Good Morning Mix – Larry Levan Live at Sound Factory (3/22/91)
There is a good chance that today's Good Morning Mix is older than some of our avid Dancing Astronaut readership. Dating back more than 20 years-- when hip-hop, disco, and house had fuzed together and clubs like Sound Factory (which is now present day Pacha NYC) -- hosted, at the time, superstar DJs like Larry Levan. Larry Levan, for those who are not familiar, is the premier driving force behind much of our present-day DJ culture. Although the bulk of Levan's career was made between 1977-1987 at Paradise Garage, in this set from 1991 at Sound Factory (only a year before his untimely demise) it's clear he was still managing to pave the way for house heads and producers for years to come. You may recognize C + C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat" (pre-Jock Jams), Ram Jam's "Black Betty," and "Gypsy Woman" from Crystal Waters (name who sampled it!). These songs are all completely recognizable even for a younger generation, but Larry plucked them out of the herd as distinctive before anyone else could -- as he was wont to do. Stream the full set below.