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BIOGRAPHY

Danny Tenaglia (born March 7, 1961) is a New York-based DJ and Grammy nominated record producer. Explosive success for him came not behind a major label release, or a world tour, or a radio hit remix: It happened when enough people had the private Tenaglia experience for themselves.

The momentum started building in early ’70s New York, when a barely 10-year-old Danny first got the feel of vinyl in his hands. Enthralled by the music of artists like Philly Soul’s The Trammps, Motown’s Marvin Gaye, African trumpeter Hugh Masekela, and disco producer Giorgio Moroder, he started to collect records, plumbing the depths of each one, and frequently finding that he preferred the B-side to the A. It was 1979 when he discovered legendary nightclub Paradise Garage, where DJ Larry Levan’s rich, genre-less blend of music seemed to mirror his own “no boundaries” policy. It was here where Danny found the club model he would one day emulate: Levan’s bold style, the venue’s plain décor, and the party’s warmth and inclusiveness.

Danny left New York in 1985 and launched a successful DJ-ing career in Miami as a resident at Cheers nightclub. There he schooled the locals in classic New York and Chicago house, but five years later he returned home, tired of only playing other people’s music. He started to assemble an impressive roster of remixes, including Right Said Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy” (1991), Jamiroquai’s “Emergency on Planet Earth” (1993), and Madonna’s “Human Nature” (1994). But his first epic was The Daou’s “Surrender Yourself” (1993): With the kick in the bass and the underlying rhythm as the foundation, Tenaglia blanketed Vanessa Daou’s wispy vocal with grand, thick chords, a combination of classic groove and modern club-ready depth that was, at the time, entirely new. The title of his 1995 debut artist album on New York’s Tribal Records described it perfectly: Hard & Soul. But even if the cocktail was his own, Tenaglia never hesitated to declare how heavily his influences weighed in his productions – everyone from Patti LaBelle to Kraftwerk, with countless lesser-known Soul, R&B, Latin, Samba, and Disco artists in between.

A trio of label compilations – Mix This Pussy (1994) and Can Your Pussy Do The Dog? (1995) for Tribal, and Gag Me With A Tune (1996) for Maxi – were the first Tenaglia sets clued-in clubbers could take home to dissect.

In 1996, after a brief stint at New York superclub Roxy, Danny landed a Saturday night residency at white-hot Twilo, a position that upped his profile but didn’t satisfy his expanding artistry as a DJ and producer. While New York swooned for big-room diva anthems, Danny was turning his ear toward the more minimal, tech-y grooves originating in European production studios. This period produced solid remixes like Grace’s “Not Over Yet” (1996) and Janet Jackson’s “The Pleasure Principle” (1996). In 1998 he moved his residency over to NY club Tunnel.

In 1998 Danny released another full length LP titled Tourism. The album featured the track “Elements,” an instant classic. With his own warped voice providing the narration, “Elements” walked the listener through the different components of a dance track in real time, going from kick to drum loop to snare hit, letting each layer over the other until the track exploded with dark, drum-heavy energy. “Elements” was #1 on the Billboard Dance Chart for two weeks in 1998. “Music is the answer” featuring Celeda (also on the LP Tourism) was on the top 40 charts in the UK. Next to ostentatious radio anthems, its simplicity was a revelation.

The release of his first installment in the UK-based Global Underground series of DJ mixes, titled Athens (2000), lit the international fire. Athens (meant to reflect the set he played at the Greek capital’s club King Size) remains one of the darkest, strangest, sexiest sets ever released by Danny. Its tame cover photo of a gentle-looking man in a Yankee cap just didn’t seem to fit. DJ dates across Europe dispelled the mystery and started to clue people in as to what Danny’s sets were like.

Back in New York, Tenaglia was tiring of the cavernous gloom of Tunnel and longed for a weekly home that better resembled where the DJ bug first bit him – the Paradise Garage. He landed at Vinyl, a black-walled, single-environment, no-liquor club about one-quarter the size of Tunnel. He named the night “Be Yourself,” after the self-affirming, heavy-bottomed vocal track he had recently recorded with Chicago’s Celeda. And he took the name to heart: Without the pressure of bar minimums or an expectant crowd, Tenaglia spread his DJ wings. Next to new tracks he played tracks by the artists who inspired him during his youth. If he wanted to launch into a two-hour set of straight-up techno, he did. If he wanted to play old Michael Jackson records, he did. If he wanted to get on the mic and tell the crowd the name of the sound he was about to play, or who next week’s guest opening DJ would be, or just give everyone a “verbal handshake” to welcome them to the club, he did. And a city tired of drama embraced the barebones, music-centered night.

