Interview with Harry Frank Towers
Fall 2005
Editor's Note: Harry Towers is one of the most influential persons in American dance music today. He's been repeatedly nominated (and/or awarded) for "best independent dance label promoter" at the annual Winter Music Conference. Harry's also performed at some of New York City's most popular clubs, and has mixed for as many as 35 radio stations across the United States, as well as Sirius Satellite Radio. He's worked as a Billboard Dance Music Reporter, and is one of the first DJ's to play "techno" on local New York television when he hosted a dance music television show called "Staten Island Dance Party." In various capacities, he's worked with some of the biggest recording artists and labels in the industry and continues to promote new artists to the most influential radio-mixshow DJ's in the country.
Disc Jockey 101: When and why did you start to DJ?
Harry Towers: I started spinning in 1983 when I was 23 years old. Prior to that, I was on the dancefloors from 1976 till I made the transition from the floor into the booth.
Disc Jockey 101: What are some of the New York area clubs that you've worked at?
Harry Towers: I started at a small neighborhood gay bar on Staten Island called Abracadabra. My highest profile residencies would've been the Spectrum in Brooklyn which formerly was 2001 -- which is the club they filmed Saturday Night Fever in -- and The Stonewall in Greenwich Village, which is the club made famous by the riot that started there back in 1969 which spearheaded the Gay Rights Movement. I also did guest spots at The China Club and various other nightclubs in the Tri-State area.
Disc Jockey 101: In your opinion, what is the most influential club (globally) that you've visited (i.e., Studio 54, Soundfactory, etc.)? Why is it so influential?
Harry Towers: There were a few starting with Studio 54, which was the first exclusive club to cater to "the beautiful people" of NYC. It was frequented by celebrities, the equivalent of what became club kidz and the music was very high energy, trippy and it was all about the"club experience" focusing on the combination of lights, music, drugs and celebratory excitement and everybody who got in felt like a star. Musically think of the Peter Jacques Band, Sylvester & Montreal Sound.
The Sound Factory came up right behind that and it was just the opposite, it was stripped down and totally focused on the sound and music. The music was disco more on the R&B tip, think of Prelude, Salsoul and West End releases of the late-70's and early-80's.
The Mudd Club was another place that was extremely influential. It was more on the Punk and New Wave tip and featured live bands such as Generation X, The Madisons and Alan Vega. The DJ spun an extremely eclectic mix of retro 60's R&B and Rock along with the bigger Disco and New Wave hits of the day. In the same evening you could hear Adam & The Ants, The 4 Tops, The Rolling Stones and Vicki Sue Robinson. Like Studio 54, people would line up to get in and the club became famous for letting in David Bowie and turning away Mick Jagger on the same night! The decor was even more ghetto than the Garage with Graffiti, broken beer bottles and instead of a curtain it had a metal gate. Later clubs that had tremendous influence would include 1018 where Freestyle flourished, The Palladium, The Red Zone where the Underground House Movement hit it big with David Morales as the main jock. There was also The Limelight where the Techno movement broke out.Disc Jockey 101: What are the advantages of being a Club DJ in New York City?
Harry Towers: The biggest advantage is the musically intelligent crowds who really appreciate a jock who can dig deep into the crate to rock a crowd.
Disc Jockey 101: What are the disadvantages of being a Club DJ in New York City?
Harry Towers: The promoters have taken over the city and so the clubs no longer have an identity and/or a sound.
Disc Jockey 101: When did you start to mix on the radio? What got you involved with radio mix-shows?
Harry Towers: Back in 1998, I did my first mix shows for The Buzz in Atlantic City. I got the gig because the PD of the station was a good friend and asked me to help out. At this time I started to refocus my promotion from the club jock to the mix-show jock as the influence started to switch from club sets to the radio mix-shows.
Disc Jockey 101: In terms of the Club DJ as an occupation -- since you began -- what is the most noticeable change (for better or worse) that has taken place?
