Source: https://backtodisco.com/ by George (Flashback) Aguilar Aug 23, 2004

Many of you have heard of the legendary Hollywood after hours night club called Gino's. But I assure you, if you weren’t there you have no idea what you missed or what Gino's was all about. It is my intention to try, to the best of my ability to shed some light on this legendary after hours Hollywood hot spot. Gino's I opened in 1976 and was a popular gay punk hang out. But in 1977 the original location burned down and Gino’s I was no more. In 1978 Gino re-opened his nightclub at 1132 Vine St. in Hollywood and called it Gino’s II. Again, a popular hangout for the gay community. It was your typical gay bar with one huge exception, the d.j., Mr. Michael Angelo, their resident d.j Friday and Saturday nights.

Michaels mixing skills were average, but his ability so sniff out and find awsome new tracks was unbelievable! They weren’t all new, he also rediscovered flops from several years earlier and reintroduced them into the club scene at Ginos making them very successful in the after hours circuit. Hits such as Disco Connection by Isaac Haayes from 1975, and Sweet Lucy by Raul De Souza from 1977 flopped originally but were a hit at Gino’s. He also discovered music that was right in front of our faces from albums many of us could get at Music Plus such as "Just As Long As We Are Together" by Prince which is on the Prince for You LP. He would only play the second half of this particular song, we all thought it was another one of his rare imports, but was in front of us all the time.

Now, Michael was not solely responsible for all of the music, he was inspired as well as assisted by another legendary d.j by the name of Bobby Viteritti whom was the resident d.j at the famous Trocadero nightclub in San Fransisco. Bobby is well known in the music industry and did famous remixes we all know such as the Magnifique remix on Disconet. Michael Angelo was also secretive with his songs and would go to extreme measures to keep them from your local mobile d.j's. He painted the labels, switched labels, when asked he would give you incorrect information sending many of us on wild goose chases. He never seemed to let his guard down.

In 1978 and 1979 Gino’s II was primarily a gay hang out, but in 1980 it was discovered by some of the non gay (straight) mobile d.j. party goers. The word spread fast! Every weekend there where less and less gay patrons, and more and more straights. The hardcore patrons stood until the end, but many others would find there way elsewhere. Now Gino and Michael where both gay, and started resenting their non-gay patrons. They blamed the straights for their loss of gay patrons. It was very normal to get attitude from both Michael and Gino if you were with the non-gay crowd. Around this time a fight broke out outside the club with some of it's non gay patrons, which resulted in a bottle being broken on Gino’s head causing some injuries to him causing yet even more animosity toward their non gay patrons. From there on out, Gino would wear his army helmet for his protection, which soon became his trademark.

Ginos II soon became the who's who of the local disco scene. To be one of the “in” crowd, you had to visit Gino’s. There a dance partner was optional, the gender of your dance partner was also optional, and you would not get critized for dancing with another member of the same sex. This did not mean you were gay, this was an acceptable practice at Gino’s which you couldn’t get away with just a few hours earlier at the mobile parties. Or if you didn’t have a dance partner, it was ok to dance by yourself, or like my good friend Martin, with the mirrors which were conveniently located through out the dance floor. Ginos attracted the best of the best dancers. Even today if you ask any of the great dancers, they were at Gino’s at one point or another. There were many styles of dancers there, you had your robotic, pointers, hustlers, freestylers, & ballet dancers among various other styles. Michael Jackson was even rumored to frequent Gino’s in disguise to keep up on the latest dance moves. It is said the moonwalk was 1st made public at Ginos. Ginos soon became a life style to many of its patrons. Many of us literally lived Ginos every day of our lives. We would practice our moves every day during the week. Go shopping for the most obscure attire you could find. Go to Ginos Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Everyone inside Ginos became like a big family. Even gay and non gay patrons would become one family when harassed by outsiders.

