all what I want to do and I do
my best for is – to save (in my hands / my eBook)
as much as possible of whole
disco history for future generations
- this is my life goal and
passion –
The difference between ignorance and awareness is wisdom
We don't know where we are going unless we know where we've been
Without that knowledge... history is gone with the wind
Pete Grooves
UK – DISCO pioneer discjockey
“Guinness World Record”
THE LONGEST CONTINUOUS PERIOD (360h) OF ACTING AS A DISC-JOCKEY
interview for the book:
“SILENT RECORDS”
- DISCO HISTORY -
by
Jan yahu Pawul
Y@HU
- This time my interview is with Pete Grooves - an UK deejay,
discotheque
pioneer who remembers what was interesting in the ’70 DISCO ERA
Y@HU - when did you decide to become a disc jockey
-
when and where did it really start
-
how long have you been a deejay ?
Pete
Grooves - 1968 in at a church youth club.
YOUR
MEMORIES
Y@HU - Tell me something (as much as possible) about the pioneer deejays or artists
you know
/ you've met
in your career ?
in your career ?
Pete Grooves - the pioneer dj days I suppose go back to the pirate radio days which
i had the pleasure
of working with some of the djs when they moved to ‘bbc radio one’ djs like the
Emperor Rosko,
the late Ed Stewart, David Hamilton, etc.
Y@HU - Do you keep / hold any contact with the other disco deejays /artists / '70
mega stars (can you mention any names) with whom you've become close friends
maybe, because of your work ?
Pete Grooves - still in touch with Rosko also Barry Biggs who had a number one hit
with a sound called
SIDESHOW and a few more, etc.
Y@HU - Tell me about the most exciting moments in / about your deejay / producer
career ?
Pete Grooves - Breaking my world record in November 1971 has to be number 1 but a very
close 2 would
be seeing the 2000s in a venue never to be forgotten.
Y@HU - Do you remember / can you tell which was your best DJ gig ever ?
Pete Grooves - apart from working with the big boys lol , its got to be seeing the
Millennium starting at
19:00 on the 31st of Dec 1999 and ending in 2000 at 07:30 (loads of money )
Y@HU - Who were (as you remember) some of the great parties and DJs of the time ?
Pete Grooves - got to be ROSKO he taught me a lot in the dj world
Y@HU - Have you ever done something else or is DJ'ing your life ?
Pete Grooves - I set up a garage and also had a taxi company then sold them off
Y@HU - Since you're one of the pioneer disco DJ's - how was the DJ regarded in the
beginning and how has it changed during the years ?
Pete Grooves - in the early days you had the groups thinking we were going to take
all the work etc. but
now things have got more sophisticated etc
Y@HU - What do you think about today’s techno / house etc. and deejays who use old
tracks, samplers, CD mixers, put new beats of computer programs, and
"create" special versions of the songs and burn CD's at home of their
"creations?” or produce on 12” vinyl. Is this serious or just fake ? - I
mean they create nothing in fact - they just use good music made by someone
else from the past. In other words they can create nothing if it wasn’t from
such old, good records of the '70 ?
More
explanations to this very important question:
What if people (poets, writers, painters) change
(destroy in fact) great poetry, books, paintings - if they cut of parts of the
well known poetry, books, paintings - mix them and pretend it is new and
created by them. My opinion if any deejays / producer - want to be creative –
then should create own music as Vince Montana did, as many other real musician
/ producers did in the past. Techno / house deejays just use other music and
destroy with wrong BPM, sound, etc.
Disco music not belongs to techno / house - it is very
separate music of the past and it is good as it was created - need no any shit
changes - "creations" of the people who have no idea, knowledge - do
not know how to play instruments. This is very sick if deejays pretend music creators.
Deejays are just to play other people - real musicians music - that is it.
House music is OK for those who like it (NOT ME -
because it is too much techno - machines play too much - not real musicians)
but house not existed if not use this unique rhythm created by real musician -
Salsoul Orchestra and many other drummer - Earl Young. Earl is godfather of
house music - not any shit deejay who just stole Earl Young creation and
pretend as his own.
Problem with present time deejays is - they pretend
someone - they are not in fact. They hire real musician to create and record
music in the studio - then put his nick name or name on CD cover and pretend
this all music is created and made by them. It is shit crime !!! - shit crime.
Problem with present time deejays is - they pretend
someone - they are not in fact. They hire real musician to create and record
music in the studio - then put his nick name or name on CD cover and pretend
this all music is created and made by them. It is shit crime !!! - shit crime.
