Session Transcript:
Danny Krivit
Red Bull Music Academy, Seattle 2005

The video stream for this lecture can be watched here.

Danny Krivit – who better to make us more than just a wee bit excited at the prospect of an anecdote or two, than New York’s own Danny Krivit? This DJ don behind the immensely popular 718 Sessions events in Manhattan and part of the Body & Soul triumvirate, is a veteran of the New York music scene. From meeting the original 'Funky President' and DJing at the age of 14, Danny talked on how David Mancuso gave him more confidence to take the dancefloor “a little left off centre”. Danny played us many of that era’s classics and his own edits including MFSB’s Love Is The Message. Another Mr. K delight which we previewed was one that’s definitely going to make a hyper excitable bunch of Sapporo kids get down to an early morning moment at the Precious Hall – Marvin Gaye’s I Want You. Roll on, disco vibes!

RBMA: »Please give Mr. Danny Krivit a very warm welcome.«

(big applause)

»So, Danny, you had a very interesting childhood when it comes to music. One could almost say that you didn’t find the music but the music found you. So maybe you can elaborate a little bit on that one.«

Danny Krivit: »(smiles) It was probably quite a while before I even realised it. I think I took it for granted for most of my childhood. My father was Chet Baker’s manager, and my mother was a jazz singer, formed a band with some of his members. And then my father went on to start this club in New York called the Ninth Circle, which ran for about 30 years. It was kind of a hot spot in the Village, so I was kind of just around all these music people. I respected the time, but I didn’t realise how influential they would be on me later. Like, I met Janis Joplin there, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Charles Mingus. The guy who lived above us in our building was a friend of our father, he was the vice president of Polydor. And when I just started DJing he kept saying: “Oh come up to the office, we’ll give you some records.” I took my time, and by the time I got up there, James Brown was a big thing at Polydor, I’m a big fan of his. He said: “Well, this used to be all my office, but this is now James’ office. So let me show you around James’ office.” And we’d walk around and he introduced me and said: “Danny’s a DJ.” And James said: “Oh, you got to give him my new jam.” You know? So he gave me a white label of Get On The Good Foot, and Think - Lyn Collins. And I was just amazed, you know, so used to the red label with his face on it. And I’m looking at this 20 different ways. And he’s got his picture on the cover with this white jump suit, and I’m kind of looking at it, and at him, and he’s actually in the same suit while we’re talking (laughs). But I was pretty struck, and I’d just started DJing and I kind of felt, ‘Wow this is a jump start. I really feel like this is where I’m going’.«

RBMA: »How old were you back then?«

Danny Krivit: »I was 14.«

RBMA: »This was what year?«

Danny Krivit: »Ah, ’71, yeah.«

RBMA: »And you started DJing at your father’s place, at the Ninth Circle?«

Danny Krivit: »Yeah, I wouldn’t have got a start that early except it was his place, so I got in pretty young. And then he opened a second place a couple years later, and I was a DJ there. So I kind of got over on my age (smiles).«

RBMA: »Except for James Brown, what kind of music did you play back then?«

Danny Krivit:: »I definitely was a funky kind of DJ back then at the time, but a pretty wide variety. Quite a lot of rock, dance rock, was in there. Things like Brian Auger, Traffic and Exuma, you know, things like that.«

RBMA: »And from there on you got to The Loft, David Mancuso?«

Danny Krivit: »(laughs) That was a bit of a jump later. My first few years of DJing I was really sensitive to the people that I was playing for. I remember their really starting to dictate to me: “Oh, this is not good," you know? And I was starting to question my taste though I really felt passionate about a lot of music at that time. I remember in particular, a song like City Country City by War, I was really into it, and I remember a lot of people saying: ”What are you playin’ this for? This is for home! Don’t bring this again!” And I started to question my taste. And I remember going to The Loft and hearing this song there – but this was the biggest song there! Everyone was going nuts. And I really started to realise that really, some people are not on the same wave length as me, but now I really feel there’s a reason I love that song.«

RBMA: »And you have the song with you?«

Danny Krivit: »Um, yeah (searches through his record bag).«

RBMA: »And this is still a staple for David Mancuso, right? As the DJ at The Loft.«

