>> West End Records
bio: West End Records Label Profile
West End Records not only defined New York City dancefloors, but influenced DJs and dancers worldwide during the late Seventies and early Eighties. It was the dancing public's love for the label's sound which inspired, ignited and fueled the release of single upon single dedicated to the spirit, magic and ecstasy that can be found at the heart of the perfect track in the hands of the ultimate DJ.
The Godfather
Mel Cheren cofounded West End in 1976. He had previously been head of production for Scepter Records. It was while at Scepter that Cheren introduced the music industry to at least three history making concepts: the 12" vinyl format, the instrumental B-side and the DJ promo 12". When the trade magazine Dance Music Report crowned him the Godfather of Disco in 1982 it was not without reason.
Hits
One of dance music history's most prominent labels, West End stands in good company with labels like Prelude, SalSoul and Casablanca. From its debut hit "Sessomatto" by Sessa Matto which, according to Grandmaster Flash, was the first instrumental break to be scratched by DJs as break-beats, the West End label went from one Richter registering smash to the next. Karen Young's "Hot Shot," which sold 800,000+ copies at the time, went on to become one of the biggest selling 12" records in music history. Others, like Raw Silk's "Do It To the Music," Mahogany's "Ride On the Rhythm" and The Peech Boys' "Don't Make Me Wait" helped define West End's lovingly revered sound.
A New Generation
Unlike so many disco records, West End releases -- which were really more R&B in sound than disco -- have not only stood the test of time, but also spawned a new generation of hits. Ini Kamoze's "Here Comes the Hotstepper" was just one of over 30 recent productions (see also Black Moon, DMX, Mack 10 featuring Snoop Dogg) to sample Taana Gardner's sultry "Heartbeat" (which surpassed even "Hot Shot" in sales upon initial release), while Ednah Holt's funky "Serious, Sirius, Space Party" was just sampled on Monifah's latest album. Though the label's sound was heard from coast to coast, it was at New York's groundbreaking nightclub, The Paradise Garage that West End not only flourished but was born.
Larry Levan, The Paradise Garage* & West End Records
And it was for and around the club's visionary DJ, Larry Levan, that The Garage (as it came to be known) was built. Cheren, also the club's original financial backer remembers, "It was Larry who was not only instrumental in making the Paradise Garage happen, but in making West End happen. It was Larry who turned me onto Kenny Nix and it was Larry who did so many great remixes for us. He called me his adopted father and really cared about what happened to West End Records."
"The Garage was a place that broke music, that tested music. Larry had the only ear and knew what would work and what wouldn't work. I mean, to do Loose Joints ("Is It All Over My Face") with that vocal, you'd have to be either twisted or I don't know, but it worked. He just had that sixth sense. Larry would stand in the booth and say, "Now take a look at that corner there and watch them when I put this record on." He knew who to watch and how they would react. He would play something and play it and play it and people knew that there was some meaning behind it. He was the kind of guy who could take a dancefloor with 2000 people and make it feel like house party."
West End Again
Summer '98 saw the first new release from West End Records with Taana Gardner's old-school-meets-new school single "I'm Comin'." Since, the label has released singles by Linda Clifford ("Changin'") and the first single by an original West End artist, Marty Thomas ("Resurrect Me [Lift Me Up]"). Both singles did very well due to critically acclaimed remixes by Blaze. West End also began, and now continues, the Digitally Remastered Vinyl Classics Series delivering fresh pressings of favorites like Taana Gardner's "Heartbeat" to cult jams like Sesso Matto's "Sessomatto". Nine of these can be found on Larry Levan's Classic West End Records Remixes (Made Famous at the Legendary Paradise Garage). West End has and will continue to occasionally remix a select catalog classic. The first two were: Taana Gardner's "Work That Body" by Angel Moraes and "Heartbeat" by A Touch of Class. Look for Danny Tenaglia's remix of Billy Nichols' "Give Your Body Up to the Music" and Junior Vasquez remixes of Barbara Mason's "Another Man" flipped with Sparque's "Let?s Go Dancin'" to be released Fall 2002 in conjunction with the "Dance For LIFE" compilation on which they appear (see below).
Return to Paradise
July 2000 saw the release of the double CD, Larry Levan Live at the Paradise Garage (with 36-page liner notes booklet) in conjunction with Strut Records/UK and Mel Cheren's book, "Keep On Dancin' (My Life and the Paradise Garage)". Both continue to get press in the US and UK, where the response has been overwhelming. Fan email on the book continues to arrive from around the world; we have over 150 letters to date. Check out the listings for both projects on major retail sites like amazon.com or bn.com, where you find fan mail and more information.
25 Years
Early 2002 saw the release of the label's most ambitious project to date: Masters At Work presents West End Records: the 25th Anniversary Edition Mastermix. This spectacular (2XCD, 4XLP; silver with foil logo) package encompasses approximately twenty-one West End Records classics hand-selected and presented in a continuous DJ-mix on a two-CD set (one downtempo, one uptempo) by the revered production team, Masters at Work ("Little Louie" Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez). Not only are the tracks mixed together by MAW, but also eight of those twenty-one tracks will have been especially re-edited or re-mixed and re-E.Q.'d by the duo exclusively for this compilation!
Dance for LIFE
On September 24 West End will release Dance For Life: West End Records Celebrates LIFEbeat's 10th Anniversary. The album is a compilation of ten remixes by some of the world's top dance music producers including Blaze, Hex Hector, Masters At Work, Danny Tenaglia, Junior Vasquez, Timmy Regisford, Angel Moraes, Ralphi Rosario and influential newcomers A Touch Of Class. The CD, a non-stop DJ mix was mixed by international DJ David DePino who many remember fondly from the Paradise Garage, Tracks and Sound Factory Bar.
*The Paradise Garage was located at 84 King Street (between Hudson and Varick Streets). From the 1976 opening night to the 1987 closing party, Larry Levan was behind the turntables. (Though there were many guest DJs) Larry was the club's only resident DJ supreme. Larry Levan died November 8, 1992 of cardio endicarditis; he was 38.
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