No one ever in the music history did such dirty tricks
before - except one German producer name Frank Farian who created fake and
plastic "artist" name Milli Vanilli.
Do you remember that their fake creations got Grammy and then they should give back Grammy because of crime they did ???!!! Same creators as this F. Farian and his shit Milli Vanilli are today’s techno / house "creators" / deejays whose cut and mix pure disco music and destroy all in their own sick way. On the end - can you imagine my interview with you other writer cut - mix and publish under his name as his interview with you as his "creation" ? It would be shit stupid crime – simply against author and copyright law !!!
Do you remember that their fake creations got Grammy and then they should give back Grammy because of crime they did ???!!! Same creators as this F. Farian and his shit Milli Vanilli are today’s techno / house "creators" / deejays whose cut and mix pure disco music and destroy all in their own sick way. On the end - can you imagine my interview with you other writer cut - mix and publish under his name as his interview with you as his "creation" ? It would be shit stupid crime – simply against author and copyright law !!!
Pete Grooves - no answer ...
Y@HU - Where do you live now ?
Pete Grooves - Somerset UK
Y@HU - Who were (as you remember) some of the great show and artist of the time ?
Pete Grooves -
Y@HU - Do you regular work now as a deejay ?
Pete Grooves - yes
Y@HU - What music style do you prefer and vinyl or CD or computer memory ?
Pete Grooves - anything with a good beat ie dancey and party etc. CD or vinyl
Y@HU - What was your favorite club you worked for ?
Pete Grooves - that’s got to be the ‘watneys group’ called the ‘birdsnest o’ and a
night club called the Angel
...
Y@HU - Do you plan to write any book about ’70 discos / deejays or an autobiography
?
Pete Grooves - no I will leave to the pros like yourself ....
Y@HU - No doubt for me that black artists created late ’70 disco music, disco
history based on soul and R&B - what is your point of view ?
Pete Grooves - emm but did they I like to think it was a bit of a mix you also had
the old pop music that
went down well
Y@HU - Do you feel yourself as connected any way to the deejays whose created late
’70 disco -
discotheques and today clubs history based on soul and R&B ?
Pete Grooves - I have been lucky to have been involved on all sides
Y@HU - Do you prefer very early old style, (radio close style) deejays use
microphone, speak to the people /audience or those came later - just mixing
records with BPM, pitch control ? I mean the original club / disco deejay
technique of very early ’70 before beat matching / mixing ?
More
explanations to this very important question:
OLD SCHOOL DEEJAY – I UNDERSTAND IS PROUD TO PLAY
MUSIC PUBLIC AND SAY WHO IS THE ARTIST. (that is the old school deejay do - I
mean talk to audience / inform - not just mix) Audience have to know who is the
artist of a great track - this is first rule of real deejay and serious music
business :-)
OTHER WAY HOW AUDIENCE TO KNOW WHAT TO BUY ?? HOW
ARTISTS BECOME KNOWN AND POPULAR ?? JUST MIXIN' (last years style of deejays =
poor style) - MEANS NOT MUCH TO THE ARTIST, to the labels, producers.
It is simply not much useful. Just mixin' means to
play music anonymous among thousands of other tracks and no one know who is the
artist. THIS IS VERY, VERY(!) WRONG DEEJAY STYLE OF PRESENT TIME. DO REMIXES BY
DEEJAYS I UNDERSTAND AS KIND OF “REPAIR” WHAT ARTISTS, PRODUCERS DID IN THE
STUDIO – WHAT MEANS that THOSE REMIXERS / DEEJAYS KNOW BETTER WHAT ARTISTS AND
PRODUCERS WANT TO PRODUCE AND PUBLISH.
DO NOT TRUST ARTISTS AND PRODUCERS AND DO OWN REMIXES
(hell know for) IS KIND OF SERIOUS SICK of PRESENT TIME DEEJAYS (over-ego). DEEJAY
IS PERSON WHOSE JOB IS SIMPLY JUST PLAY MUSIC TO THE AUDIENCE AND INFORM(!)
WHAT HE PLAY. DEEJAY SHOULD TO KNOW HOW TO MIX, HOW TO SPEAK (good voice sound
+ technique of announce) TO THE MICROPHONE, GET PROPER KNOWLEDGE AND CONTACTS.
Pete Grooves - yes I think that’s the way it should be the real way of disco talk
but don’t over talk
Y@HU - What was your favorite club, how do you remember: Studio 54, Sanctuary,
Limelight, Funhouse, Gallery, Palladium, Paradise Garage or maybe David’s
Mancuso – Loft, ETC. ?
Pete Grooves -
Y@HU - are you married, any children ?