Danny Krivit: »Oh, yeah. I think the last time I went there he played it. (loads CD) But, it’s a terribly long song. The name is appropriate, because it starts off fast, it goes fast and slow. You have to have a certain amount of patience.«

(music: War - City Country City)

»Like, ”Oh, this is going to turn into something." A lot of people are like: ”Ah, I can’t... (snaps his fingers) Where is it now?“ But like I said, when I went to The Loft, this was the big thing. They were going nuts to this. And he still plays it today. (music fades to silence then resumes) Like so many War things, they really have a metamorphosis about them. (music picks up in tempo) This is where it kind of gets exciting, and then it goes back and forth and then it stays here for a long time once it gets going. Well, you get the idea.«

RBMA: »Yeah. And what was this thing about David Mancuso and his Loft?«

Danny Krivit: »Well, it was unique. I think that his party set the stage for a lot of big clubs that came after that. They were trendsetting and influencing other people. It was very simplistic, he’s very much a purist. It’s more like a simple gathering of friends, and good sound, good records, trying to keep it basic. Not a lot of gimmicks, no attitudes, pretty simple. And it was private. Definitely you felt like this was home or a group of friends. Even if you didn’t know the people, you felt comfortable.«

RBMA: »And you had to know someone who was a Loft member to get in there? «

Danny Krivit:: »(smiles) Yeah. It took me a while to get in. Someone had to represent you. And they were very scrutinizing. You couldn’t stand on the corner and say: ”Hey, get me in.“ You had to be someone’s friend. For them to acknowledge you, to let you in. It was private.«

RBMA: »And David Mancuso played music like that all night?«

Danny Krivit: »David was very eclectic. He played, definitely what you would call underground music of the time. He didn’t go for the commercial. Everything was 7“s, three minute songs. He was looking for things that took it a little further, but that made you dance. And stuff that you didn’t hear all the time.«

RBMA: »And he was also very keen on sound and soundsystems.«

Danny Krivit: »Yeah, he really had hands down, the best soundsystem of its day.«

RBMA: »And what did this soundsystem consist of? What was so special about it?«

Danny Krivit:: »Well, he was an audiophile type of guy, as opposed to a lot of DJs in other clubs they wanted loud [music], you know? Powerful. And at that time, powerful, it wasn’t like today. It was just P.A. and kind of brash. He was one of the first people, I heard of Mark Levinson amplifiers, he swore by them. He had Klipsch horns as far as the speakers went, he used these moving coil cartridges, everything. He very quickly stopped using a mixer. He’d just use a pre-amp, and he was very much about the purity of the record. If it was a good record, it was a good record from beginning to end, and he’d play that and then another record. And he created a vibe with that, which said a lot for his own direction.«

RBMA: »So, some kind of programming without actually mixing the records.«

Danny Krivit: »Yeah.«

RBMA: »And did you follow that too or...?«

Danny Krivit: »No, mixing was a big thing at the time. So when I first started I felt that I really had to get proficient at mixing. But towards the mid-'70s and with influences like his, Larry [Levan] at the [Paradise] Garage - mixing’s a tool but it can get in the way of what the essence, what the strength of that record or what the programming was. I want to play good music that’s good. Not – I’m gonna play music that’s not that good, it’s just good ’cause I mixed it well. So lots of times you’d deliberately let a record end, or not mix something, or change a tempo that doesn’t have to be some kind of beat-on-beat thing.«

RBMA: »You just mentioned Larry Levan and the Paradise Garage – but there was actually a DJ before him that was very influential, called Nicky Siano, right?«

Danny Krivit: »Right. David was really the first in that group, and Nicky and Larry were young at that time. They used to go The Loft, Nicky started a club right around the corner from The Loft. And when The Loft closed for a season, Nicky launched his club. A little more gay, all the hip clubs back then were a little gay. But David’s was definitely a mixed crowd, and Nicky’s was a lot more focused. And Larry and Frankie Knuckles were actually employees there. They would blow up balloons, do jobs there, and Larry had his eyes on DJing. He would ask Nicky questions and show Nicky what he could do, in the off hours. Nicky said he was quite impressed, he picked up things really quickly.«

RBMA: »You just mentioned the gay thing. The whole dance movement in New York wouldn’t be the same without the gay community, right? They really pushed this club.«

