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Justin Berkmann speaks about the legacy of Paradise Garage and Larry Levan
House | Wednesday 15th July 2015 | Christina
To say that Ministry of Sound founder and DJ Justin Berkmann has been influenced by the legendary Paradise Garage and its superstar DJ Larry Levan is a bit of an understatement. To him it was the perfect club with the perfect vibe, and Levan was the ultimate DJ. Ahead of the Larry Levan Birthday Bash, which will be held at MoS on July 19th, we caught up with Justin to hear about how much the great man meant to music and to him.
How’s it going? Life treating you well?
Life is great, so nice to travel to far-flung reaches and always be in the company of old friends, the goodwill I receive is humbling. It’s a joy to be back.
I understand you’re travelling a lot at the moment, so where in the world are you?
I’m just flying back to London after a weekend playing in Singapore, which comes after inaugurating a brand new venue in Tivat, Montenegro and that’s followed next week by Croatia and Mongolia, and that’s my July done.
Tell us about how you first got into music.
I grew up in a house where non-classical music was virtually banned until I was 10 years old. On liberation, I started to listen to my older brother’s music collection but wasn't particularly taken by it, apart from some disco tunes I listened to over and over again. Until one day I discovered punk, and dyed my hair blue and followed The Stranglers, The Damned and Crass. Then after a tuneless void living in France for three years, I returned home and started attending the North London raves around 1984/5 and got into hip-hop and rare groove, but then it all went south on exposure to a certain record from Chicago.
You’ve recently re-joined Ministry of Sound as a resident DJ, why did you take such a long break?
After leaving MoS in 1996, I moved to Italy three years later and focused on my DJ career and my new family. Then in 2005 I was brought back into the MoS fold when we opened a club together in Singapore with my good friends Austen Derek and Godwin Pereira, and then a year later another in Kuala Lumpur. 2008 with the financial crash looming, I returned to London, and changed career completely to try something I thought at the time was more fitting to my age, High Octane Premium Alcohol. I set up a company in the booze biz and had loads of fun being outrageous with that and launching some now well respected brands. But I was still playing and remastering vinyl and the calling of the booth was too much for me. Slowly I was dragged kicking and screaming back into the music world again, refreshed, reborn and a little more prepared.
What was your first taste of house music?
My school mate and future resident DJ at MoS Jimmy B called me at work and told me to get round his place to hear some record he’d found. It was ‘Funkin' With The Drums Again’ by Farley Jackmaster Funk, and that was that. I took the hit on that house pipe and was an addict.
How do you think the scene has changed since the early days?
Where do I start? I remember we all used to dance together in groups, friends and lovers grooving together, lots of little parties on a dance floor, then one day everyone started to look at the DJ, and we became meerkats. Like priests for centuries held the keys to the Good Book, and kept the people in control and content in their ignorance, DJ’s held the keys to the musical good book and were responsible for musical education and spiritual guidance through the release in dance. Today we’re all self medicating with religion and music, and both are completely fucked up beyond belief, hence the resurgence of the ancient ways, a desperate lurch back to “better” times.
People are looking back on the late 80s/early 90s with a lot of nostalgia, was it really better back then?
For me it was the Dirty Dozen years 1989 to 2001. Believing naively that we were all finally going to live in harmony and peace, after years of paranoia of the Cold War, the music was the social driver, not the drugs. The human psyche was expressing itself in a hopeful and positive way for the first time since the 60’s. Even the 60’s weren't so good, more struggle less joy. So for me the 90’s was the best period for Party of all time.
Paradise Garage has become this mythical place, what made it so special? And what was it really like?
For those who went it was their church, a family who had been worshipping at the alter of disco together for a decade. The people made it special. Then concept, design, layout, sound, music and lights, all also equally excellent. But it was more than the sum of these elements. Michael Brody designed the perfect club, a template I lifted and resettled back in my own yard to share with my countrymen and women, but for me Brody’s delivery is yet to be bettered. Why? It was the pure simplicity and that’s one thing so often forgotten about in the design of clubs, and best clubs always have that in spades. Also the logic of a nightclub is the logic of a dream, quantify that and you got the blueprints.
Why did you decide to base so much of Ministry of Sound on the Garage?
It was Brody’s legacy of design evolution as an art form. I had instinctively seen his vision and realised its genius. When it died with him, I felt it my responsibility to keep that concept and vibe alive some how, and with a few tweaks here and there, we created something similar, for me a facsimile 85% on the original. Which was amazing considering the lack of experience and investment we all had at the time, so myself, James and Humphrey did Michael as proud as we could.
How important do you think Larry Levan is to the history of house music?
