Johnny Dynell (born John Savas) is a New York City DJ, record producer, recording artist, remixer, nightclub promoter, and nightlife impresario.
Johnny Dynell | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Savas |
| Genres | House Music, World Music |
| Occupation(s) | DJ, record producer, recording artist, remixer, nightclub promoter |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Website | www |
Club DJ
editDynell started his DJ career at the Mudd Club in 1980 and has been a resident DJ at influential New York City clubs for over three decades including The Pyramid Club, Danceteria, The Roxy, The Limelight, Area, The Tunnel, Susanne Bartsch parties, Jackie 60, Crobar, Mr. Black, Greenhouse, Marquee, The Copacabana, The Monster, The Ice Palace (Fire Island), Daniel Nardicio parties and Club Cumming.[1][2][3][4][5]
Nightlife promoter and club owner
editIn 1990 Dynell, along with others, founded the performance club Jackie 60, a center of New York art club performance. In 1996, Dynell and Valenti took over full-time operation of the venue that housed Jackie 60, renaming the club Mother. The venue, designed by Dynell, also housed Click + Drag, a “cyber-fetish-gothic weekly” and New York City's first weekly vampire themed club, Long Black Veil. Mother closed in June, 2000.[6][7][8]
Music recording career
editJohnny Dynell's first single "Jam Hot" (Acme Records, 1983) became a cult classic and has been remixed and sampled many times over.[9] In 1990 Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim and his group Beats International released "Dub Be Good to Me" which sampled the "Jam Hot" rap "tank fly boss walk jam nitty gritty/ you're listening to the boy from the big bad city, this is Jam Hot, this is Jam Hot".[10] The song was the seventh best-selling single of 1990 in the UK, reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart and #76 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2010 a remix project on Smash Hit Music included re-workings by Tensnake, Peter Rauhofer, Ilija Rudman, Clouded Vision, 40 Thieves and the song's original producer Mark Kamins.[11] As a recording artist Dynell has also been released on Atlantic Records, Arista Records, Epic Records, Heinz Records, Tribal Records, GIG Records, Xtravaganza Records, Pow Wow Records, Warlock Records and his own label Endless Night Music since 2011.
Dynell, a longtime member of the House of Xtravaganza, helped to introduce to the culture at large the "voguing" dance form with his 1989 release "Elements of Vogue", performed by MC David Ian Xtravaganza, a co-writer of the song with Dynell and David DePino.[12]
As a songwriter, Dynell has also collaborated with Malcolm McLaren and Pink Martini on "Una Notte a Napoli" and "Segundo".
Selected discography
edit| Year | Title | Artist | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | "Jam Hot" | Johnny Dynell & New York 88 | ACME Music Corp. | Writer: Johnny Dynell, Producers: Mark Kamins, Kenton Nix |
| 1983 | "The Big Throwdown" | Johnny Dynell & New York 88 | ACME Music Corp. | Writer: Johnny Dynell, Producers: Mark Kamins, Kenton Nix |
| 1986 | "Rhythm of Love" | Johnny Dynell | Pow Wow Records | Writer: Johnny Dynell, Producer: Mark Kamins |
| 1986 | "Rhythm of Love Remix" | Johnny Dynell | Pow Wow Records | Writer: Johnny Dynell, Producer: Mark Kamins, Remixer: Larry Levan |
| 1988 | "Jam Hot Money" | Johnny Dynell & New York 88 | GIG Records | Writer: Johnny Dynell, Remixer: Junior Vasquez |
| 1989 | "Elements of Vogue" | David Ian Xtravaganza | Extravaganza Records | Writers: Johnny Dynell, David Ian Xtravaganza, Producers: Johnny Dynell, David DePino |