Harry Towers: The biggest change is the money that a top name DJ gets and the almost "superstar" status a top name DJ enjoys today. Back in the day we were all just a bunch of guys who loved playing music who made no money and got no glamour. What we did get was free liquor and in a lot of cases all the sex and drugs we could handle. The real shame about that is the fact that when the A.I.D.S. epidemic broke out the DJ's were the first group of people to get hit (as a profession) and get hit hard. Prior to the A.I.D.S. epidemic you would go to Hi-Tech Music in the East Village and see a copy of "Let Me Take You Dancing" by Bryan Adam on the wall for 350 dollars. Within months of the A.I.D.S. epidemic hitting the same store had 10 copies for sale at 10 dollars each as family and friends were selling back crates and crates of records to the stores to help pay for funerals and rising hospital costs for the jocks first afflicted with the disease. The other shame about how the first jocks didn't have the money or recognition that the jocks have today is that in most cases any of those guys could spin any of these "specialists" under a table. They had to make due with singles that weren't quantized, radio edits and they did this spinning from 90 to 190 BPM and back down again for no less than 6 hours. Todays jocks spin 2 hour sets that never vary more than 4 BPM. That's not talent, that's marketing. Back in the day, the jocks had talent but no marketing.
Disc Jockey 101: Could you please describe the origin of the first record pools?
Harry Towers: The first pools were formed to provide a service for the record companies who recognized that the DJ's were breaking records and wanted to get product out to them but did not have the staff or time to hand out individual copies to all these jocks. They would send a box of thirty or so to one address where the jock could pick up the material and in turn provide a chart and feedback on the product. the charts would help the labels see where a single was breaking out -- and the feedback helped the labels better get product into the hands of the DJ that they could use rather than second guess what they needed from a record to rock a dancefloor.
Disc Jockey 101: Who are some of the artists that you've worked with?
Harry Towers: Double You, KC & The Sunshine Band, France Joli, 2 Unlimited, Alexia, KC Flightt, Dare 2B Dif'rnt, Georgie Porgie, Pepper MaShay, Rozalla, Interactive, The Porn Kings, and Jellybean. As a promoter, I also had the pleasure of working product by Daft Punk, Janet Jackson, Cher, and Ricky Martin.
Disc Jockey 101: What are your current projects?
Harry Towers: My biggies right now are the latest singles from Georgie Porgie, Dee Robert, Peper MaShay, Chris "The Greek," Bobby "O," DJ Mike Cruz, Anna Vissi, Sisaundra Lewis, Lauren Hildebrandt, Milk Inc., Rachel Panay, and Kate Ryan. I also have new material from Paul Lekakis, Dare 2B Dif'rnt, and Teri Bristol coming any minute.
Disc Jockey 101: What are your future plans?
Harry Towers: I am in the process of writing a book about honing my craft as a DJ and the beginnings of my stepping into the music business called Abracadabra.
Disc Jockey 101: Finally, what is the single most important piece of advice that you would give to a newbie DJ?
Harry Towers: In the beginning, take any opportunity to get out and play for as many different circumstances as you can. The experience will be invaluable.
Industry News* DJ historians Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton are working on a new edition of Last Night A DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey. The new edition will be available in the UK next year. A US release date is still to be determined. See DJhistory.com.
* The DMC DJ Championship World Final will take place in London, England on September 26, 2005. Special performances will include DJ Q-Bert, as well as Arizona's DJ Yeah. For more information, visit DMC World.
* The San Francisco Love Parade will take place on Saturday September 24, 2005. To help cover expenses, patrons will be asked to make a $5.00 donation. Events are also scheduled for Friday September 23, and Sunday September 25. A few of the headliners includes: Bad Boy Bill, Carl Cox, Crystal Method, DJ Icey, Ferry Corsten, Mark Farina, Markus Schulz, Max Graham, Miguel Migs, and Paul van Dyk. For more information, see Loveparade San Francisco.
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