Pete Grooves - was now divorced and yes three boys
Y@HU - What is your life now - deejay, producer - what projects are you working on ?
Pete Grooves - dj with a new show called the instant replay
Y@HU - Has today's music become too technically driven, thus losing some of its
magic touch when you were performing ?
Pete Grooves - no I perform to the audience
Y@HU - Tell me about your cooperation with any labels (if) ?
Pete Grooves - N/A (not applicable)
Y@HU - What do you think of the Disco era now – after so many years ?
Pete Grooves -still good depending how the dj puts it across
Y@HU - Do you see / recognize many disco era music / style concerts around with
original artists, music, style, hit songs and same about deejays (disco gigs) ?
Pete Grooves - I think it depends on the function/gig
Y@HU - It looks like some deejays, disco pioneers, artists, musicians, disco
websites owners / editors, etc. – they sometimes seems jealous or what and do
not help in contacts to other disco era pioneers if I ask them help in my disco
history work – they do not want to cooperate to save as much as possible
knowledge for history, for future generations - WHY ?! Are people ashamed of
this because at the end of '70 was, a terrible and max stupid bashing disco -
"disco sucks" – organised by punk – rock losers ?
Pete Grooves - I’ve got to agree with you there I’ve had groups saying silly things
like we are taken all the
work the way I see it if they are any good they would not have a prob ...
Y@HU - What is your opinion about how present time people save (or do not) disco
history for future generations
– is this enough what they do or history may disappear for good ?
Pete Grooves - if it wasn’t for writers like you we would be stuck ...
Y@HU - Did you ever cooperate (as writer) with any disco magazines (below) back then
? (best disco / DJ magazines that time - '70)
• Melting Pot – NADD (National Association of Disco Dee Jays) - USA - Bob Casey editor
• Disco Star , New York , USA , Art E. Scott editor
• Progressive Platter, Boston, USA, Cosmo Wyatt editor
• Disco Gossip magazine , Chicago , USA , Alfred Cain editor
• Disco News , New York , USA , Scott Anderson editor !!!!!
• Discothekin' , New York , USA , Alex Kabbaz editor !!!!!
• Discotheque , Los Angeles , USA , Bernard Blain editor
• Disco World , New York , USA , Susan Friedman editor !!!!!!
• Discotrade , New York , USA , Nicole Sehmon editor
• Mix Master , New York , USA , Michael Gomez
• Disco Encyclopedia by Marianne Ilaw , St. Albans , NY , USA !!!!!!
• Steppin' Out , Los Angeles , USA , Jeff Kutash editor
• DISCONET magazine , New York , USA
• DeeJay Monthly, London, UK, Ben Cree editor and NADJ (National Association of DeeJays) President
• Disco Mirror , London , UK , Mike Sharman editor (?)
• Disco International , London , UK , Gerry Gilbert editor
Pete Grooves - NME and Melody Maker all in the UK
Y@HU - What do you think of today’s discotheque and deejay scene ?
Pete Grooves - good
Y@HU - What is your best remix you ever did ?
Pete Grooves - can’t remember
Y@HU - Why did you left disco business ?
Pete Grooves - N/A (not applicable)
Y@HU - Have you won any awards for your career / gold records, etc. ?
Pete Grooves - I hold a world record
Y@HU - Do remember any hit records titles and artist names you were mixed at the
time ?
Pete Grooves - to many lol
Y@HU - How do you remember late ’60 and very early ’70 disco deejays whose mixed and
commented in radio style listed below - rock, pop, r&b, funk, soul artists
music to dance in the first discotheques ?
-
how it all did start - whatever happen’ later. No doubt – discotheque and
deejay history is not ONLY (?!) Bee Gees, Saturday Night Fever, Donna Summer,
Larry Levan, Paradise Garage, David Mancuso, The Loft, Studio 54, Nicky Siano,
etc.
Pete Grooves - I can remember most of them the good sounds
Y@HU - How significant was this whole stinky and dirty affair with Chicago’s
‘Comiskey Park’ anti-disco riot and this punk, pseudo DJ creator name Steve
‘anything’ ?
Pete Grooves - just let them get on with it
Y@HU - How disco was labelled around that time and why – “as fag” ?
Pete Grooves - in the 70s/80s it was the good times
Y@HU - How valid that time in real(!?!) was: Larry Levan, Paradise Garage, David
Mancuso, The Loft, Studio 54, Nicky Siano, Bee Gees, Saturday Night Fever -
maybe it was / they were too much publicity than real value for disco, deejay
and music scene and it stay like this until today for a few history less
educated people ?
