Paradise Garage

[[Image:Paradise garage.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The former home of the Paradise Garage on King Street.]] The '''Paradise Garage''' was a [[discotheque]] notable in the history of modern [[gay culture|gay]] and [[nightclub]] cultures and in [[dance music|dance]] and [[pop music]] . It was founded by Michael Brody, its sole proprietor, and was located at 84 King Street, in the [[Hudson Square]] neighborhood of [[New York City]]. It operated from 1976 to 1987 and was the base for [[DJ]] [[Larry Levan]]. Its name derives from its origins as a parking garage. The Paradise Garage's business model was largely inspired by [[David Mancuso]]'s [[The Loft|Loft]] parties: no liquor was served, there were no sales of food or beverages, and the club was not open to the general public. The [[Sound reinforcement system|sound system]] was developed, designed and installed by Richard Long of Richard Long & Associates,(RLA) and was said by those who attended to be the best in [[New York City]] at that time. The club has been credited for its influence on the development of the modern dance club as it is today; unlike other clubs of its time, the Paradise Garage was focused on dancing rather than social interaction, and it was the first to put the DJ at the center of attention. Among those to benefit from what became known as "The Garage Sound" or "Garage Music" was [[West End Records]], run by Mel Cheren. Among its successes were "Sessomatto" by Sessa Matto, [[Karen Young (American singer)|Karen Young]]'s "Hot Shot," "[[Heartbeat (Taana Gardner song)|Heartbeat]]" by [[Taana Gardner]] (remixed by Levan), "Do It to the Music" by Raw Silk, and "Don't Make Me Wait" by the [[Peech Boys]] (produced by Levan). West End Records folded for a number of years, re-opening in the late 90s and releasing one of Levan's DJ sets recorded live at the Garage. In the [[video game]] ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories]]'', a [[post-disco]] radio station, [[Paradise FM]], plays music representative of the club's playlists at the height of its popularity. [[Tim Curry]] had a minor hit with a song about the club, also named "Paradise Garage". In 1992, a UK music production and remix team called [[Eddie Gordon|West End]] produced numerous UK #1 Club Chart hits influenced by the style of "The Garage Sound" and the associated West End Records label. By 1994, West End the remixing team started a company called West End Radio Productions, whose founder, [[Eddie Gordon]], created the ''[[Essential Mix]]'' show for [[BBC Radio 1]] in the [[UK]]. ''Essential Mix'' is a weekly two-hour dance music mix show that was inspired by the legend of the Paradise Garage music and the originator of the art of two deck mixing, DJ Larry Levan. After 16 years, ''Essential Mix'' is now the world's longest running dance mix show on radio. The legacy of the "Garage" lives on every week on air some 23 years after it closed its doors for the last time. The building which housed the Paradise Garage is now a facility for [[Verizon Communications]]. As of 2008, the Paradise Garage trademark is now owned by Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC). == Music == The unique and eclectic style of disco and dance music played at the Garage gave rise to the descriptive terms "[[New York house|garage]]," "garage style" and "garage classic" (to describe a record that was made famous or is associated with the Paradise Garage). When the term "garage music" is used in reference to the Paradise Garage, it does not exclusively mean [[house music]], although certain house tracks may be considered to be garage classics. House music as a genre got its start from the Garage's house DJ Larry Levan and his contemporaries, [[Frankie Knuckles]] and [[Nicky Siano]] who were both also influential disc jockeys. These disc jockeys played all kinds