Danny Krivit: »It was really a thrust because we’re talking about timing. David’s party started in 1970 and the gay rights [movement] started right then in 1969, so all these people were coming out of the closet. There was a gay community that you had no idea was as big as it was. So they had a lot of influence. Before they had to be quiet about it in the clubs and now there was kind of an explosion of energy and the clubs felt it. So all the creativeness of a lot of the clubs really had a huge gay influence.«

RBMA: »And what was so special about the Garage because it’s still so much talked about today, and about Larry Levan, and his magic?«

Danny Krivit: »Like I said, Larry was hanging out at The Loft and The Gallery, I think he took that to his version of the next level. And he had some happening parties before that, but this was: ”OK, what improvements, how much can we take this further?“ He had his hand on everything – designing, everything. Picking the crowd, controlling everything. So I felt that it had a lot of the qualities of The Loft and The Gallery but it was on a larger level. And then Larry himself had a huge personality. His vibe was so strong, the Garage could never be what it was without Larry. It was just a tool of him.«

RBMA: »And you had to be in that record pool to get the good jobs in New York nightlife?«

Danny Krivit: »Ah, back then that was really important. It was crucial. It was a clique that got jobs.«

RBMA: »Like a grand lodge of disco.«

Danny Krivit: »It was just [in the] '70s. It was really crucial to be in one of those pools.«

RBMA: »And how often did you play at the Garage? Just one time after you debut?«

Danny Krivit: »One time was official, where it was advertised. I played maybe two or three other times. Larry said: ”Just play for a while, I’m going to go dance, or I have to leave, play some records,“ you know? This is one of those records that David would consider it’s good from beginning to end, it’s not like: ”Oh, it’s got this really long intro or outro to mix with.“ (smiles) It’s kind of a pure party record. It never really got old for me. I still like this song.«

RBMA: »And this has also some roller boogie groove to it?«

Danny Krivit: »This was definitely a big rollerskating record.«

RBMA: »You were actually a DJ at the roller skating rink, right?«

Danny Krivit: »Yeah, The Roxy in New York, I was the opening DJ and I DJed there for four years and another roller rink for ten years. Really, rollerskating was a good education for me. It taught me much more about the groove. Before that I was so busy thinking about the beats, you know, mixing, beat on beat, and I would lose the groove sometimes, just be mechanically correct. But rollerskating really taught me that. This is definitely an ideal rollerskating jam.«

RBMA: »What other cuts were being played at rollerskating rinks then?«

Danny Krivit: »A ton of things in this tempo. Early '80s, things like I Love You More by Rene & Angela, all the Chic stuff, and all that Solar stuff, like the Whispers and Shalamar, those were ideal. It was an endless amount of music that I still play in the club also.«

RBMA: »And it was important to not go over a certain tempo, right? Playing at a rollerskating rink.«

Danny Krivit: »Again, it’s the groove. Although there are some things that I play where the tempo is fast, but the groove is still easy enough to skate to. The idea is not to be too frantic. You want to have a groove. So there’s things that, when they get faster, have a little more of an easier groove to them. Some things are really not that fast, but they’re just too aggressive for rollerskating. It’s not that you can’t skate to them. But when you look at a skate floor full of people, they’re going nuts. They can’t skate together like that.«

RBMA: »You just mentioned Rene & Angela - I Love You More, and I saw yesterday in your CD case that you did an edit of this one, right?«

Danny Krivit: »(laughs) Yeah, like so many records. Yeah, someone said they were going to put out the original version, they asked me: ”Do you have an instrumental?“ Which I knew didn’t exist. So I chopped up parts of the A-side, and my girlfriend who’s an artist in Japan, she played keyboards over it, so we made a little instrumental.«

RBMA: »So maybe we could listen to that and you could explain the method of editing.«

Danny Krivit: »(laughs) The method. You have to excuse me I’ve got a bit of a cold.«

(music: Rene & Angela - I Love You More (Mr. K edit))

