Party_Jams.html

SONG LYRICS SHOULD BE MINIMAL
What's in a word, or words? Dance songs need not be
stuffed to the max with lyrics. A rambling barrage of
words crammed into a Dance track can be overly distract-
ing. Are they trying to cover up something? Every beat
doesn't require a word to go with it. Repetition of the
same words over and over can also be a bit too much.
Although repetition is found in most Dance tracks, ex-
cessive repetition is a no-no. Does an artist really
need to repeat "down by the river" 25 times? Too many
lyrics can spoil the soup and pull the focus away from
hot rhythms and even cover them up. LESS is usually MORE
in the Dance world. Often, the better sample projects
only sample a few words or lyrics from the original. It's
much easier to clear a path through the forest than cut-
ting the entire forest down. Don't over think and over do
more than is needed. Listeners should be desiring more
from a production instead of less.///////////////////////

THE CURRENT DISCO & DANCE REVIVAL BEGAN IN 2007
After years and years of mindless Techno leading the
Dance music parade, it was finally kicked to the curb in
2007. That's when the revival we are experiencing now be-
gan to flourish. Dance music lovers became excited again
about Disco & Dance music. Artists responded by sampling
and remaking even more tracks from the past than they'd
ever done before, which was a shot in the arm for Dance
music sales and appreciation. No longer were we sitting
in the back seat. We were now driving the Dance music bus
once again. And we've never looked back. For someone like
me who has lived and breathed Dance music for so long it
was quite noticeable. Today, our brand of music is thriv-
ing worldwide and people are listening and dancing to it
24/7. Everything is looking up. Long live the revival!///

SOME TRACKS ARE ALL OVER THE MAP
Once upon a time Dance tracks were consistent throughout.
You could follow the same beats, themes and rhythms from
start to finish. Many of today's releases are actually 3
songs in one. Different themes and music (almost like 3
different jams) are all grouped together into one big
ole mess! And why? One section may be great but the other
non-matching segments thrown into the mix can spoil the
soup, which can bring down an entire track. The beginn-
ing and end of a track should be pretty similar. Artists
need to tighten up their stuff, instead of driving on an
interstate highway that suddenly turns into a sidewalk.
Consistency is desired and a "fruit salad" approach can
muddy up the message (and the music). Keep It simple.
There's no need to throw everything into a single prod-
uction.//////////////////////////////////////////////////

BO CRANE'S DISCO REPORT
A Florida Disco promoter from Miami had a big impact on
my DJ career. He published a 4 page bi-weekly Disco tip-
sheet in the late 70's which had a massive circulation
(100,000 at its peak). His Top 30 chart was an alterna-
tive to Billboard and Cashbox magazines and widely pop-
ular. I was impressed that somebody was actually making
their own chart and not being spoon fed by others. He was
able to to blaze his own trail and successfully put his
own spin on the genre. He was also closely associated
with TK Records and his charts were quite friendly to
their releases at a time when they were becomming a major
national record label with artists like KC & The Sunshine
Band, Peter Brown, George and Gwen McCrae as well as
others. He was not only inspirational but I ran with his
idea when I started my own Atlanta Disco & Dance promo-
tional tip-sheet in 1980. Doing your own thing can be re-
warding, but making a profit shouldn't be your only goal.DEBBIE JACOBS IS ONE CLASS ACT
"Don't You Want My Love" the 1979 monster hit by Debbie
Jacobs has been a favorite of mine from the start. It was
just as popular on radio as in the clubs and resonated
with so many. My Toyota Corolla played cassettes and I
recall playing it often while behind the wheel. Fast for-
ward a few years later. I'm in Atlanta and Debbie is
appearing at the popular Backstreet disco on a cold Sun-
day night. In addition to the weather there was an award
show on TV that night (I believe the Grammys) which re-
sulted in a very small audience. In true form she went on
with the show and gave it her all (as if there were 1000
people there)! It was more like 30. Anyway, she was on
the dancefloor singing her hits and patrons were moving,
dancing and even singing along with her (including me).
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I'd someday be
"doing" her song with her live at such a famour location.
(good times).////////////////////////////////////////////

A MEMORABLE DANCE CONTEST
As 1977 was coming to a close, Saturday Night Fever came
out (Dec. 12) and crowds were standing in line to see it
(many more than once). Music from the movie was also all
over radio and in many clubs (but not all). The album did
sell 25 million by 1980! I was in Gainesville Florida at
the time and a "straight" club had a S.N.F. Dance con-
test. I wasn't in it and only there to watch. One of the
couples in the competition was quite unique. A petite guy
was impersonating a girl and that couple was actually 2
men. They were quite convincing and only a handful of the
audience knew their secret. Their boldness could have
easily gone bad, but it didn't. Their dancing was really
very good, although they didn't win. The fact that they
could pull it off and had the guts to do it in 1978 was
totally amazing. You didn't even see drag patrons in gay
clubs back then unless it was a show night.//////////////

STUDIO 54 DOOR POLICY BECAME ITS DOWNFALL
Was it an attempt to keep the unwanted out or simply
discrimination? Studio 54 had a door policy of inspecting
lined up patrons and judging them by their looks and
clothing as to whether they were worthy of entering. To
some haters this was a bad reflection of Disco itself.
You were either for it or against it. Others wore out-
rageous costumes in an attempt to impress and gain entry.
Was it a form of crowd control? The club was very popular
and not large enough to hold EVERYBODY that wanted to get
in which would have broken fire and occupancy codes. But,
the idea of being inspected and denied entry didn't make
the discotheque any friends. Other clubs across the land
did the same but very few were on a level as strict or
demanding as Studio 54. I was never there, so I can only
rely on filmed footage seen on TV documentaries. Sure,
there were other causes which contributed to the club
closing but their door policy only hastened their demise.

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the result can be very enjoyable and rewarding.... ......
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and interesting (without being redundant).//// ////

blog).///////////////////////////////////////////////// ////

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