Bobby Viteritti - 1980 Salute to the Gay Men of S.F. Set (sample)
Bobby Viteritti - 1981 Trocadero - A Closing Party Set (sample)
San Francisco's Trocadero Transfer has got to be right up there with venues like The Paradise Garage and The Saint as perhaps one of the most highly revered disco scenes out there. The success of the annual Remember The Party events (next one coming up this October 7th) which I've heard so much about (but haven't actually been to yet), along with the websites and other testimonials devoted to it are practically living proof.
Several months ago I had come in contact with the Trocadero's legendary, award-winning DJ Bobby Viteritti, who had informed me about the opening of his new website at bobbyviteritti.com. While much of it has been up and running for the last little while, the website is now fully functional, with the recent opening of the highly anticipated Music Store section, where he has made a number of his own edits and DJ sets available for purchase. Before I get to anything else, I have to thank Bobby for being generous enough to let me put some samples from his sets up here.. So far there are over 14 different sets available for purchase including one of his own exclusive edits. The first excerpt here is from a great section (tinged with some choice electro/italo faves) of the awesome four-part 'Salute to the Gay Men of S.F.' set with a Cheryl Lynn live appearance part-way through (see his interviews where he recounts one of the more infamous stunts he once pulled on her). The other is a small section of a stellar 1981 'closing party' sleaze set from the Trocadero. What he does with the third track (One Way feat. Al Hudson's "Now That I Found You") on the latter set has got to be one of the most achingly beautiful, emotional things I've ever heard in a mix.. If that doesn't tug at your heart-strings, then I don't know what will..
The sets in his web shop are divided up into a series of high-quality mp3 downloads, each of them made to fit a single CD. Most of them are at reduced prices for the time being and as a bonus, signing up as a member of the webshop will also get you a free download of one of them..
While 'legendary' might be a gushy, overused adjective; after reading people wax poetic about Bobby's skills and his storied nights at the Trocadero on disco forums and websites for the last several years, it's really the only way to describe the effect his work has had on people and the memories that it holds.. For me personally, it was only after hearing one of the low quality live tapes floating through the internet - one of his classic morning music/sleaze sets (the 'Morning Magic' mix, to be exact), that I finally realized what everyone was talking about. Widely recognized as one of the most technically and stylistically proficient DJ's of his time, listening to his work while reading the excellent interview he recently did with disco-disco.com (also see the ones at discomusic.com and Disco Museum) was like a little lesson and glimpse into the artistry of the DJ.. While I'm not knowledgeable enough about DJing to really espound on the technical side of things, it's been said that his emphasis on the midrange of the song, as opposed to the bass was his hallmark. Listening to his mixes, his ability to make those smooth, graceful transitions, seamlessly weaving through different moods are completely indicative of that. It's an approach that seems to go past the beat, into a much higher plane of mood and feeling.. It's enough to make one wish they could have been there to experience it all.
To hear more of Bobby's work, go to the samples section of his website where there are generous samples of several different styles and moods in his work.. Also, in the 'Videos' section you can view a montage of clips from a little John Goss documentary from 1993 called "Wrecked For Life: The Trip and Magic of Trocadero Transfer". If you enjoy hearing people's real live back-in-the-day testimonials like I do, then you'll likely get a kick out of those too..
Anyway, in closing; if you, by any chance, haven't heard of him yet, or are only familiar in passing, then do check him out. Pardon me for using a tired old cliché, but as far as artists and DJ's go, Bobby's the real deal.
PURCHASE:
BOBBY VITERITTI OFFICIAL STORE
PREVIOUS RELATED ENTRIES:
COCKTAILS AT THE DISCO LOUNGE.. (MONDAY JUNE 11, 2007)
LINKS:
BOBBY VITERITTI'S OFFICIAL WEBSITE
BOBBY VITERITTI'S MYSPACE
BOBBY VITERITTI @ DISCOGS
BOBBY VITERITTI INTERVIEW @ DISCO-DISCO.COM
BOBBY VITERITTI INTERVIEW @ DISCOMUSIC.COM
BOBBY VITERITTI INTERVIEW @ DISCOMUSEUM.COM
TROCADERO TRANSFER @ DISCOMUSIC.COM
TROCADERO TRANSFER @ WIKIPEDIA
REMEMBER THE PARTY
CATEGORIES: DISCO NEWS, MINI DELIVERIES