»It was a very small bit of instrumental in it, I asked her if she could play the chords, so we made this little intro, and that slips into the song, and then broke it down to the break. That’s really all it did. Without the singing. So I had her play some synthesizer parts that were in the feeling of the record. And we made a nice instrumental piece that worked out pretty well. (music plays) Yeah, rollerskating really loves that groove that’s (snaps his fingers and sways his shoulders) every other [beat]. It’s a really easy thing to focus on when you’re rollerskating. (smiles / new synth line comes into the tune) So that’s her synth. Her name’s AK, she’s got about 13 albums out in Japan in her own right. She’s a really good producer. Very versatile. I can say: ”Oh, can you do this for me as a little favour?“ So she plays a few different things. I did an Amerie track last year where she played a keyboard riff on it. We just gave her the name Lady Fingers (laughs). You get the idea.«

RBMA: »So this is actually even more than an edit, right? It’s almost a remix.«

Danny Krivit: »It’s a bit beneath that, but yeah, it’s more than that. It’s got a little post-production. I think that’s the best way to identify one. Just a little post-production.«

RBMA: »So how would you define an edit then?«

Danny Krivit: »I think that that’s all an edit is. It’s no extra instruments, or production values. It’s basically arrangement where you’re chopping and putting it back together in a different form.«

RBMA: »You’re pretty well known for doing edits. When did you do your first edit, and it was still on this tape machine, right? Using scissors?«

Danny Krivit: »(laughs) Yeah, a razor. I got my first remix – I felt I was kind of late because I’d been DJing a while. A friend of mine owned Sleeping Bag Records, who I grew up with. And he was just starting it. He asked me to do him a favour, and he couldn’t afford a lot of the guys, and he said: ”Can you do this remix for me?“ I did his first record and I was really frustrated because I wasted the time in the studio that he had, listening to this engineer who said he could fix that in editing later, and he couldn’t. I knew what a bad edit was, but I couldn’t step in to do it for him. And soon after that another friend asked me to do a mix and the same thing happened. It was like deja vu, and I was just so frustrated. I thought, instead of this helping me, this will probably hurt me. And I went home and I had a reel to reel, a friend of mine was a top editor for WBLS and he had shown me how to edit. It’s really simple, and back then if you owned a reel to reel, you had a simplistic idea of editing. Because just to put a reel onto the machine you had to at least edit some leader on the tape and things like that. So it wasn’t that big a stretch to learn a few techniques. So I went home and I thought, 'I can’t do any worse than this guy'. And I had one little reel of tape, and I was kind of being cheap about it. I didn’t want to waste any tape. So I started editing. I was playing at The Roxy then, so D.ST was the big DJ and he was very influential on me, he was playing Funky Drummer, it really stuck in my head. So I was like: ”Let me do an edit of what he’s playing live.“ So I started editing Funky Drummer, which ended up being Fela and James [Brown]. At 3 and 1/3 speed, which is the slowest speed, it seemed like the smalled bit of tape was a big piece of music, you know? So I really had to fine tune it and get it right. A lot of multiple edits. It was kind of uneven for a while. So I finally got it right, but after I did it, I felt like I’d handled the tape so much that it kind of lost a lot of its quality. So I was noticing that a lot of things that I worked very hard on, really were dull. And coupled with, you know, things like bootleg records, their quality wasn’t that good. And I would run to the Garage and bring it to Larry and he was very happy to test it out. But right in the middle of the record you could see his face (scrunches up his nose): ”Hmmm, this quality is not good enough. It’s a good edit but you got to step up the quality." So now when I do stuff – I work in ProTools mostly – it’s just a huge difference in quality, and I retain that no matter what I’m doing.«

RBMA: »You have Chaka Khan with you, I Know You I Love You?«

Danny Krivit: »Yeah, somewhere. Actually, it’s on this CD.«

RBMA: »And maybe to go a little bit further into the whole edit thing?«

Danny Krivit: »(checking the CD) Oh, actually it’s right in the beginning.«

(music: Chaka Khan - I Know You, I Love You (Mr. K edit))

RBMA: »You also mentioned bootlegs...«

Danny Krivit: »Did I?«

RBMA: »Yeah, you did.«

Danny Krivit: »(smiles) Oh.«

RBMA: »Those are a very important part of the whole edit culture. So what’s your take on this?«

