This Sunday Apr. 18th is Danny Krivit's
Birthday Celebration at his 718 Sessions monthly gig. Another candle to be added
on the ever growing D's cake full of precious souvenirs from the early days of
dance music that saw him putting his mind… body & soul into something he has
never left since : the club culture… As a matter of fact, this is some pure
pleasure of us to offer you the result of a chat we've had with him two days ago,
as our tribute to the man. Happy Birthday, Danny !
The first word that comes to (my) mind when
thinking about Danny Krivit is phenomena. Not only because of his
impressive background, but also and maybe more than that because of that sort of
quiet strength that pushes him to reach some further heights after more than
three decades dedicated to search then spread the (good) vibes… No doubt, these
vibes are probably those cells (with the obligatory positive phactor) that you
would find in his blood ; the reason that keeps him alive and kicking the way he
does, as probably needless to say that he would be dying the day he wouldn't
find any of them…
Although been myself around for quite a while, I humbly have to admit
that I hadn't heard that much about Danny til that first time I went to
Body & Soul in 1997. Came to know about François K. since his
Prelude/Salsoul remixes back at the end of the seventies and also about Joe
(Claussell) as I started being a regular Dancetracks customer at the
time, but Danny was quite a mystery for me. On top of it, he seemed to me
somehow more of an introspective people. Plus crossing his path solely at the
booth for a couple of times when he was spinning wasn't the ideal place to have
a chat and get to know a bit more about him… I guess I seemed like more
behind and reserved, probably because I felt like I didn't have to be sort of
agressive after all these years, he admits on his side. Then, I was
simply in action with my pals, he smiles. Was a good experience, he
remembers. Just had to focus on one record that I could include at the right
moment into this six hands DJ set and didn't have to worry about getting the
following one. I liked this so much, although I also appreciate working on my
own, refering to his 718 Sessions residency. Working alone
allows you to act like a film director and write a full story on your own. Not
to mention the fact that it's not as easy to work with
even the best DJ’s the way I’ve enjoyed working with François and Joe.
B&S was originally an idea François had kicked around with me
for a few years. then on a Sunday afternoon in July 96 FK said to me: hey, I’m
at club Vinyl this afternoon & this might possibly be just what we’ve been
waiting for. This is how I came to spin
with him. We would have had probably 50 people at the time and it took quite a
while to achieve, but we kept on, joined a bit later on by Joe. Joe and I were
just guests at the beginning, but François loved it so much that he offered us
to share the duties. We had done this for almost
six years, then all of a sudden there were a lot of
changes. Shelter was no longer there, the X-manager of Twilo was added & a major
revamping of the club, including getting rid of their supreme analog sound
system in favor of a new digital one. It no longer felt like home.
This said, if there's a particular period that stays deeply in Danny's memory,
it's no doubt the seventies. Probably and simply because we was experiencing
everything at the time, remembers this son of a jazz singer (his mom) and
bar/club manager (his dad) and also the manager of the late Chet Baker.
Can't remember about the first record I've bought in my life, though I would
tend to think of something either on Stax or Motown. Also coz, my sister had
records so I didn't have to buy them. Have always been surrounded by music.
I've gotta start my vocation at my father's
spot called the 9th Circle, where
he'd met such celebrities as Janis Joplin, John and Mme Lenon,
Charlie Mingus, Jimi Hendrix, not to mention Nile Rogers
who would try to get him into playing guitar. But the future had to be different,
seing him building some close relations with Larry Levan and Francois
K while being a regular at the Loft ; the heat was on.
I don't ever think there's gonna be anything like this in the years to come.
Simply because we (New York) have changed so much. Don't get me wrong, I'm not
saying that there's no more talent, but the rules of the world aren't the same
anymore.
NY’s night nightclubbing policys have gotten more & more; have to get rid of
Bloomberg asap. As for what's currently happening, refering to the new
nighters that have recently appeared (Roots at Cielo with Louie
Vega and Kevin Hedge) or are to appear (Underground Dance
Grooves with Tyrone Francis) to name but a few, only time will
tell, as it's so hard nowadays.
We're probably at a turning point, he continues. The current state of
the house scene is not good, but the current state of the underground club music
has substance as opposed to what's displayed on the major media. People's way of
living has also changed drastically. It's as if we didn't have the time for
anything, so people go for what is only essential, quick & to the point. No time
for subtleties. Which is synonymous with commercial in our fast consumption
society, the symbol of which is… Internet !
Gotta admit myself that a simple look at the way some DJ's are listening to new
music at record stores talks for itself. A short snippet of this another one of
that and let's go for the following one… This seeming ages away from that period
where we would have a look at the sleeve and the credits then have a listen to
the music… Well, most of the time, there ain't no sleeve anymore ! Could say
that the artwork was working on its own back in the days, sufficiently
significant to give you a proper idea of what to expect. Not to mention the fact
that music had a meaning which is more rare today. This also explaining that…
This said, our Danny looks like having the
same faith, keeping on working on new projects, including a 718 comp and
thinking about an album of his own. Can't wait for those ; thank you for being
who you are Mr Krivit…
718 Sessions : 04/18 @
DEEP 16 W. 22nd St. (bet.5th & 6th Ave.) - NYC
INTERVIEW