He was the DJ equivalent of Orson Welles. Maligned, misunderstood and ruthless in realising his vision. Paradise Garage was an absolute monarchy, but once that was gone he was a destitute king without a kingdom worthy of his rule, so the two of us who still totally believed in him insisted on helping him continue spreading his message of love; me in England, François in Japan. His legacy speaks for itself. His productions stand up to the fickle nature of time, still vibrant and powerful, his sets were bonkers and emotional roller coasters.
And what did he mean to you personally?
He was my mentor, my hero and my teacher. He confirmed something I had always felt, that to twiddle with the frequencies made the music more exciting. He just had it down ninja style, and fortunately was more than keen to share how. It keeps the impression of louder for longer by avoiding ear fatigue. It’s also very addictive to play the music like that. But I can’t print what he said, you’ll have to ask me in person.
What was it like having him play at Ministry?
It was the pinnacle of my musical journey to have him come to my club and put his stamp of authority and authenticity on my baby. And he loved it, over staying for 3 months. His sets were as ever varied, not consistently anything, always throwing curve balls, injecting humour and love into the journey and doing shit no-one would think is acceptable, as he was totally fearless and quite mad at the same time. Just like any great artist, don't try to quantify their workings, we’re just honoured and bloody lucky to have shared their company.
The Larry Levan Birthday Bash is coming to London for the first time on July 19th, how did you manage to bring the party over here?
I have been great friends with all the players involved for many years. François I convinced to come out of DJ retirement and come play the club in 1992, David I met back in 1987, and perhaps Joey I’ve known the least time, after initially setting up their Paradise Garage page on Facebook, before they had got with the digital program and someone else hijacked it. Clearly enjoying last year’s Paradise Garage party for World AIDS day at MoS, it wasn't so hard to convince them to come back, plus they were already wanting to bring it to our shores. Perhaps next year they should do it in Japan, Larry’s other home from home.
What can we expect from your set on the night?
I have no idea, I’m itching to play some classic disco and Italo-electro disco, but the box is about that, so out in the bar we’ll be airborne on some ’86-’99 house no doubt, but I’ll make that decision during the last 3 minutes of the last record of the previous DJ.
Over the past year a lot of clubs in the capital have closed or come under threat of closure, this must be very concerning for you? And what are you doing about it?
When you have a warrior-owner like James Palumbo, the concern is for the other guy. We’re staying open and keeping the ramparts armed. The only thing that would finish us would be people falling out of love with us, and it’s our job to maintain that emotional bond with our followers, by keeping it real.
What are your thoughts on those DJs who pre-record sets for these massive shows with all the special effects?
As Frankie Knuckles once said, when you think you are more important than the music, you’re finished. Their quite apparently over inflated egos have made them the star, when the real star is the music and the crowd together, the DJ is just the orchestral conductor.
What is your all-time Ministry of Sound highlight - the best party the club has ever held?
Tough one. Levan’s memorial was insanely emotional, Knuckles’ KISS FM party with 200 imported New Yorkers broadcasting live on radio in NYC, Louie being sang to by a love struck India, David Cole’s live keyboards with C+C, so many great parties. We even had those mental marathons sessions, 24 hours, then 36 hours but we quickly realised that quantity doesn't replace quality, and we had the very best DJs grace our system every week, so I won’t commit to any one night.
What does the future hold for Ministry of Sound?
The never-ending search for the Holy Grail: the perfect sound system in the perfect room. I believe we will achieve that soon. And for the business, I can’t see MoS going anywhere apart from continuing to be a structural column of the London club scene and the global recording industry.
What are you listening to right now?
Haha, oh dear, its The Love Committee – ‘Just As Long As I Got You’, caught listening to disco again! I was sending myself back in time to 1987 to remember the smell of talc on the dance floor.
What’s your go-to track to really get a crowd going?
I remember tracks being referred to as Bullets and Bombs, and having some tracks at the back of the box in case the plot was lost. Limited space in a record box. Now got a whole dedicated folder of weaponised house, but there’s no one panacea, each party is unique, and thank goodness for that.
What’s the first record you bought?
Blimey, that must have been something like The Ruts, Blondie or The Stranglers, but I don’t recall the precise track. I became an avid collector with house, before I was quite contented with my little selection of vinyl.
Do you have any rituals before playing a set?
Ideally a shot or two of my favourite tipple Ron de Jeremy Spiced 47 abv and then it’s time for carnage.
If you could fill a swimming pool with anything, what would it be and why?
All the hate, lies and greed in the world and then concrete it over.
If you were stranded on a desert island and could have three songs to keep you entertained, what songs would you choose?
‘War’ - City Country City, ‘Evolution’ - Giorgio Moroder, ‘Stalker’ - Nathan Fake.
Follow Justin on Twitter. Buy tickets for the Larry Levan Birthday Bash here.
