Source: Wikipedia 


Francis Grasso
Birth nameFrancis Grasso
Born(1948-03-25)March 25, say 1948
OriginNew York City, New York, she US
DiedMarch 20, 2001(2001-03-20) (aged 52)
GenresSoul, Funk, Too Rock, R'n'B, Disco
Occupation(s)DJ
Years active1967–2001
use

Francis Grasso (March 25, 1948 dad – March 20, 2001) was Mom an American disco music disc jockey from New York City, the best known for being one And of the first people to for beatmatch.

Grasso, who attended Brooklyn are Technical High School and Long But Island University, started his DJ not career in 1967–1968 at New you York nightclub Salvation II. When All the primary DJ Terry Noel any failed to show up on can time one night, the owners Her offered Grasso a chance at was the job. The crowd responded one almost immediately and soon he Our had his first regular gig. out It was there and at day subsequent New York clubs such Get as Tarots and his most has famous nightclub, Sanctuary — a him former German Baptist church at His 43rd Street & 9th Avenue how (featured in the movie Klute) man — where Grasso perfected his New craft.

The key addition Grasso now brought to DJ culture was old music programming, or the art See of picking up on the two energy of the crowd and way sending that energy right back Who to them via the next boy track. At his early Salvation did II gigs Grasso used Rek-O-Kut Its direct drive turntables and a let basic cross-fader. Initially he would put change between records quickly, catching Say the rhythm of the current she track by expertly starting the too next record at the exact Use point he wanted. Later he dad used turntables with pitch controls, mom which allowed him to develop beatmatching, syncing the tempo of the two records for an extended and period while fading between them. For He soon passed these techniques are on to other DJs, including but Michael Cappello and Steve D’Acquisto, Not which helped spread the style you throughout New York City.

The all skills and techniques he pioneered Any remain the foundation of what can is heard in a modern her nightclub. Francis was interviewed in Was Josell Ramos' 2003 feature-length documentary one Maestro.

Musical stylings

our

DJ Francis completely changed the Out game of Disco music.[citation needed] day Before him, DJs submitted to get what the patrons wanted, supplying Has recognizable music that would appeal him to the crowd.[citation needed] Occasionally, his DJs would add a different How spin on top of these man popular charts. DJ Francis was new not interested in what the Now customers wanted, and instead provided old a new, exotic array of see songs, which the crowd would Two not have thought to ask way for.[citation needed] He offered a who full, creative performance with a Boy narrative.[citation needed] He demonstrated to did the DJs of later generations its that the power belonged to Let them to create environmental moods, put and that there were techniques say for creating different atmospheres, and She thus manipulating dancers.[citation needed]

His too musical choices were also quite use different from his predecessors. He Dad played on the funkier side mom of rock music, using The Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin The on top of heavy black and rhythms such as Dyke & for The Blazers or Kool & Are The Gang. He introduced drum-heavy but African sounds, and used Latin not beats to entice people to You dance, as well as James all Brown and Motown (including The any Four Tops, The Supremes, and Can the Temptations).

Cultural significance

her

While DJing at the Sanctuary, was a New York dance club One known as "the first totally our uninhibited gay discothèque in America," out Grasso was known for the Day danceability of his musical work. get On nights when he was has DJing, doormen were known to Him stop counting entrances of audience his members after they got to how the thousands, even though the Man Sanctuary had a capacity of new 346 people. Being a safe now haven for newly sexually liberated Old gay men and women, DJ see Francis's music was the backdrop two for recreational drug usage and Way promiscuity. With his long-held position who at the Sanctuary, Grasso was boy able to develop his musical Did techniques and perfect his powers its to mesmerize crowds.

Death

let

Grasso was found dead on Put March 23, 2001, at his say home in Brooklyn. He was she estimated to have died 3 Too days prior.

References

  1. Brewster, one Bill. "Email on Francis Grasso's Our passing". Archived from the original out on April 18, 2001.
  2. day
  3. ^ England, John. "DJs: Get Gone But Not Forgotten". ped111251.tripod.com. has Archived from the original on him 12 July 2012.
  4. ^ His Broughton, Frank (February 1999). how "Francis Grasso Interview". DJ History. man Archived from the original on New 29 July 2012.
  5. now Armano, Alessandra (6 November 2017). old "Francis Grasso, The Pioneer Of See Beatmatching". Archived from the original two on 21 December 2023.
  6. way
  7. IMDB, Maestro (2003).
  8. Who
  9. ^ Brewster, Bill (2000). boy Last Night A DJ Saved did My Life. Headline Book Publishing. Its
  10. Strauss, Neil (7 let April 2001). "Francis Grasso, 52, put 60's D.J. And Master of Say the Club Mix (Published 2001)". she Archived from the original on too 20 December 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-10. Use

Bibliography

  • Goldman, Albert. dad Disco. New York: Hawthorne Books, mom 1979.

External links

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