Ginos patrons had their own attire found no where else but at Ginos. The attire was usually unusual, obscure and original. It was by no means your typical disco attire. It was more of a cross between your hard core punk rock and disco attire combined, a little more toward the punk side. It was very common to see individuals wearing very obscure patterns on their attire all the way from clear plastic, leather, checkered, tiger striped, to very G.Q type suits, you would also see waiter jackets, balloon pants, space suits, cowboy attire, any animal type patterns, S & M attire was also common. The shoes worn varied from brightly colored cowboy boots with or without spurs to the famous Joe Jackson shoes. The cowboy boots were nothing normal, they were extremely pointed, the heels were usually slanted no less than a 45 degrees, they were brightly colored, some had tips and wings embroidered or painted on. The Joe Jackson were in a class all by themself. They were even more pointed then the boots, laced on the side, these too were dyed every color immaginable, some people would even attached silver tips. People would sometimes spend up to two days prepairing for an evening at Ginos. There you would be your self and not worry about being ridiculed. Though whenever I went to Ginos, I made sure I filled the tank up with gas before I got dressed, because I did feel quite uncomfortable dressed with Ginos attire at a gas station or anywhere else for that matter.

The hair doos were another story all together. Again every color you could think of was seeing at Ginos at one point or another, pompadours, greaser style, tails, wisps, usually packed on with excessive amounts of aquanet. Hair doos were all but normal at this exotic afterhours club. Ginos is also one of the few clubs that I have been too that many of its patrons arrived in public transportation (RTD bus). This too was perfectly normal and nothing to be ashamed of as many of it's guests were from low income families (such as myself) and wouldn’t miss an evening there for the world. If you didn’t own a car(most didn’t) you begged, borrowed or took the bus. My first experience with Ginos II was in 1979, I rarely visited Hollywood nevertheless its nightlife district. So naturally I was in shock. Everyone was gay, I was probably one of 10 patrons that night whom weren’t gay. I saw someone wearing leather chaps with nothing underneath, for the 1st time I witnessed two guys making out, I was one scared 16 year old, this was nothing like mobile parties or Monterey Park where I was raised. As I walked up the long narrow staircase I was very nervous, all I saw was darkness with incredible music coming through the walls. I was frisked by a gay security guard, again scared the hell out of me. I tried not to show my fear and continued in like nothing was bothering me. As I reached the top of the staircase I looked to my left and a really nice fish tank which looked to be out of place. I always associated fish tanks with peace and relaxation, and there was definitely none of that in Ginos. It was a very lively, loud, energetic atmosphere with lots of excitement. Then I heard a familiar song by Nancy Sinatra called "Boots" which fit the atmosphere perfectly. The queens went crazy and they stormed the dance floor. I witnessed dance moves I never even thought of. Then I saw a beautiful women dancing and thought to my self, this place cant be that bad until I discovered it was a man. Then I had to use the mens room. Well I held off as long as I could then I had no choice. When I got inside it was empty to my relief, then a very feminine man walked in, then another in drag! I thought that was it, as this drag queen was about 50 lbs heavier than me and about 2 feel taller. As they started talking to me I realized despite their appearance they weren’t all that bad. My ride stayed their till 4 a.m., had I had my car there I would have left before I ever saw the fish tank. But as the night progressed I started listening to the music! That is all it took, I told my self I will be back, but I will drive the next time. I couldn’t believe my ears, the music was like nothing I had ever heard before. I was hooked! Eventually I found that the gay people in Ginos were nothing to be afraid of, on the contrary they were some of the nicest people I had ever became friends with. I made many friends whom were gay whom I am friends with to this day.

Gino's was a big part of my life until 1983 when I enlisted into the service. It is a big conversation subject to anyone else I have found that was there. I have found over the years whenever I run into other Gino's fans that we are like one big family. The memories we shared at Ginos will be there for the rest of our lives. That is one place you dont forget. Michael Angelo has passed on of A.I.D.S in 1996, Gino was reported to be residing in Ontario Ca but was not in good health, but that is not confirmed. Michaels record collection went to three of his fellow d.j friends, two of whom have also passed. The collection was then split to additional friends many of whom have also passed. So his records are scattered all over Los Angeles and San Francisco area. If even a small part of his collection is ever found it would be a gold mine, record collectors would pay big money for it. To end this I would like to thank Gino and the late Michael Angelo for all the good memories they brought to us which will last a lifetime. There will never be another Ginos in our lifetime. Ginos is missed terribly by anyone whom attended. Thank you Gino. I am open to any input, corrections or suggestions. If anything is not correct please e-mail me at email address below. I have researched the best of my ability but there is no records anywhere to be found about Ginos. I have checked the L.A times, Extensive internet searches, ex employees, many many former patrons. So any criticism would be appreciated.