of music so long as it was danceable; at the Paradise Garage, one was liable to hear [[The Clash]] and [[The Police]] as well as traditional "disco" artists like [[Gwen Guthrie]] and [[Sylvester James|Sylvester]]. Levan is remembered by all for his ability to choose and play different records from different types of music and make it all fit together. The term "garage" has changed meaning over time, see [[UK garage]] for a more detailed description. This form of music is not related to [[garage rock]]. == Performers == {| width=99% |- valign ="top" |width=33%| *[[2 Puerto Ricans, a Blackman, and a Dominican]] *[[Colonel Abrams]] *[[Patti Austin]] *[[B. B. & Q. Band]] *[[Claudja Barry]] *[[Carl Bean]] *[[Pattie Brooks]] *[[Jocelyn Brown]] *[[Miquel Brown]] *[[Peter Brown (singer)|Peter Brown]] *[[Sharon Brown (singer)|Sharon Brown]] *[[John Robie|C-Bank]] *[[Chaka Khan]] *[[Change (band)|Change]] *[[Cheyne]] *[[Natalie Cole]] *[[Willie Colón]] *[[The Cover Girls]] *[[Tim Curry]] *[[E.G. Daily]] *[[Sarah Dash]] *[[Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band|Cory Daye]] *[[Divine (actor)|Divine]] *[[D. Train]] *[[ESG (band)|ESG]] *[[First Choice (band)|First Choice]] *[[Samantha Fox]] *[[Marshall Jefferson]] *[[France Joli]] *[[Freeez]] *[[Taana Gardner]] *[[Siedah Garrett]] *[[Gary's Gang]] *[[Gloria Gaynor]] *[[Georgio]] *[[Gwen Guthrie]] |width=33%| *[[Curtis Hairston]] *[[Hanson and Davis]] *[[Dan Hartman]] *[[Nona Hendryx]] *[[Jennifer Holliday]] *[[Loleatta Holloway]] *[[Whitney Houston]] *[[Phyllis Hyman]] *[[Imagination (band)|Imagination]] *[[Debbie Jacobs]] *[[Peter Jacques Band]] *[[Grace Jones]] *[[The Jones Girls]] *[[Kid Creole & the Coconuts]] *[[Madleen Kane]] *[[Evelyn 'Champagne' King]] *[[Fern Kinney]] *[[Konk]] *[[George Kranz]] *[[Patti LaBelle]] *[[Amanda Lear]] *[[Paul Lekakis]] *[[Lime (band)|Lime]] *[[Loose Ends]] *[[Sylvia Love]] *[[Cheryl Lynn]] *[[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]] (who also filmed her first music video, "[[Everybody (Madonna song)|Everybody]]", here) *[[Hugh Masekela]] *[[Janice McClain]] *[[Joy Division]] *[[Melba Moore]] *[[Meli'sa Morgan]] *[[Larry Heard|Mr. Fingers]] *[[Alicia Myers]] *[[Nayobe]] *[[New Order]] |width=33%| *[[Nu Shooz]] *[[Odyssey (band)|Odyssey]] *[[Wade Nichols|Dennis Parker]] *[[Peech Boys]] *[[Bonnie Pointer]] *[[The Pointer Sisters]] *[[Positive Force]] *[[Quando Quango]] *[[Fonda Rae]] *[[Sharon Redd]] *[[The Ritchie Family]] *[[Barbara Roy]] *[[Arthur Russell (musician)|Arthur Russell]] *[[Sinitta]] *[[Frankie Smith]] *[[Stacey Q.]] *[[Amii Stewart]] *[[Sybil Lynch|Sybil]] *[[Sylvester James|Sylvester]] *[[The System]] *[[Evelyn Thomas]] *[[Tasha Thomas]] *[[Judy Torres]] *[[Unlimited Touch]] *[[Luther Vandross]] *[[Tata Vega]] *[[Was (Not Was)]] *[[The Weather Girls]] *[[Wham!]] *[[Precious Wilson]] *[[Betty Wright]] *[[Syreeta Wright]] *[[Yazoo (band)|Yaz]] *[[Karen Young (American singer)|Karen Young]] |} ==In popular culture== *In the 2009 film, ''[[State of Play (film)|State of Play]]'', bisexual PR executive [[State_of_Play_(film)#Cast|Dominic Foy]] ([[Jason Bateman]]) cites the "Gay Rage" (which he explains means "The Garage") as a club where he has met a contact who is central to the plot. == External links == *[http://www.agaragetribute.com A Tribute to the Paradise Garage] *[http://www.disco-disco.com/clubs/paradise.shtml Paradise Garage page at Disco-Disco.com] *[http://www.theparadisegarage.net Patrons' Recollections] *[http://www.westendrecords.com West End Records] *[http://www.residentadvisor.net/news.aspx?id=8995 Disco pioneer Mel Cheren dies at 74] *[http://www.blackbookmag.com/article/good-night-mr-lewis-five-easy-pieces-the-best-nightclubs-in-the-history-of-/10368 Steve Lewis, Five Easy Pieces: The Best Nightclubs in the History of New York City, BlackBook, August 26, 2009] {{coord missing|New York City}}