DJ T. Pays Tribute to New York’s House Music History with ‘25 Years of Strictly Rhythm’

Considered the granddaddy of 'em all, NYC-based Strictly Rhythm first opened its doors back in 1989. The influential dance imprint-which innovated the 12" white label and was home to the first-ever commercially released DJ mix compilation-is legendary not only for the fervent following it gained among club DJs, but for its series of quality underground offerings by the likes of Roger Sanchez, Todd Terry, Masters at Work (Kenny Dope & Little Louie Vega), Erick Morillo, and many more.

Mixed by Get Physical boss DJ T., the forthcoming Strictly DJ T.: 25 Years of Strictly Rhythm honours that legacy, featuring classic contributions from seminal Strictly artists including Logic, Aly-Us, DJ Pierre, Hardrive, DJ Sneak, Wink, etc.

T's love affair with Strictly Rhythm began in 1990 during a transitional period both as a DJ and a club goer; from black music and broken beats to early electronic dance music. This was the year that he purchased his first Strictly record-Logic's The Warning-which immediately hooked him on the label's pioneering sound.

In an effort to make his official homage flow seamlessly, DJ T. has included a brand new edit of each track to work with the originals. "These old tunes don't really have a mix friendly intro and outro; they often just fade out or stop abruptly," he remarks. "I wanted to make these classics easier to use in contemporary sets. To be able to improve a track, so that it becomes interesting and playable for DJs nowadays without changing its essence… that's my motivation."

In anticipation of T.'s tribute release, THUMP reached out to some of the very house music icons who helped shape Strictly's indelible glory days.

Little Louie Vega: The first Strictly Rhythm records released were by Underground Solution (aka Roger Sanchez) and Logic early on. We were already playing and thought the records were hot. Co-founder Gladys Pizzaro had a relationship with all of us. She would go to Mark Finkelstein and say she had something for the label, then Mark would trust her instinct.She had us all in one place: Kerri Chandler, Armand Van Helden, Todd Terry, Roger Sanchez, Kenny Dope and I. Everybody was connected through Gladys, while Mark was the genius behind licensing songs overseas. He was the business man. We had the perfect team. It started with those two and it blew up from there.

In 1991, Sound Factory Bar became the industry hang out spot. It was full with people from the entertainment realm, as well fans. We had Willi Ninja, Robert Tucker, Don Watch as the host, and myself as DJ. There were other guest DJs downstairs at the Funk Hut, and with all that happening, it was incredible. Nothing but energy. Every Wednesday we would see the cream of the crop of New York and who was making all this music. I would then test it out for them to the perfect crowd. It was a match made in heaven.

Kenny Dope: Strictly in New York was a home for a lot of kids to come and bring their music. Gladys used to always be in the Sound Factory Bar when we played that club. There were a lot of times when you played something early and she would pick it up. The kids knew in the neighbourhood and in New York that they could put out a record, and as the label was growing, they could get a cheque and the record would get licensed. They would get the visibility. I remember when Mark and Gladys brought me the first records from the record store. They definitely built up the label. It was that New York sound.

It was also a friendly competition. Someone would come with their new joint and give Louie an acetate or a tape to play it, and I would think, "Ah, I have to top that one, I've got to go in!" It was great to work all those hours and then go to a club and see the reaction first-hand. We also played to test new things that we were working on, to see if the hi-hats needed fixing or if the vocal could be louder. It's good to be able to work, test something, and then fix it. Who has the ability to do that?

DJ Pierre: In the '90s, New York house was deep and soulful. It wasn't 'tracky' at all. But I came around with this rough and edgy Wild Pitch sound that embodied both the drive of a track and the deepness of a soulful track. People did a double take with my material because they weren't really flexing like that! Strictly allowed me to be free. They allowed me to just be. I actually acted as A&R on my own tracks. That's the degree of freedom I had there. So they played a huge role in my beginning.

Strictly was a breath of fresh air coming from Chicago and dealing with labels such as Trax. I missed Chicago and the feeling of home, but I felt like I was dealing with a top notch imprint that was on the rise and willing to take big risks on our music. I made great connections and friendships that I still cherish to this day. Strictly Rhythm has a major role in the making of DJ Pierre.

Roy Davis Jr.: Living in the '90s was such an inspiring time. It was a period when everything felt like a new discovery. Playing and working with some of Strictly Rhythm's greats like DJ Pierre, Masters at Work, and Erick Morillo felt like a real family and part of my musical education.

Working with Strictly taught me the business of the industry and how to be my own boss at a very young age. These were the years I made lifelong relationships that will last forever. I don't think I really ever had a day off working there for a year. It was a machine that was making its own scene from NYC to Chicago and everywhere in between. I never got bored for a single day at Strictly Rhythm.

Erick Morillo: Every record they put out was hot. When you went to a record store, you would literally buy anything they had out. It didn't matter which one dropped that week, you called ahead and made sure they put one away for you because you knew it was going to be good. That was really the vibe of Strictly Rhythm. They helped start a lot of careers, including myself, Armand Van Helden, Roger Sanchez, and others.

They even made it easy for producers to sign records to them. Back in those days, anyone you signed a record with wanted to sign you for three albums. Strictly Rhythm created the one sheet for one track, and that's it. It was the only label where no matter what advance you got, there would always be a royalty payment down the line. You didn't really see that anywhere else. They were honest and obviously had really great ears, for picking up the music that they did. There was nobody like Strictly Rhythm in that era. It was the best dance label in the world.

'Strictly DJ T.: 25 Years of Strictly Rhythm' is out March 1 (Vinyl) and March 8 (4 CD / Digital) on Strictly Rhythm.

Strictly Rhythm is on Facebook** *//* Twitter *// *SoundCloud DJ T.** is on Facebook // Twitter // SoundCloud
Little Louie Vega* is on Facebook // Twitter // *SoundCloud
*Kenny Dope* is on Facebook // Twitter // SoundCloud
DJ Pierre is on Facebook // Twitter // SoundCloud
Roy Davis Jr. is on Facebook // Twitter // SoundCloud
Erick Morillo is on Facebook // Twitter // SoundCloud

Christopher is on Twitter.