People have been dancing to recorded music for years at bars and roadhouses that had jukeboxes or, even earlier, piano rolls. Both jukeboxes and piano rolls were serviced by distribution companies that chose the music themselves. The Swing Kids of the late 30s,  mostly middle and upper-class boys and girls, were one of a number of loosely organized youth groups or movements that would gather to dance in their own “outrageous” fashion. These gatherings mark the first instance that a disc jockey played music of this own choosing and not necessarily what was in the hit parade, tailored to a specific crowd of dancers in a non-domestic setting. Add to this the frightening cultural climate, the almost outlawed sub-culture, vivid dress sense, a politics of pleasure, uninhibited sexuality, and complex relations to class, and if they only had a primitive mixer and a drum machine, the Swing Kids might have invented Disco thirty years early. The twist is important not only because of its relationship to the discotheques, but also because it fomented a revolution in the style of dancing, on that would be crucial to the culture of disco.

In Europe, during the Nazi occupation, bans on dancing and public assembly were gradually enforced less and less. Many bars copied La Discotheque’s format: Some brave soul would get his hands on a primitive PA system and gramophone, lay some cables in a vacant basement, and set up a makeshift club where a patron could listen or dance to jazz records until the early hours of the morning. Even after the occupation ended, the hovel remained so popular that it became the template for a uniquely European form of nightlife. The discotheque became the only venue in which adventurous listeners could hear music that was outside a prescribed “national culture”. European jazz fans’ distance from their American heroes led them to sanctifying the record as an almost holy artifact, as opposed to the live performance itself. Perhaps the most important of the postwar nightclubs was Paul Pacine’s Whisky a Go-Go which opened sometime around 1947-48 and moved it in 1953. Regine Zylberberg convinced Pacine to let her take over the old location. Zylberberg wrote: “I could lay my hands n a barnmaid, disc jockey, cloak room attendant and bouncer straight away….We had a contrasting mixture at the club, but it was effective. We danced the cha-cha, meringue and of course rock ‘n’ roll. I’d bought some rock records before it became fashionable, and when people started talking about it I got them out and everyone went wild". The discotheque became a celebrity hangout.

Sybil Burton (Richard Burton’s ex) opened Arthur in May 1965. It was the first club to undo the jet set – it was no longer good enough to have a name or money, just beauty to catch the eye of doorman Mickey Deans and gain access to the world beyond the velvet ropes.  It foreshadowed the caste-destroying social aesthetic that could become one of disco’s biggest gifts to world culture.  Outrageous people with the merest hint of prostitution and hustling, the beginning of that all important night world concept that would be elevated to an art form a decade later by Studio 54’s Steve Rubell. The concept of the mix was taken one step further by Arthur’s disc jockey, Terry Noel. He had been a house dancer and understood both the highs and lows of the three-minute pop single. While the immediacy of the traditional single got people onto the dance floor in a hurry, its abrupt ending got them off just as quickly. With Arthur’s fairly sophisticated sound system and two turntables at his disposal, Noel became the first DJ to mix records, to blend, per say. Robinson and The Miracles, the Mamas and the Papas, Otis Redding and the Rolling Stones as part of one continuous flow. Now there was no abrupt ending, no jarring halt to your favorite song, no excuse, other than physical exhaustion, to stop dancing. 

In the New York area, predominantly black clubs like the Territorial Club, COCP, the Dom, and more, combined aspects of the house/rent parties of the 1920s and ‘30s with the African-American of the “jook” (a kind of party from different regions) to create atmospheres that were halfway between a bar and someone’s house.