Danny Krivit: »Well, when I started DJing there were services that made acetates back then. Individual copies of a record. And they had a lot of mixes of things, special mixes, but they were just one copy and they didn’t really constitute a bootleg. It wasn’t mass produced. But I had a friend who was doing these Big Apple medleys. He asked me to do some edits for them, and he put some things out. I felt like – those are definitely bootlegs – but I’m just the editor, you know? It was like: ”I’ll give you the edit, do some work, but I don’t want to get involved in the rest.“ But they’re an important part. Lots of times he would say: ”There’s a call for this song, do you have a B-side, or something?“ And I’d actually come up with several other songs, like: ”Well, maybe there’s a call for this, but these songs are really good, and maybe if people buy this they’ll be educated with the B-side.“ So I tried to stick a few extra songs in there, as I could.«

RBMA: »So you don’t want to take responsibility for all the nasty things.«

Danny Krivit: »Nasty. Well, there were people around me who would just turn around and they’d take a record that was brand new and they would just copy it the way it is and get it out there before the artist, be competing with the artist. And to me that was definitely a problem. And that’s what I think of when I think of bootlegging. I’m not saying that this isn’t but I feel a little bit detached from it. I usually chose things that were not stepping on someone’s toes. Usually things that were over and done with, and if anything, I’ve really never gotten any negative feedback from them. In a way, they’ve kept alive some of these feelings of these records.«

RBMA: »And you also put a compilation together, right, for Strut? With some of your edits from back in the [day].«

Danny Krivit: »Yeah, they focused in on that whole thing, and the second song that I did, Rock The House, was a big UK hit. What happened was that he put 'Edit by Mr K' on it. And I remember at the time I said: ”You know, I’m doing these things for you but I didn’t tell you to do that. You can put edit by Mr.B, or F or whatever, but don’t put anything with my name on it.“ But I guess it stuck and the guys from Strut said: ”You know, we need to make a compilation: "Edit By Mr.K." Somehow I earned that title. So that’s how that came about. I had a lot of stuff, they revisited some things that were out originally unlicensed and licensed them.«

RBMA: »And do you also try to arrange songs then in a certain order when you play out, message-wise?«

Danny Krivit: »Probably not conciously. I think I’m fortunate that over the years the people that influenced me in the beginning were very much about the vibe, sending a message with the songs, telling a story. I think that sub-consciously, instead of getting ready for a gig and planning what I’m going to play, I probably have some favourite songs or a song that I want to make sure I play, but I’m very much a conduit of the people that are in front of me. And if they have a bad vibe, it’s quite difficult for me to get over that. I think I’m just playing off the moment, and hoping I’m going to find something worthwhile and keep the message going.«

RBMA: »Maybe you can tell us a little bit about the Body & Soul parties?«

Danny Krivit: »Well, we did that for about six years. We’re still doing them as special events, but Francois, I met Francois in The Loft, we’d just endlessly talk about music. Over the years, he got pretty frustrated with playing out, and he got more into studio work. When he did play out, he’s very meticulous about it, and he’d call me up kind of frustrated, like: “Why can’t clubs be more like this, why can’t we have a club like this, or this…?” You know? Focus on some good memories. Why aren’t people more receptive to new music and new ideas? We talked more about this, and we kind of started to build a blueprint of what we thought was an ideal situation. And he called me up one day, and said: “I’m playing down at this place Vinyl today, it’s an afternoon party, this is what I was telling you about. Just come down, bring some records, we’ll have a good time. It’s not a big deal, but maybe this is close to what we were talking about.” And I did, and you know the first Body & Soul party we had, it seemed like 50 people. If that, less than 50. But right away, I got a vibe like this was what we had talked about, this was what we wanted to do. It wasn’t for success, this was our outlet. We could have jobs but this was the one we could get off on,and have a good time. Just play for some friends in a relaxed atmosphere. Good sound, good records, together. And it kind of surprisingly jumped off. We were very happy with it but it had a life of its own. We saw it through about six years and then the club changed. And we felt that it had gotten its own integrity that was being compromised. And we felt we’d rather leave here even though we don’t have another place to go.«

