Ron Hardy
Ron Hardy | |
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 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | May 8, 1958 |
| Died | March 2, 1992(aged 33) Chicago,Illinois,U.S. |
| Genres | House,disco,soul,funk |
| Occupation(s) | DJ,music producer |
Ron Hardy(May 8, 1958 – March 2, 1992) was an American,Chicago,Illinois-basedDJand record producer of earlyhouse music.He is well known for playing records at the Muzic Box, a Chicago house music club. Decades after his death, he is recognized for his innovative edits and mixes ofdisco,soul music,funkand early house music.
Early career
[edit]Hardy started his career in 1974 in Chicago'sgayclub Den One.[1]Here, with a set-up of twoturntables,a mixer and areel-to-reeltape-deck, he played long nights of underground black dance music. Around 1977, he went to work inLos Angeles.[2]At the end of 1982, when DJFrankie Knucklesleft the Warehouse to open the Power Plant, Ron Hardy DJed at the Warehouse's new location until Robert Williams renamed it "The Music Box."[2]ProducerChip E.introduced Hardy torecordingmusic in 1986 when the two mixed "Donnie" by The It (featuringChip E.,Larry Heard,Robert Owens,andHarri Dennis). From humble beginnings, Hardy's contributions tohouse musicare considered influential.[3]
Mixing style
[edit]While Frankie Knuckles at the Warehouse (and later the Power Plant) had a smooth style of playing, Hardy had less regard for sound quality and would play with a manic energy, mixing everything from classic Philadelphia disco classics,Italo discoimports tonew wave,disco and rock tracks. Hardy also pitched records up way more than Knuckles (pitch being the difference between normal speed and the speed at which the record is currently playing. Usually expressed as + or -, with 8 being maximum/minimum). Techno artistDerrick Mayremembers hearing Hardy playing aStevie Wondercut with the speed at +8.[citation needed]
Hardy's style incorporated constant tension met with release, with a pulsing narrative that enchanted the wild crowds of the Music Box. In contrast to Frankie Knuckles, Hardy's mark on house music was endless energy and using a variety of techniques to keep the audience on their toes. Most notably, when Hardy was playing at the Music Box, it was guaranteed to be loud, as evidenced by first-hand recollections of what a night there felt like: "The Music Box was so loud that anywhere in the club, the bass would physically move you-not just on the dancefloor, butanywherein the club! "[4]All of these factors, including Hardy's own emotional investment in the music, created an intense atmosphere on the dance floor.
Trademarks
[edit]Hardy played a lot of reel-to-reel edits and was always tweaking the soundsystem and playing with theEQ.A Ron Hardy trademark was playing a track backwards.Theo Parrishand several others have said that he did this by turning the needle upside down and putting the record on a cylinder so the needle played the underside of the record, although Stacey Collins says that he did this by using areel-to-reel.[citation needed]Hardy's residence-club The Music Box was also known for its loud sound.[citation needed]
Favorite song selections in early 1980s
[edit]Hardy opened his nights with "Welcome to the Pleasuredome"byFrankie Goes to Hollywood.Among the classic disco that was a staple in Chicago clubs at the time, typical tracks one could also hear him play wereVisage- "Frequency 7",Klein & MBO- "Dirty Talk",ESG- "Moody",Patrick Adams- "Big Phreek",Liquid Liquid- "Optimo",First Choice- "Let No Man Put Asunder", "Ain't No Mountain High Enough",Eurythmics- "Sweet Dreams"andTalk Talk- "It's My Life".Hardy also playedelectronic body musicacts likeNitzer Ebb.[citation needed]
Beginnings of Chicago house
[edit]In the first half of the 1980s, many Chicago DJs and clubgoers started experimenting with creating their own rhythm tracks. DJs would play these homemade tracks, and subsequently, house music was born in Chicago. Hardy would often get the hottestacetatesand tapes. Chicago producers, includingMarshall Jefferson,Larry Heard,Adonis,Phuture'sDJ PierreandChip E.,all debuted a lot of their compositions at The Muzic Box. WhenDJ Pierreand his friends Herb andSpankycreated a weird squelching rhythm track from aRoland TB 303bassline machine, they gave this track to Hardy. The first time he played it, the dancers left the floor. Hardy played the track three more times that night, and by the fourth time the audience was going crazy.[5]The track became known as "Acid Tracks", and released under the band namePhuture.[5]
Hardy played a lot of the same tracks his DJ peers in Chicago played. However his combative DJ style, loud volume, experimentation with new music and the general atmosphere of The Music Box makes him to be considered a pioneer in the house music genre.[citation needed]Hardy continued a successful DJ-residency at The Music Box until the end of the 1980s and quickly changed his playlist to encompass more and more house music.[6]
Later life and death
[edit]In 1987, a city law requiring after-hours clubs to close nightly at the same time as bars (which has since been rescinded) was passed. The Music Box closed that year. After the closure of the club, Hardy continued to DJ at various events around Chicago. He also battled with heroin addiction. He died of anAIDS-related illness on March 2, 1992.[2]
In 2004, twobootleg12 "records were released with" Ron's edits "and in 2005, Partehardy Records, run by his nephew Bill released authentic edits not heard in over 20 years. There is also another bootleg series of edits called" Music Box ", containing either genuine Hardy re-edits or tributes by other DJs imitating his editing style. DJTheo Parrishalso made a series of tribute-remixes called "Ugly Edits" some of which bear a striking resemblance to Hardy's re-edits. These have been bootlegged too. Some of DJ Harvey's Black Cock edits records are tributes to Hardy's edits as well.
In addition to his DJ mixes, long-buried original productions have also come to light—among them, "Throwback 87", a collaboration between Ron Hardy and Gene Hunt.
Ron Hardy has a section dedicated to him on the second DVD of the DJ documentaryMaestro.
References
[edit]- ^Jacob Arnold (December 5, 2014)."The Den: Ron Hardy's First Year as a DJ".RBMA Daily.Archived fromthe originalon April 7, 2019.
- ^abcColin Larkin,ed. (2003).The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music(Third ed.).Virgin Books.p. 236.ISBN1-85227-969-9.
- ^Bill Brewster, Frank Broughton (2000).Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey.Grove Press.ISBN0-8021-3688-5.
- ^Bill Brewster, Frank Broughton (2000). Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey. Grove Press.ISBN0-8021-3688-5.
- ^abArnold 2015.
- ^Jacob Arnold (May 18, 2015)."Ron Hardy at The Music Box".RBMA Daily.Archived fromthe originalon April 7, 2019.
Sources
[edit]- Arnold, Jacob (May 18, 2015)."Ron Hardy at The Music Box".Red Bull Music Academy.Archivedfrom the original on April 7, 2019.RetrievedAugust 12,2020.
External links
[edit]- 1986 set at the Muzic Box
- Ron Hardy Mixesat Gridface.
- Interview with Ron's Nephewat Gridface.
- Interview with Music Box employee VERBat Gridface.
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