By Al Bottcher
As dance music enters it's Third Decade one thing remains constant through these years of various music styles, "The Beat, The Beat, The Beat"! Delivering up The Beat over these past decades is the humble 12-inch single. This Vinyl Wonder offers both Durability & Superior Sound Quality. Best of all it features Previously Unavailable Mixes for both DJ's & Music collectors for this Unique Single. Today the 12-inch single remains a fixture in the Pop & Dance Music Scene throughout the World, yet it's introduction to music is a still rather a Recent one!
The innovation of the U.S.A. 12-inch single was originally created by a few small record companies and by the disc jockey's desire to offer the music fan a longer dance version in the disco nightclubs. Many 7-inch singles in the early 70's averaged a mere three minutes long, hardly enough time for the patrons to get out of their chair and hit the dance floor! So a few D.J.'s conceived a longer mix by meshing two 7-inch singles of the same song together "live" on their turntables to lengthen their patron's favorite song, and of course Without Missing a Beat!
One notable DJ in this Pioneering Mixing Innovation was Tom Moulton. Many Collectors may know his name from the hundreds of great disco mixes he produced on 7-inch single in the 1975-76 Era highlighting "A Tom Moulton Mix"!
Although many D.J.'s aspired to perfect his Mixing Methods & Style, few succeeded on a nightly basis. When record promoters became aware of this inconsistency, they worked together with the Best Mixing D.J.'s to solve this problem.
Record labels required a "Special Tool" to showcase their new single or lp release. These longer mixes gave their recording artist more play time in the clubs. The Job Requirement of these Early Remixers was to create "Longer Intro's & The break Beat" in the middle or end of the song acting as a mix-out point for club DJ's. Many were remixed "Live (Record to Record)" without compromising the original sound & song structure. As successful as these DJ's were, many record labels unfortunately failed to recognize the mixers importance in these final production stages, and as a result they were not credited on the label.
Debuting in late 1974 the original "Extended Mix Single" first appeared as a U.S.A. Promotional Only 7-inch single. It proved to be a Great Addition to the D.J.'s Musical Arsenal, as well as an instant sale for the shorter commercial release available in the record store! Although very few "7-inch Extended Mix" titles were ever commercially released, the sound fidelity of the 33-1/3 or 45 rpm single was inferior and picked up many of the imperfections in the vinyl pressing.
So in the early 1975 the nightclub DJ's rallied a few small record labels and recording engineers to make up Test Pressings of these special mixes on a 12-inch Vinyl Single for their superior Audio Fidelity. These Rare Promotional Only Blank Label Pressings became very popular with DJ's! At the same time the Dance Music Fan's desire to purchase these Special Extended Mixes heard the the night before created a Collector's Market, and soon commanded a High Value. A few DJ's quickly acknowledged this demand and offered these Special 45 RPM Disco Mixes along with other top hits of the day to Disco Music Fans in a Non-Stop Dance Mix on Bootleg 8-track and Cassette Tapes to the frustration of the original record label. Many record companies countered these bootleg tapes by releasing some of these same Promotional Only Extended Mixes on Compilation LP's, sometimes in a non-stop mix to simulate A Night At The Disco. But often these special LP Releases came out several months after the song charted and had lost it's Initial Selling Potential.
One New York label envisioned offering these special 12-inch Limited Edition Pressings of their new artists release to the public and in early 1976 Salsoul Records began distributing them to Record Stores around the country at a List Price of $2.98. Many stores had expected Little Demand for this expensive "Dare To Be Different" single, but these oversized "Vinyl Hot Cakes" flew off the griddle and the rest they say is Dance Music History!
As the Disco Sound & Lifestyle hit full speed in 1977 many New Disco Releases followed from both large and small record labels giving the Best Mixing DJ's the opportunity to create a name for themselves though the Special Mixes they crafted, also adding their Personal Style to these club hits. Most notable in this era was Jim Burgess, Larry Levan, Jimmy Simpson, John Luongo, David Todd, Walter Gibbons, Rick Gianatos, Richie Rivera and of course Tom Moulton. Where as most Remixers had been previously involved in the post production phase of a single release, the succes of these DJ's Remix Style & Sound found many record labels consulting first with the mixer before actually releasing the 7-inch single or LP track. Also during this time the DJ's involvement shifted from the "Live" mixing method to the more technical In-Studio Remixing or splicing of the master tape. The Mixer's job now not only required his Creative Vision, but also the Technical Ability in the studio for these Special Mixes. The Record Speed Standard was also slowed to 33-1/3 rpm as the original master tapes offered Studio Quality 12-inch Productions.
Although these 1976-78 Limited Edition 12-inch Single Pressings were originally designed to sell LP's, most didn't and they would often times out sell the LP release. This forced many major labels to change their 12-inch single release programs and offer only occasional Limited Edition Commercial Pressings. A practice that continued throughout the Disco, Funk and New Wave Era's. As a result Many of the Most Desired Titles prior to 1983 were released as Promotional Only Copies featuring Special Mixes for Radio Station or Nightclub Use only. Throughout the "Disco is Dead" period of 1980-83 New Music Styles brought 12-inch releases in the U.S.A. to a trickle from major record labels. However a few small Independent Dance Labels such as Prelude, Salsoul and West End continued their 70's Disco Succes well into the early 80's offering many Dance Classic Hits on 12-inch single only, and serving notice to all the major labels that Dance Music was Still Alive and Well!
This new Resurgence of Dance Music in 1983 allowed many New Artists Releases on U.S.A. major record labels to be sold once again commercially. Now offering these otherwise Unavailable Special Mixes and Non-LP tracks in a Special Limited Edition 12-inch Release to collectors of All Music Genres!!!
Now some 20 Years After its introduction the 12-inch single still offers a "Dare To Be Different" approach for Pop, Rock and Dance Music Fans throughout the world!
Though the music has changed often in style, "the Beat" and "Special Tool" remain the same today offering Multiple Mixes featuring 3-16 remix versions on a single, double, & triple 12-inch single set to fill the DJ's Arsenal of Pop, Techno, & House Dance Music as featured in the clubs each night! The many Promotional Only Mixes give the DJ's Something Special to Highlight as he leads us on his Personal Journey into the World of Dance Music. All of which keeps the Dance Music Collector rushing off to the local record store seeking our latest passion. And The Beat Goes On!
Today Remixers have become Larger Than Life to both club DJ's and collectors alike. Their talented insight for a Good Groove, Mixing Style & Trend Setting Post Production Skills have given 80's mixers Arthur Baker, John "Jellybean" Benitez, Shep Pettibone, David Morales, Steve "Silk" Hurley and Robert Cliviles (C + C Music Factory) the opportunity to produce their musical visions for our dancing pleasure. A few have taken it a step further by touring night clubs as DJ Superstars, playing night after night displaying their amazing mixing techniques to S.R.O. audiences throughout the world. Their ability to sell records on Mixing Styles alone without regard to the original recording artist note their status in both the dance community & musical industry today. Yet all would not exist without the early Disco Mix Innovations that made it all possible through One Mans Pioneering Efforts and Vision. Tom Moulton, the Dance Music World Salutes You!
Al Bottcher Beach Bum Collectables
The above text is copyrighted by Al Bottcher and appears here through his kind permission. Al has been involved with Disco Music since its beginning in 1974 and currently operates Beach Bum Collectibles which specializes in selling Classic Disco & Dance records.