RBMA: »(smiles) So what is a typical bad New York Saturday night?«

Danny Krivit: »Well, I mean you get to a club that basically is shoving you around, and making you wait on endless lines, not for any particular reason. Maybe just because they feel that’s what’s supposed to happen, even when it’s empty inside. Have security that treat you so badly that they spawn people into doing drive-by’s. And, you know, I was working in a club where that exactly happened. They were so rude and awful to people that I’m standing somewhere near the door and all of a sudden I hear (makes shooting noise) and innocent people got hit! Because these idiot security guys were overdosing on testosterone. And in the club itself, the Saturday night vibe, it’s very: "Wanna pack it in, wanna sell champagne or liquor." It’s not about giving you back much. It’s not much about the music, the music’s a backdrop. And it seems just a bad experience, like: "We got your money, we really don’t care if you come back." We’ve seen it prevail. The real estate situation in New York is so high, that people involved in clubs are just thinking, 'I want return. Now. I want my money'. And that’s the vibe. You feel it when you go in the door. New Year’s Eve is probably the epitome of that. And it’s a truly bad experience. So many people that I play for and come to my parties think alike like that. They just stay away on New Year’s Eve. And it made me start a New Year’s Day party, which is quite pleasant, you know, it’s the opposite.«

RBMA: »So sound-wise, you were speaking of?«

Danny Krivit: »You hear a difference, it’s definitely better.«

RBMA: »And you also have a special method of tuning a turntable the right way, right?«

Danny Krivit: »Well, I don’t know if it’s a special method, but it’s what I do. I feel, when I start DJing, if I don’t do this; it was what was taught to me. If I just accept the turntable the way it is, lots of times I’ve come in and someone didn’t know. They want the tone arm to stay in place so they turn the weight around: it’s very hip hop. And they have it maximum weight. And it’ll stay in the groove, but if this is a record you care about, it’s probably cutting a new groove in the record. Really maximum weight for a record should be about 3 grams. And it has a setting here. I usually drag along a record, this one in particular, I found a record that has a blank b-side. No grooves on it. (holds up the blank-sided record before putting it on the turntable) And what I do is, I take the weight, (unscrews the weight on the end of the tone arm and adjusts) and I get it to a point where it’s weightless, but it just manages to stay down. And then I change the number to zero at that point. And then I bring it up to about three. If you’re home, I’d probably set it less than three. Whatever the suggested weight is. The least weight possible, the longer your records will last. And then I have to set the counter balance on the side (adjusts counter balance gently) to the same setting. And unfortunately, this is the most common turntable, the MK2, it only goes up to three. So if you need to go a little further, you’re stuck. You actually have to dial off a little weight. The newer ones go up to six and you can adjust it a little. But once I do that, it should stay where I put it (puts needle on blank sided record and the needle skids toward the centre). See? I have actually dialled back a little weight. There’re no grooves so there shouldn’t be anything pulling it one way or another. (readjusts weight and puts needle gently on the record) And if you have it off, it’ll kind of slide to one way. And then, just as a double check after I’ve done that, (flips record over) I’ll just kind of make sure I’m listening to it, and I’ll pick a groove out and (cues a groove) move it back and forth like a scratch or something. Make sure it stays in the groove, doesn’t pull to one direction or another. And once I’ve done that, I feel pretty confident for the night. If I haven’t done that and halfway through the night it starts skipping, I have to blame myself, I didn’t go through this routine.«

RBMA: »And this is also better for the sound, then?«

Danny Krivit: »It is. I mean, if you put an enormous amount of weight – people put a quarter on here, they turn the weight around, up to ten grams. You can hear the difference, it’s crunching. You look at the needle, the plastic is riding on the record. The needle’s forced down ridiculously, you can hear the music being crunched.«

RBMA: »And this was a common or is a common method with New York DJs? Because I have never seen it before.«

Danny Krivit: »No, it should be more common. It’s an old school thing. Most of the places I go, the sound technicians themselves are not paying that much attention. The other adjustment to make, which I should have pointed out, is (puts the record back on the turntable) the actual height of the arm. This wheel here (indicates the weight on the end of the tone arm), when it’s on the record – depending on the felt, [the angle of the tone arm] should be fairly flat. It can lean a little bit down [towards the needle] – lightly, not too much. And it shouldn’t lean up. And so you adjust this to that level. If that’s set at the wrong level, it’s again hurting your records. It’s cutting a new groove in it. Records that you’ve had the weight turned around and it’s so heavy like that, [the effect] after ten plays would be the equivalent of [playing them] like this, (indicates the turntable which he has just adjusted) for maybe 300 plays. So you really do hear a difference quite quickly.«