At the Salvation discotheque in Sheridan Square, Ann Henry spun and controlled the lights, projecting parameciumlike fractals onto the clubs white walls. These wild fantasyscapes and the development of multimedia aesthetics, technology encroaching on art, and vice versa, the old divide between high and low culture started to crumble. Improvised theatrical events and emphasized the experiences and sensations of the audience, not only questioned the nature of art but also the role of the spectator. The previously passive audience of art and cinema was now being asked to become part of the process, part of the work of art. Andy Warhol’s jarring discotheque environment,  with music provided by the Velvet Underground, film projections, strobe light show, and patterned slides designed by Warhol, rock bands, poetry, lectures impromptu bongo jam sessions and child care provided by the Hell’s Angels. Of course, in the sphere of dance music the dancers had always been part of the spectacle. The focus at the gatherings was firmly on the dance floor, with the dancers essentially the star performers. As Sly Stone sang in 1970, “Everybody is a star” and as Sybil Burton’s notion of the “mix” indicates, this idea of the audience being the true star of the show would become one of the most subversive aspects of disco culture.

The Electric Circus’s opening gala in 1967 featured trapeze performers and performance artists. The club featured a blinding light show and a sound system so powerful that Edison, New York City’s electric supplier, had to lay a special cable underneath the street just to power it. The Church (which was indeed housed in a former German Babtist church) became one of the most celebrated and outrageous clubs in the long and colorful history of New York’s nightlife. Before the altar with its broad marble communion table and imposing range of organ pipes stood a long haired DJ preparing the disco sacrament. With the throw of a switch he could black out the hall and illuminate it eerily with lights shining through the stained glass windows. He would often play the theme song from “Jesus Christ Superstar” lighting up each of the stained glass windows as he did. Thus, the Catholic Church managed to persuade a judge to grant an injunction against the club, forcing it to close down. It re-opened as The Sanctuary but eventually closed down in 1972.

The orgiastic spirit of the Sanctuary was intensified by the music, a triumphal march of syncopated drums and keyboard fanfares – the ceremonial accompaniment to a tribal rite of initiation for people who were just beginning to conceive of themselves as a group, as a unified whole. The DJ’s name was Francis Grasso and he almost single-handedly created what would become disco’s sonic hallmarks. DJ before Grasso played whatever was popular at the time. Grasso, on the other hand, was playing African music that was recorded in 1959 in the early 70’s and playing obscure British imports that he had to bug record shops to order specially for him. Grasso’s taste in percussive rock specially created the nexus that would eventually establish disco as its own musical genre, as something distinct from either soul or funk. Many of the records he championed were funky but definitely not funk. But it wasn’t just the playlist that was revolutionary, it was what Grasso did with his records that helped define disco as a style and not just a place you went to hear records. Although Terry Noel was the first DJ to actually mix records, it was Grasso who would make the DJ set a unified whole rather than a collection of individual records. Grasso had replaced Noel as the DJ at a club on Central Park South called Salvation II one night in 1968 when Noel showed up late and it was here that he hit upon the idea of the DJ mix as “a journey”, as one continuous piece of music that the DJ himself created out of ready-made parts, and set the notion that a good DJ was a gifted musician in his or her own right and that a turntable was a mixer were his or her instruments. Grasso is generally credited as being the first DJ to beat mix (to sonically overlap two records so that their drumbeats are synchronized), and he introduced the technique of slip-cueing (holding the record about to be cued in place while the turntable underneath spins, so that the record can be stared exactly where you want a the exact millisecond you want it started). He used this technique to extend the dancer’s pleasure potentially indiefinitely by playing two copies of the same record on two turntables, lengthening the grooves of many crowd favorite songs. It was a thrilling, intensely physical sound, particularly when blasted through the mammoth stacks of speakers that the Sanctuary had acquired from the rock band Mountain. 

Disco’s very birth was the result of the big bang between contradictory impulses: exclusion and inclusion, glamour and dilapidation, buying in and dropping out, engagement and withdrawal, earnestness and frippery. 

