The Man Behind the Vinyl
DJ Joey Carvello is one of the resident DJs for Mobile Mondays at Bowery Electric. Aside from that and being an avid vinyl record collector, he works at radio stations, does consulting work, creates radio promotion, creates campaigns for artists and producers and has worked with record labels for years.
As a DJ, Carvello plays strictly vinyl, and always has. He’s about to perform on stage in Lincoln Center with Jody Watley on June 25. This will be an outdoor concert and promises to be amazing, the best concert of the summer.
Aside from all that, Carvello is about to debut his first book, “The Boston Hustle – That’s Disco Before Travolta.” It was truly an honor talking to a man with so much knowledge. He was just so much fun!
H
ow long have you been a DJ?
I started DJing in 1974, but I don’t look it.
No, you don’t.
I don’t know why or how [with] the kind of lifestyle I led for the first 30 years. I’m still alive! It’s definitely the music.
You’re a record collector as well.
I am a record collector, and I’m in the music business. I have a lot of things going on. I’m actually getting ready to manufacture vinyl with Rhino Records. This vinyl thing is just getting so hot, so big.
So you always use only vinyls?
I used Serato twice, but as a DJ it just didn’t feel right to me. I respect the other DJs—I call them digital programmers. If they can make money just pushing buttons, God bless them.
So you’re included with Mobile Mondays each Monday?
I’m a co-resident there, and my role is to “set the table.” I usually do from 10 to 12, and I set the tone for the night. I basically do disco and soul dance. I just picked up another gig at The Black Rose on Fridays from 12 to 4, and it’s all disco.
Tell me a little about Lincoln Center.
I lived on the Upper West Side for years. I always stopped by The Midsummer Night Swing, and now there it is. I’ll be playing at Lincoln Center with Jody Watley and Shalamar. I’m really, really excited about it. I’m pumped. You know, she’s going to attract a crowd that I play for. And it’s great to see her so active again.
She’s also the nicest person in the world, Ms. Watley.
I keep hearing that.
So what do you like best about being a DJ?
Making people dance. When you DJ, you can look out there, and I love to snap their head around to the booth, and you know that you’ve touched them. That means so much to me. Sometimes it’s not about how many people you make dance, it’s how many people you put around the booth. “OMG, that song there is when I met my girlfriend” or “It’s a song that we danced to.” It gives people the music of their lives. You give them memories. When you play those records, you start those memories. I love to make them scream. I love to make them sweat. It’s how you affect the crowd, how you make their night. It’s especially wonderful when they come up to you and say thank you.
Do you take requests?
Oh, sure I do. If I have them, I’ll play them, and I’m very courteous about it if I don’t. If somebody’s rude to me…indifference!
How did you start DJing?
I needed a job. I was always into R&B. Growing up I listened to my mom and dad’s collection, and there was one group they had called The Ink Spots, and then Motown came out. I grew up in a predominantly Italian neighborhood, and I had to hide the fact that I listened to black music. I could never hear that music when I went to the white clubs. Then all of a sudden I heard about this club that played black music for the white folks that liked black music. It was home to me, and I loved it. I started going out and buying all those records. I started collecting those records. When we had a house party with my friends, they asked me to play records. Then my friend picked up a paper and saw they were looking for a DJ in this club called Yesterdays. So I got dressed up, I went and auditioned. I didn’t know what I was doing. They liked the list that I had, and they gave me a chance. That was August of 1974, and I never looked back.