Pete Grooves -
Y@HU - What was the last impact of those early ’70 disco ?
Pete Grooves - went with the flow it was good
Y@HU - What is your opinion about those DISCO history books – I mean are all those
books real disco history facts or maybe a little bit created by authors / fake
disco history(?):
* Disco by Albert Goldman
* Turn the beat around by Peter Shapiro
* Last Night A DJ Saved My Life by Bill Brewster, Frank Broughton
* My Life And The Paradise Garage - Keep On Dancing by Mel Cheren
* Saturday Night Forever: The Story of Disco by Alan Jones, Jussi Kantonen
* Love Saves the Day: A History of American Dance Music Culture, 1970-1979 by Tim Lawrence
* The Disco Files 1973 – 78 by Vince Aletti
* And Party Every Day (the inside story of Casablanca Records) by Larry Harris
* The Record Players by Bill Brewster & Frank Broughton
Pete Grooves - no answer ...
Y@HU - Can you write a few words of your(!) short, private opinion about USA deejays
they were over-rated maybe or NOT deserved fame / publicity they got ?
Richie Kaczor -
Nicky Siano -
Tom Savarese –
Steve D’Acquisto –
Michael Capello –
Francis Grasso –
Larry Levan -
Bobby Viteritti -
Tony Smith -
John 'Jellybean' Benitez -
Bobby Guttadaro -
David DePino -
Eddie Rivera -
Walter Gibbons -
Francis Kevorkian -
Tee Scott -
Robbie Leslie -
Danae Jackovidis -
Paul Casella –
Frankie Knuckles –
Barry Lederer –
Pete Grooves - over rated most of them
Y@HU - One of the biggest, very early disco pioneer deejay name of ’70 was Tom
Savarese (Billboard deejay of the year 1976 / ’77). No one even know how is he
and where now. Some people even thought and published information that he is
died. Another disco era pioneer deejay Barry Lederer died of heart attack in
his NYC apartment alone and they found him a few weeks later. Same happened to
many disco era heroes. It seems as disco / club deejay world / environment
forgot about their roots and people whose created club business and seems like
today deejays and media do not care disco era heroes. Do you think is this good
idea to create special organisation and fund (DISCO AID) to help poor and
health weak disco era heroes in everyday life, etc. ?
Pete Grooves - it would not be a bad idea
Y@HU - What about Record Pools - which did you belong to - when and how long ? How
many records did you receive from them – weekly / monthly ?
Pete Grooves - N/A (not applicable)
Y@HU - Have you still got/hold your DJ record collection ?
Pete Grooves - most of it
Y@HU - Could you name some of your favorite Disco songs ?
Pete Grooves - Rick James (Super Freak) Blondie (Heart of Glass) Motown Night Fever,
Bee Gees, Funky
Town, Disco Inferno, Mavericks Boney M, Earth Wind & Fire, Donna Summer to
many to list
Y@HU - Did you like Disco music during ’70, ’80 disco era?
Pete Grooves - yes
Y@HU - What kind of music do you personally prefer ?
Pete Grooves - most types pop etc dancey
Y@HU - Do you remember / can you write who was or what was (in your opinion):
* best deejay of the ’70 disco era (1970 – 1980) ?
* best dancer of the ’70 disco era (1970 – 1980) ?
* best disco owner the ’70 disco era (1970 – 1980) ?
* best journalist of the ’70 disco era (1970 – 1980) ?
* best producer of the ’70 disco era (1970 – 1980) ?
* best book about disco history of the ’70 disco era (1970 – 1980) ?
* best disco magazine of the ’70 disco era (1970 – 1980) ?
Pete Grooves - no answer ... :-((((
Y@HU - Why deejay profession was degraded and lowered the position of very early ’70
disco deejay with microphone and talk to audience / comment / introduce /
present records short way - to kind of person who just changing records as
human juke box – eventually do (this or that) mix = destroy original recordings
- what in fact not interested to audience smallest way – it is interested to a
few maniacs and deejays whose delight and excite only ?
Pete Grooves - anyone can just put records/CDs on and play them
Y@HU - I'm very early '70 pioneer disco deejay and disco historian also and I know
for sure that first disco deejays were similar to radio deejays and used
microphone to talk specific comment (other than radio) to mix 7" singles.
Then deejay mixer came and this method stay as main because much, much easier
than earlier one. Simply - in this method deejay do not need good voice to
speak to the audience.