Participant: »I just want to ask a question: one of these latest records that was released was that Marvin Gaye record, and that really has no beat. And for me it’s one of the hardest to play, and still one of the most rewarding when you get to play it, type of record. And you were just saying that you were trying to have things that you could DJ. Personally, I’ve never heard you DJ unfortunately, until tonight I hope. What in your head makes you do an edit that’s so beautiful and that’s beatless? And how did you in your DJ vision see yourself playing it while you were arranging it?«

Danny Krivit: »Well, the thing about that is, even though it’s beatless, it’s something I felt when I heard those parts: this is something I would play. And there’s parts of my set where I feel it’s important to not just focus on the beat all the time. And sometimes I need that breath. Something that just clears your head. Sometimes in Japan I might – I’ve played gigs in Sapporo that are 22 hours long. I’m not going to keep that beat there all the time, it’s like Marvin Gaye and things like that are a welcome breath of fresh air. If you’re playing for two hours, maybe it’s a little more difficult. But if you’re playing a reasonably long set, it’s great to have these different places to go. So I thought, 'I am going to play this right away', when I made it.«

RBMA: »Can you please play that for us? And, how do you keep on playing for 22 hours?«

Danny Krivit: »(starts digging through his CDs) Um, a good crowd because with the wrong crowd an hour and a half seems like an eternity.«

RBMA: »And you’re having a shower, then, in the DJ booth?«

(laughter)

Danny Krivit: »A what?«

RBMA: »A shower, a breakfast room and stuff like that?«

Danny Krivit: »(smiles) No, it’s very timeless, you know? I’m so appreciative of the Japanese audience that after 22 hours I was like: "Do we need to stop?" [However,] I felt sorry for some people who, they just wanted to stay ‘til the end, but it’s much harder for them to dance 22 hours than it is for me to DJ (laughter).«

(music: Marvin Gaye - I Want You (Mr. K edit))

Participant: »Um, I wanted to know how many times you actually had access to original master tapes?«

Danny Krivit: »Quite a few times. Unfortunately though, very early on, as I was describing, someone would come to me [saying] they respect me but they were my friend, and: "I can’t afford the top guy. You’re somebody that I respect enough that maybe I can do a budget mix." And a lot of these records are not memorable records. And it didn’t really matter what kind of mix I did – they just weren’t great records to begin with. And then a couple of things I worked on that were big artists, like Touch And Go - Ectasy, Passion and Pain. I did Misdemeanour by Foster Sylvers and occasionally I got my hands on some multi-tracks to work with. Sometimes they gave me multi-tracks just to do a re-edit. I’d need some other parts to make it interesting. So occasionally I’d get my hands on them. It’s funny, The Loft, when they had the first record pool, and when they ended it they had this huge room of records that they were going to give away to the DJs. And when I heard about it, it was already a day later. I knew, oh, people were getting stuff ahead of me. And I went down there, and by the time I got there – it was a small room but it was about this high (indicates a metre above the ground) with records, just thrown. They were all just piled, the records, not stacked. And you had to climb up on the pile to go through them. You were standing on all these records. And I’m walking through very carefully – [thinking], 'I’m going to find all this rare stuff'. And I go (makes a cracking noise) – crunch – and under my foot is I Want You, Marvin Gaye. And it was a really rare promo with Love Hangover on the other side. [I was] devastated (laughs with pained expression). I was like: "I have to leave now. I can’t even look! What else am I going to break?" (smiles)«

RBMA: »And how many records do you have to date?«

Danny Krivit: »It’s out of hand. I’ve got three storage rooms, plus my apartment, which is the worst storage room. About 70.000 (gasps and laughter from audience).«

RBMA: »That’s quite a pile.«

Danny Krivit: »(smiling) There’s not much room for me.«

RBMA: »There once used to be a picture of your kitchen on the Ibadan website, full of records next to the oven?«

Danny Krivit: »Right, and that picture has regressed. There were records that you could get in the kitchen, but now I can’t get in the kitchen, it’s just records.«

RBMA: »So you need a new apartment.«

Danny Krivit: »No, I need to get rid of some records. My storage places have more room than my apartment. I need to juggle that up a bit.«

Participant: »Maybe we can help you with that, if you need to get rid of some records.«

Danny Krivit: »(smiles) Oh, OK, right… find a home.«

RBMA: »So, thank you very much, Mr Krivit!«

Danny Krivit: »You’re very welcome.«