorblade, ampex 1/4" tape, Akai 7" reel, 15ips. The whole thing is about 12mins long.
www.VINMIX.com -> nightclub -> music You'll find it there.
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