| 1990 | “Say Yeah” | Slammin’ The Rock | Warlock Records, 4th & Broadway, Island Records | Writer: Johnny Dynell, Producer: Johnny Dynell |
| 1991 | "Love Find A Way" | Johnny Dynell | Atlantic | Writer: Johnny Dynell, Producer: Arthur Baker |
| 1991 | "Love Find A Way Remixes" | Johnny Dynell | Atlantic | Writer: Johnny Dynell, Remixer: David Morales |
| 1991 | "Jan Hot Remixes" | Johnny Dynell | Atlantic | Writer: Johnny Dynell, Remixer Markus Moser |
| 1992 | "The Jackie Hustle" | Jackie MC's | Arista, Minimal, BMG, Maxi | Writers: Arthur Baker, Lati Kronlund, Paul Alexander, Richard Move, Producer: Arthur Baker, Lati Kronlund, Remixer: Danny Tenaglia, Johnny Dynell |
| 1995 | “Feel The Vibe” | Jack-E-Makosa | Criminal Records, Minimal Records | Writer: Arthur Baker, Producer: Arthur Baker, Remixer: Johnny Dynell |
| 1996 | "Riding Into Battle With Her High Heels On" | Johnny Dynell | TRIBAL America | Writers: Johnny Dynell, Eric Kupper, Producer: Peter Rauhofer |
| 2004 | "Una Notte A Napoli" | Pink Martini | Heinz Records | Writers: Thomas Lauderdale, China Forbes, Alba Clemente, Johnny Dynell |
| 2010 | “Jam Hot / Big Throwdown Remixes” | Johnny Dynell | Smash Hit Music | Writer: Johny Dynell, Remixers: Tensnake, Peter Rauhofer, Mark Kamins, Clouded Vision, Ilija Rudman, 4o Thieves |
| 2011 | “Bring It!” | Sade Pendavis and Paul Alexander | Endless Night Music | Writer: Johny Dynell, Producer: Johnny Dynell |
| 2011 | "Una Notte A Napoli Remix" | Pink Martini | Heinz Records | Writers: Thomas Lauderdale, China Forbes, Alba Clemente, Johnny Dynell, Remixer: Johnny Dynell |
| 2012 | "Runway" | Johny Dynell | Endless Night Music | Writer: Johny Dynell, Producer: Johnny Dynell |
| 2012 | "Elements of Vogue Remixes" | David Ian Xtravaganza | Endless Night Music | Writers: Johnny Dynell, David Ian Xtravaganza, Producers: Johnny Dynell, David DePino, Remixer: Johnny Dynell |
| 2013 | “Bitch U Better Don't” | Jamil Labeija | Endless Night Music | Writer: Johny Dynell, Producer: Johnny Dynell |
| 2013 | “U Been Chopped” | Jamil Labeija | Endless Night Music | Writer: Johny Dynell, Producer: Johnny Dynell |
| 2014 | "Tank Fly Boss walk" | Johnny Dynell | Endless Night Music | Writer: Johny Dynell, Producer: Johnny Dynell |
| 2016 | "Segundo" | Pink Martini | Heinz Records | Writers: Johnny Dynell, Thomas Lauderdale, China Forbes |
| 2017 | "The World Of Tomorrow" | Johnny Dynell | Trax Records | Writer: Johny Dynell, Producer: Johnny Dynell |
References
edit- ^ Brewster, Bill and Broughton, Frank. Last Night A DJ Saved My Life. Headline (U.K), 1999, p. 229 (Mudd), p.232 (Roxy)
- ^ Shapiro, Peter. Turn The Beat Around: The Secret History of Disco. Macmillan, 2006, p. 260 (Danceteria)
- ^ Musto, Michael. Downtown. Vintage, 1986, p. 65-67 (Area)
- ^ Maddex, Alison. Sex In The City. Universe/Rizzoli, 2002, p. 296-7 (Jackie 60, Click + Drag)
- ^ Fikentscher, Kai. ”You Better Work!”: Underground Dance Music in New York. Wesleyan University Press, 2000, p. 71 (DJ Jackie 60, Mother)
- ^ The New York Times, May 24, 1992
- ^ Degan Pener. The World Is Our Thrift Shop (Jackie 60)
- ^ Maddex, Alison. Sex In The City. Universe/Rizzoli, 2002, p. 296-7 (Jackie 60, Click + Drag)
- ^ Johnny Dynell & the New York 88. song, [1] Jam Hot, record single, ACME Music Corp., 1983
- ^ "Best International's Dub Be Good to Me sample of Johnny Dynell Jam Hot". WhoSampled. 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
- ^ "Johnny Dynell – Jam Hot / Big Throwdown (File) at Discogs". Discogs. 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
- ^ Regnault, Chantal and Lawrence, Tim. Voguing and the House Ballroom Scene of New York City 1989-92. Soul Jazz Books, 2011, p. 7
