Faced with the rather pretentious and boring straight white dance halls, the club culture inspired by rent parties was going to be created. Freedom-loving gays set the tone and then a new relaxed and popular way of partying was born. It was also the beginning of beat matching and DJing. Nicky Siano opened The Gallery in 1973, alongside David Mancuso, he was one of the pioneers who influenced the golden age of nightclubs in New York, such as the emblematic Studio 54 and Paradise Garage. Interview with DJ Nicky Siano, one of the living beings of this amazing era that are the foundations of clubbing. Interview from the special disco edition – star wax #74

Where did you grow up? Early 70’s disco did not exist, nor the word DJ.

I grew up in Brooklyn, New York. We had vinyl and a record player at home. Well, as you said, disco did not exist yet, but we had danceable R&B, which is what all the dance places played and what I played when I started to DJ.... And the word DJ was being used.

David’s Loft had a strong impact, this is the beginning of beat matching. How did you spin records to the same tempo? Because I think vinyl turntables didn't have a pitch.

David played records all night, from beginning to end, at the original Loft, 647 Broadway.   He was blending, which is what we did before mixing and developing the mechanics of maching beats. In the beginning, we relied on timing and our own ability to hear similar tempos. We didn’t change speeds yet, and I started slip cueing in 1972, it was very new, I think one other DJ was doing it: Richie Kaczor. We had to switch to Vinyl turntables with pitch, but it didn’t have 10% as they do today, it was 3% each way.  It was a group of early DJs who pushed for beat matching, most notably Richie Kazcor and myself. 

What was the trigger for opening The Gallery and how did you do it when you were only 17 years old? 

The Gallery opened in February of 1973, right before my 18^th birthday in March of 1973.  I partnered with my brother who, was 10 years my senior, so my ideas and his business acumen combined to create it: The first disco.

I think you had 3 decks, why?

I had a dream that I was mixing a brand new record I had discovered “LOVE IS THE MESSAGE.” Back and forth, since in the beginning, the groove was only 2.30 minutes, I would play it several times, mixing it back and forth. In the dream, I was doing that, but while I was mixing it, I was playing a jet plane sound effect over it while I mixed, so I needed the third turntable to do that... I still do it to this day...same thing with different tunes and effects.  After I got the third turntable, every club had one. I would go into other clubs and see the third turntable being used as a coat rack! No imagination, that’s what we need, DJ’s get creative with the art. Sometimes, I mix on a horn sound, not the beat, to shock them and wake them up!

Larry Levan and Frankie Knuckles were there too…

Frankie started working for me the second week we were open, then he brought Larry the third week, and the two of them would decorate with balloons, so they would arrive 2 hours before we opened at 10PM. We would open at midnight, and I would start at a lower volume with jazz and slow RnB grooves.  People with sit around, smoke a joint and listen. I had the best sound system in NYC, David and I had very competitive sounds; both were spectacular.  So guests would sit there enjoying the sounds, then slowly I would play a groove with movement, I would increase the BPM and the volume, and I played both would increase.  People were so excited to be there, the line started forming at 11:30, so by 1 AM, it was crowded.  We would put out some fruit, and Larry would work my lights, and run errands for me.  Frankie would help at the door, processing people. By 2AM the dance floor was full, and I would play my first peak record. The crowd would chant and scream, and I would keep them there for at least 30 minutes, sometimes more. About 4AM, I would play a slow song, and people would dance, holding each other. Between a new group of people would arrive from the bars that just closed, and I would start all over again, slowly building... And in the morning, I would play more slow jams to bring people down.

Why does The Gallery have a second location?

The loft and I got closed for building code violations, we didn’t know we had a violation, and it wasn’t ours, it was with the building.  We were packing every Friday and Saturday with 600-1000 people, so we moved the location to a building that had its code in order.  David was closed for the same reasons, and he moved to Prince street.

How did you get your vinyl records? Did you spend a lot of time in record stores?

I bought them, sitting in record stores, listening to tons of records until possibly heard something good. Or if I went out dancing and heard a track I like, I would go buy it.  Then we started getting records from friends at record labels.

What are the essential ingredients for a good disco track? 

I think a good time is 5-7 minutes.  A danceable track, I love vocals, but you need a musical break down.

Is this the recipe that got you into residency at Studio 54?

I worked for Steve Rubell, the owner, at his first club, Enchanted Gardens. He started coming to the Gallery every Saturday and he became a big fan. To this day, Ian Schrager still asks me to play whenever they do a 54 event.

Can you describe the sound system, DJ booth equipment? The Technics MK II had just come out…

No, there were no Technics MK II at Studio 54, the Thorens TD 125, same at Gallery and Garage. They were better handling feedback. The Technics sit right on the booth, Thorens float in a base, so less feedback.  There were eight Richard Long PA speakers, same as the Paradise Garage, with 4 Richard Long wide sweeping bass bins.

You must have had a lot of great night, what is your best memory?

Meeting Grace Jones

And your worst?

Falling asleep at Studio 54 and not returning to the booth!

I read that Pete "DJ" Jones used two similar vinyls in 1969 but no one talks about it. Did you know this person?

I don’t know who you’re talking about, do you mean Francis? I knew every DJ back then, unless he played outside of Manhattan. If he was in Brooklyn or on Long Island, I don’t know, but he’s not in the book “Love Saves The Day”, and that really goes over all the influential early guys.

At that time, did you mix elsewhere?

I was in Greece playing for month 1981-82.  I used to go to Philadelphia to dance, they had a similar loft-style scene. But not many cities had a community of dance heads like NYC.

Can you tell us about your vision for your label Inspira records? 

It’s closed...im working with other labels now, I have a remix “Wrong” (You Dropped the Bomb) by Annie and the Caldwells on Luaka Bop coming out February 22, 2025.

Some DJs criticize the edited tracks and prefer the original versions. What is your opinion?

If a remake is better than the original, I’ll play it. But if the original is better, I play the original.  Sometimes remixes miss the point. They make it longer, but not more exciting.

What does a Nicky Siano set look like in 2025? Is vinyl over? 

A set today is, first of all, exciting, music with a message, and music that has a socially significant point. LOVE IS THE MESSAGE, always and forever.

Interviewed by DJ coshmar