The Ministry main man salutes the legend Levan
Sunday July 19th sees Ministry of Sound play host to the Larry Levan Birthday Bash, a celebration of his life, legacy and music. Here, Dan Prince speaks exclusively with Justin Berkmann – a man who was influenced by the Paradise Garage supremo in so many ways…
Hey Justin welcome back to DMCWORLD towers, where on planet earth are you today?
Thank you very much Dan, I am in my studio at home, in North West London.
What was the first piece of music you heard this morning after rolling out of bed?
I checked out my Shopping Cart on Tracksource and the first probably due to alphabetical order was Acatalepsy of Rhythm by Foremost Poets, which I liked and bought.
Next month sees a huge night for the world of music with Larry Levan¹s Birthday Bash down at Ministry of Sound, this year in support of GHMC. Phew, where to start with you and Larry? Is it safe to say there wouldn¹t have been a Ministry of Sound if you had never gone to the Paradise Garage, you once said in an interview that the club was ³about 85% Paradise Garage?
It was the combination of the perfect sound system being tweaked by the master music texturiser, so I was obsessed from the moment I heard them together. Like most people in there, I wanted to play on that system and when it closed I had to build my own back home. Of course the Ministry was a hybrid concept with other influences, but 80-85% is more or less right. It was a hard concept to improve on. In fact it’s still the best club I ever saw.
How good was the sound system at the Garage? Was it the best ever?
It was the room. It was the glove to the hand, and so the RLA system was all controlling, clean and transparent, powerful and sexy, there was a richness and texture to the sound which is mostly absent today. Absolutely the best, but I know David Mancuso¹s Klipsch system was incredible too, I just never heard it. But probably the best ever room.
What was the Charlton Heston/subs connection to the club?
As I know the story…the subs were originally designed for the film Earthquake starring Charlton Heston which featured Sensurround that was installed in cinemas to make the effect of the earthquake feel real. And these subs did just that. “So why not stick them in a club?” Clearly not enough for Levan who had to add the flares on the front and the room had 6, double the cinema.
When you think back of Larry Levan, what records spring to mind?
At the Garage probably the instrumental of Can’t Play Around by Lace, just the way he drove the baseline was bonkers! At Ministry maybe Slam Me Baby by Alexis P Suter, for similar reasons.
I love the story of your first visit to the club, you went on Friday night which was the straight night a little different to the Saturdays?
Indeed it was. The Friday was straight night and quite a different vibe, and it wasn¹t for me. So after being suggested Saturday and then getting what the club was about – the music, the DJ and Pas…but mostly about the party. Not all looking at a DJ like lemmings, but a real vibe on the floor of groups of people that all been dancing there for years, there was an adulation towards Larry but the booth was more discreet.
You met him and convinced him to come to London I seem to recall, he gave you a DJ tutorial??
Not so much a tutorial, but while we spent time at the club tuning the system and generally messing around, he was so keen to impart his wisdom and wanted to create a school to teach and make sure the way wasn¹t lost. He was a bit like Lao Tzu. So he shared his wisdom with as many people he could get to, and those DJs could be called his disciples.
Tell us about the night you warmed up for him around that time in London, what was it like when he put his first record on?
Nerve racking, I had only been playing 3 or 4 years and there I was with Larry, who was a Titan, a legend, a nutter and he borrowed his records and then played a blinder. His first record was the Happy Song Or Dance edit which just cut the room in half and off he went, the system came to life and the room blew up.
And what about house music? That ‘4 year cycle’ seems to have certainly come round again, people are singing on the dancefloor again, the big Americans are back in vogue, vocals and melodies are everywhere! Good times huh?
It seems that everything is going on at the moment, with the slow painful demise of what is known as deep house, a big tree has come down and all the saplings are racing to take its place, which is nice as I like to play lots of different styles. I like a bit of nu disco, some afro house, real deep house, multi genre, it’s the voyage and message one creates and if its a painting, why stick to just one colour?
And finally, one last mention of the great man. What is your favourite ever memory of Larry Levan.
The one probably most personal as I was the only person there was when he arrived at the airport, without records, a small PanAm overnight bag, due to play that night, great, the vision of my hero finally in London and the complete terror what was going to happen. Was the best thing I ever did bringing him over and he left his mark on London…and we¹ll see that at Ministry on the 19th.
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Larry Levan Birthday Bash
Sunday 19th July 2015
2pm – Midnight
Ministry of Sound
Advance Tickets: £12/£15/£20 & £25 at the door.
The Courtyard 2pm – 9pm/The Box 9pm – Close
Happy Birthday Larry
NYC street food BBQ 2pm – 6pm
Francois Kevorkian
David DePino & Joey Llanos
The 2 Bears (special disco set)
103 4pm – Close
Larry’s House
Heller & Farley
Noel Watson
Jeremy Newall
Justin Berkmann
Ricky Morrison
The Baby Box 6pm – Close
The Sound of Midnight Riot
Rayko
Fingerman
Yam Who?
Judge Funk
Magnier/House of Disco
Leo Zero
Tickets:
https://anightinparadise.eventcube.io/events/2309/larry-levan-birthday-bash/
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