In memory of the late great Paradise Garage dj here’s a mystery set that has turned up on Soundcloud and is credited to Levan from the early 80s. Uploader R_co hasn’t been able to locate a playlist, but he has found a list of (nearly) every song played during his run as resident at the Garage - that’s quite a lot of music if you care to have a look. The mixing on this set is a bit hit and miss, but the crowd audibly loves it and the drop into Loose Joints’ “Is It All Over My Face” (from an excellent mystery track) at around 6 minutes in is heavenly:
Larry Levan Live @ The Paradise Garage, New York (Early 80s) by R_co
Of course, Levan was more than just a dj - he was a remixer of no small talent, and some of his remixes are guaranteed dance floor fillers more than 30 years after their release (such as the previously mentioned Loose Joints track, one of my desert island discs). As a special bonus, here’s Levan’s first ever remix, which he mixed as a try-out for the Sesame Street disco album project, and which remained unreleased for almost 30 years:
Cookie Monster & The Girls “C Is For Cookie (Larry Levan Special Version Funky Disco Mix)”:
Joubert Singers “Stand On The Word (Larry Levan Mix)”
Gwen Guthrie “Peanut Butter (Larry Levan Mix)”
Grace Jones “Feel Up (Larry Levan Mix)”
SKYY “First Time Around (Larry Levan Canadian 12” Mix)”
Inner Life “Make It Last Forever (Larry Levan Mix)”
Syreeta “Can’t Shake Your Love (Larry Levan Mix)”
Jimmy Ross “First True Love Affair (Larry Levan Mix)”
Loose Joints “Is It All Over My Face (Larry Levan Female Vocal Mix)”
Thanks to Tara McGinley
Previously on DM:
A piece of Paradise: Larry Levan mixing live at the Paradise Garage in 1979
‘Maestro’ - a film about the Paradise Garage and the birth of Disco culture