Pete Grooves - same as above
We
know circa where and when 12" maxi disco singles start / born - however
hard to agree for the very first one :-)) BUT ??! - - - there is much more
important question now:
Y@HU - tell US / WRITE the story of where remixing by disco era deejays was
born, which was obviously people like yourself who began as DJs then used your
experience to work on records.
-
- - Who was first disco era deejay remixer / or group of deejays ?
Pete Grooves - to me pirate radio
Y@HU - How it was and why – some deejays got huge fame but other same good deejays –
NOT ??
Pete Grooves - again the BBC wanted to shut down the pirates
Y@HU - breaking the Guinness record - how it was organised in details ?
Pete Grooves - in a 24 hrs taxi office
Y@HU - What equipment did you used ?
Pete Grooves - ‘Marshall’ amps etc
Y@HU - How many people help you and how ?
Pete Grooves - – 5/6 and a doctor
Y@HU - Did you got any valuable award (from Guinness or anyone) ?
Pete Grooves - yes certificate etc.
Y@HU - How this record was recognized and commented on in the world ?
Pete Grooves - Guinness world records
Y@HU - does any of below famous disco / DJ magazines contact you, interview, etc.
Pete Grooves - To be honest Jan I Can’t remember
Disco DJ - NYC - USA
Disco Star , New York , USA , Art E. Scott editor
Progressive Platter, Boston, USA, Cosmo Wyatt editor
Disco Gossip magazine , Chicago , USA , Alfred Cain editor
Disco News , New York , USA , Scott Anderson editor
Discothekin' , New York , USA , Alex Kabbaz editor
Discotheque , Los Angeles , USA , Bernard Blain editor
Disco World , New York , USA , Susan Friedman editor
Discotrade , New York , USA , Nicole Sehmon editor
Mix Master , New York , USA , Michael Gomez
Disco Encyclopedia by Marianne Ilaw , St. Albans , NY , USA
Steppin' Out , Los Angeles , USA , Jeff Kutash editor
DISCONET mixed records + magazine , New York , USA
Dee Jay Monthly , London , UK , Ben Cree editor and NADJ President
Disco Mirror , London , UK , Mike Sharman editor
Disco International , London , UK , Gerry Gilbert editor
Mix Mag, London, UK, Tony Prince editor (early ’80 issues)
Y@HU - How did you prepared yourself (mentally and phisically) for such a hard
record ?
Pete Grooves - I was quit fit etc., my sport was boxing ‘aba’
Y@HU - Has this feat caused any damage to your health ?
Pete Grooves - emm I can now have ten mins sleep and then go on 8hrs or so
Y@HU - What this record changed in your deejay career ?
Pete Grooves - got me working with other pros, etc.
Y@HU - has your professional DJ position among British deejays increased
significantly?
Pete Grooves - Yes I think so
Y@HU - have you been invited to many significant events and earn proper money of ?
Pete Grooves - Yes
Y@HU - When did you finished your deejay career ?
Pete Grooves - not stopped yet …
Y@HU - Did you play day and night non-stop ?
Pete Grooves - Yes
Y@HU - I believe no problem with food and drink but what about sleep while setting a
record ? Did you sleep - how long and how or did you not sleep for so many days
and nights ? Hard to imagine …
Pete Grooves -
Pete Grooves - this might help I forgot to mention when I was doing my world record I had a pretty bad situation of hallucinations etc one I will never forget was thousands of insects and beetles going up the window
Pete Grooves - this might help I forgot to mention when I was doing my world record I had a pretty bad situation of hallucinations etc one I will never forget was thousands of insects and beetles going up the window
Y@HU - What more do you want to tell – I mean - is there anything I did not ask BUT
you want to tell us about ?
Pete Grooves - nope I think you have done well
Y@HU - Thank you and let me ask you some questions again in some time - OK.?
Pete Grooves - your welcome
... today 2020
Pete and Rab ( John Bundrick) from the legendary group The Who
more (over 200) stories like this one in the Giant eBook "Silent Records"
- dedicated to disco DJ history of '70:
author
Jan Yahu Pawul [yahudeejay]
______________________________
real pioneer deejay of very early '70, writer,
proud "Disco DJ's Hall of Fame" member,
- - - - - - - - >> disco & deejay historian:
proud "Disco DJ's Hall of Fame" member,
- - - - - - - - >> disco & deejay historian:
1/ "Silent Records" - worlwide disco & deejay history in english:
- historia polskich dyskotek i deejayów:
3/ "YAHUDEEJAY - Trampled Dreams" (in English)
3/ "YAHUDEEJAY - Trampled Dreams" (in English)
- story of disco deejay '70 communist Poland
4/ "Italian Disco History" - story of Italia deejays in english:
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