David Mancuso grew up in an orphanage where a nun would often hold parties for the children, playing records in a room decorated with balloons and crepe paper. He spent a lot of time in the surrounding countryside listening to birds, lying next to a spring and listening to water go across the rocks, where he was inspired on the continuous flow of one sound into another. He started making tapes where he would take a long song and as soon as the song ended, he would put some kind of sound effect and the next record would come in, so it was one continuous flow of some kind of sound information. He would invite friends over to huge parties at his loft in an abandoned warehouse. On Valentine’s day 1970, David decided to make his parties a bit more formal. The “Love Saves The Day” party was heralded by and invitation decorated with the reproduction of Salvador Dali’s “The Persistence Of Memory”. His invitation-only parties (which soon became members-only parties, with free membership) came to be known as the Loft,  where the ceiling had hung balloons and colored streamers, a Christmas tree lit year-round. Mancuso controlled the party from a booth above the dance floor that was designed like an old Wurlitzer jukebox. He is credited with what may very well be the foundation of the disco sound to New York’s DJ community. 

The legendary Loft sound system with lights that shimmered, thanks to an array of tweeters that faced north, south, east and west, and lows cocooned the dancers. 

Where Grasso was dazzling dancers at the Sanctuary and the Haven with his skill and working them to surging peaks of musk and sweat, Mancuso was using similar techniques to almost the opposite effect. He may have defined Disco as a certain kind of rhythmic drive  but Mansuco created it’s lushness and elegance. While they shared many songs on their play-lists, Mancuso would play them in a different way: He would let them build and crash, rather than focusing on, and extending, the groove.  He discovered an obscured record “Soul Makossa” by Cameroonian jazzman Manu Dibango and added it to a gentle flux mix with a song called “Jin-Go-Lo-Ba (Drums of Passion and some James Brown grooves. This elongation and elastication of the funk was the disco aesthetic in a nutshell and other variants of this theme would become minor disco classics. He is credited  with introducing what may very well be the foundation of the disco sound to New York’s DJ community. 

While radio DJn was an honest and respectable business, the underground DJ was an underground pariah who only brought unwanted focus on the seamier side of the music industry and was dealt with accordingly. Mancuso wanted to change this and set about organizing New York’s DJs and chartered the Record Pool in 1975. The idea was that the record companies could save money by sending promotional material to one centralized office and wouldn’t have to deal with the DJ rabble coming to their offices in search of free records. The DJs would get all the new records without having to trek around the city and without being rejected because of their club wasn’t important enough. Many of the DJ who were part of the Record Pool were inspired to spin because of Mancuso and The Loft. DJs like Nicky Siano, Larry Levan, Frankie Knuckles, David Rodriguez and Tee Scott were all second generation disco DJs who built on the foundations that Mancuso and Grasso planted and codified the sound and attitude of disco.  David Rodriguez , along with Michael Cappello, was the DJ at the original Limelight in 1972. He was perhaps the first of the storyteller DJs, linking his records thematically rather than by beat or groove. 

Nicky Siano opened the Gallery in 1973. Siano built on Grasso’s turntables innovations and took them to new realms of expressivity and intensity. Playing on three turntables, while controlling the club’s lights with foot pedals, he would take records and stretch them completely out of shape. He is also credited with pioneering the use of varispeed turntables in club Djing. Taking advantage of the turntable’s ability to vary its speed, and thus the pitch and tempo of the record it’s playing, Siano was able to craft mixes and blends that were almost letter-perfect. In Siano’s hands, the transitions were now taut, well-defined, and smooth. It would be hard to overstate the impact of this on the Djing scene. A whole new world was created. He also shaped the direction of what would soon be called disco music. He loved deep, deep bass and Alex Rosner design him a  sound system with forbiddingly dark bass reproduction and crossover points on is mixing board so he could isolate the treble, midrange and bass of a record. More than any DJ before him, Siano homed in on the break of a song. While the percussive breakdowns of records were focal points in the sets of Grasso and Mancusso, Siano pushed this aesthetic over the top. Grasso and Mancusso both built up to the breaks, but Siano attacked them right down from the get-go and played his favorite parts of  a record over and over and over again by using two copies at once.