Welcome to imho, promise, we're not going to be shady (well, unless we slip!). imho: this will allow us to express ourselves about various subjects, music and its protagonists, without having to be objective or politically correct. We would rather be opinionated, triggering debates and passionate arguments than not get engaged. Indeed the idea of objectivity consists of weighing the pros and cons, analyzing all points of view in order to express something that will please everyone. Well, NO THANKS!! We will position and allow ourselves to speak our minds, under the umbrella of the mere "IMHO" principle. We'd also like to share some thoughts, stories, jokes, tell you about music we like, bring in some of our interesting friends...
Briefly, on your hosts Lilihouse & Papastomp: we met around the music biz & cutting up. Papastomp aka Teddy G. co-founded the Rotax label in Lyon where his career began and then he created Jazz-Up Records. Lili's been working alongside François K. in NYC for too many years, booking him, running Wave Music and replacing the light bulbs.

Today I feel like telling you about Young Richard, from my experience with him and the times we lived. He's a character. I met him in '94 when I was working at Eightball records, he was brought to me with his partner Peter A. and I was asked to manage them (not that I'd ever managed anyone before!). So we decided to do it. They had a party called the Make Up Room, then Queen at Webster Hall, where the opening scene of To Wong Foo (remember John Leguizamo and Wesley Snipes in drag?!) was shot. Peter A. was the promoter and Young Richard and Steve Travolta the DJs. They were coming from that Disco 2000/Michael Alig/Keoki crew. Richard, who is also a photographer, was busy doing flyers and shooting club kids and actually did a photo shoot with Michael Alig and Jenitalia where she was smashing his head in with a hammer, a short while before Michael Alig killed drug dealer/club kid Angel Melendez in the same way (if I lost you, this sordid story is told in the documentary "Party Monster" which features Richard's photos, or if you're lazy, the movie by the same name with Macaulay Culkin).

So it was the mid-90's and Richard had a year-long residency at the Tunnel on Fridays, then one at Save The Robots, a 3-year residency at Webster Hall...
And he wonders now how we got there and lasted that long, in an industry that was so predominantly gay (then again, his androgynous Angie Bowie-like girlfriend Dawn was walking around with a dildo strap!). So true when I think back...Now the scene has become much more 'professional' and corporate (on the up side, the notorious label-owning crooks have mostly been weeded out – no pun). Back then you had to know somebody gay to get the good bookings, the good records, the remix gigs... Richard recalls a moment in the Eightball office with Joe C. who was handling distribution and who later brought them to me to manage: Joe was playing a "So Get Up!" white label (fresh from Chaos Recs in Portugal, before Danny Tenaglia reworked it for US release) to Richard, giving him the sleazy eye. Joe got nothing and all Richard managed to get was a cassette copy (which he went on playing on the Tunnel's main floor!). The track was hot though. This was the time when fierce gay men were ruling the major labels' dance promotion departments, when major labels even had dance sub-labels! Bobby Shaw (MCA), David Henney (Elektra), Rick Squillante (RIP) (founder of Virgin Dance)... they were running the show and 'we indies' were joyfully gravitating around them, getting favors and hook ups. We were having some good ol'times at the Tunnel, Club USA, Save The Robots...clubs that are all gone now, thank you mister Giuliani!!!

So Young Richard and Peter A. started producing under the name of  Height 611 and had just made a track called "Brooklyn A Train" that Johnny Vicious signed to Vicious Muzik. They then did a remix of Towa Tei's "Luv Connection" featuring Joi Cardwell and Jon Marsh of The Beloved (who loved their music) commissioned them to remix "Satellite". DJ Duke also helped Richard get out there by licensing his "TNT Luv Trip" track (previously out on Waako) before shamelessly ripping off another of their productions. This was the time when Junior Vasquez was weaving a story with his music every Saturday night at the Tunnel, then at Arena (Palladium – I still have my member card!),


playing 12 to 14-hour sets, drama unfolding left and right and our little community was never out of there before noon on Sundays (just in time to freshen up for Body & Soul later in the afternoon!). Richard got into a funny series of situations with him. Once I wrote a short piece for Coda Magazine (France) about Arena's opening night and they put Richard's photo next to it instead of Junior's! Another time Richard and Peter A. brought him a 12" they'd produced, in the booth at Arena, which was an entire VIP 2-room space with coat check, fruit, soft drinks and devoted staff on the 2nd balcony above the dance floor. He picked and played the "Delicious" track that went 'shut the fuck up' and right after had his bouncers kick them out of the booth.
Richard was rooted in Manhattan's Lower East Side, grew up surrounded with Japanese kids and in 1999 a wind gust blew him away to Tokyo!
While he was there he was booked at Club Yellow during Golden Week '99 and had to choose between doing the gig and overstaying his visa or leaving without taking the gig. That's when I'd say he became lost to the US/found a new life. He settled there, soon got married and started teaching children, as he pursued his photography and music passions. This Puerto Rican kid from New York City has fully embraced Japanese life and I don't blame him (Nihon lover over here). He met the fierce and ferocious Nobu during his residency at La Fabrique in 2004 and with her created
Pretty Militia. They are doing shows and parties in Tokyo and are looking for a label to release their music. He is such a prolific creative spirit, and his tandem with Nobu is refreshing, spiky, dark and sexy as hell (thank you Nobu!).

http://www.youngrichard.net
http://www.myspace.com/prettymilitia

 

lilihouse's picks:

BUMBLE BEE UNLIMITED 'Love Bug (Danny Krivit Edit)' (?)
Louie Vega rocked this at Les Nuits Sonores... Crazy mix of Love Hangover and Black Science Orchestraｹs New Jersey Deep (imho)

FRANÇOIS K. 'Road Of Life' (WAVE)
What can I say, that's my boy! He did the hypnotic thing again... Remixes in the works by Radio Slave and sleeparchive.

QUENTIN HARRIS 'Haunted' (RESTRICTED ACCESS)
Works over 2 generations of ears. Great for road trips but I'm sure on dance floors too.

PRETTY MILITIA 'Jail Bait' (unsigned)
Catchy tune, as un-dark as they get. Nice sample of Nobu's voice range.

BRENDON MOELLER & SOLOMONIC SOUNDS Feat. CARLTON LIVINGSTON 'Legitimate Contender' (WORSHIP)
Rob Paine, what's up man? This is the bomb! Release it already... or let Papastomp have it for Jazz-Up!

Anything by JOHN DALY on Wave (1 EP out, 2 coming)

Here's my new 'favorite type of sound'. I call it dreamy, hypnotic... You tell me.