The world caught up to Tenaglia in 2000. His annual party during Miami’s Winter Music Conference outgrew its home at the cramped Groovejet and moved to just-opened superclub Space. DJ giants like Carl Cox danced on top of the speakers with the Deep Dish boys, Fatboy Slim mingled on the patio, and for a day the ego inherent to DJ culture evaporated: Tenaglia was hailed as the “DJ’s DJ.” His roof-raising revamp of Green Velvet’s “Flash” won “Best Remix” at the UK’s Muzik Awards, where he was also awarded the “Best International DJ” prize.

In the two years that followed, Tenaglia released another Global Underground installment titled London; toured the world, took the party island of Ibiza by storm, remixed Billy Nichols’ “Give Your Body Up To The Music” (a Garage anthem); got nominated for a Grammy (for his remix of Depeche Mode’s “I Feel Loved,” also nominated for Best Dance Song); returned to Twilo for two special gigs – a President’s Day marathon with Carl Cox that shattered all its attendance records, and the club’s sixth anniversary party with John Digweed, which turned out to be even more meaningful than it seemed at the time (Twilo was shut down permanently a week later); graced the cover of every major dance music magazine; and won a Dancestar Lifetime Achievement award… all while keeping the “Be Yourself” party buzzing every Friday.

In 2003, Danny came full circle with the release of Choice: A Collection Of Classics, a two-CD mixed compilation that let him pay direct tribute to many of the artists who had influenced his sound and style. It featured everyone from Blaze to Adeva to Imagination, as well as hefty liner notes explaining the significance of each track, penned by Danny himself. He also remixed another Garage classic (Yoko Ono’s “Walking On Thin Ice,” which became her first Billboard number one ever), opened another Space during Winter Music Conference (the new location down the block), and took another Dancestar award, this time ‘Best Party’ for “Be Yourself.”

“Be Yourself” took the same honor again in 2004, but this time the win was bittersweet. At the time of the ceremony, Vinyl, now called Arc, had already been sold to condo developers. Danny closed the classic club on Sunday, April 25, 2004, with an emotional set that lasted well into Monday afternoon, and culminated with his mix of Kings Of Tomorrow’s paean to unending love, “Finally.”

Since then Danny has remained prolific in the clubs and has graced the decks in all the big rooms in NYC including Avalon, Crobar, Pacha NYC, Roxy and Webster Hall. After a long studio silence, Danny re-emerged in 2008 with a single on Tommy Boy Records, “The Space Dance”. It was named in honor of his first weekly residency during the summer season of 2008 at renowned global clubbing institution Space Ibiza. The track reached #1 on the Billboard Club Charts during November 2008.

Immediately following that, Danny released his first compilation album in five years, entitled Futurism, also on Tommy Boy Records, with a nod to the modern dance floor and Danny’s outlook for tomorrow’s sounds. The compilation featured tracks from artists whom Danny had been championing for several years including Davide Squillace, The Wighnomy Brothers and Afefe Iku.

On Sat March 5, 2011, Tenaglia celebrated his 50th birthday at the Best Buy Theater in NYC. With his name lighting up the theater’s outdoor marquee and more than 2,000 people in attendance, the event served as a reunion of artists, fans, and Danny’s past musical collaborators.

For the 20th anniversary issue of DJ Mag, the editors selected Danny to mix the covermount cd. It includes some of his picks to represent the last 20 years of dance music. The CD will be released as part of the magazine’s June 2011 issue.

After over 30 years of DJing Danny still continues to tour around the world. His commitment to playing new music and incorporating it with music from his past is still a very big part of his performances. After his success he has remained humble and towards the end of his sets can often be seen on the dance floor, mingling and dancing with the same people who came to see him perform.