True House Stories® Youtube & Spotify Video Podcast
TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ BRUCE FOREST
Bruce Forest interviewed by Lenny Fontana for True House Stories® # 045
Part 1
DJ Bruce Forest who was destined to work in medicine winds up quitting and pushes forward to work in the music industry. He was always one step ahead of the game and became the resident DJ at The Better Days Disco replacing the legendary DJ Tee Scott.
He shares with us in this part his beginnings of playing music in the late 1970’s in Syracuse New York learning the craft and shaping his skills at the club in town. His Wednesday night gig became so busy they moved him to prime-time Saturday nights.
Part 2
Bruce Forest apart from the other DJ’s of that time. He was very scientific in how he approached everything that he used multiple sound sources such as Keyboards, samplers, drum machines and effect units to remix records live in the club. At Better Days Disco this is were he meets David Cole who regularly played the keyboards live alongside Bruce as he DJ’d.
Bruce and the club was hugely responsible for breaking some of the first house tracks to come out from Steve Silk Hurley around 1983, which was way ahead of its time before other clubs and DJ’s even picked up on them. Learn about how Bruce met his beloved wife Mitzy who he has been happily married to.
Bruce shares the story of the recording of Loleatta Holloway from her live performance at the club and how the tape was stolen, copied and how Junior Vasquez released it as Ellis D.
Steve Silk Hurley, Francois Kevorkian, and David Morales were such inspirations to Bruce. Bruce eventually leaves the music industry and turns his sights to the internet in the early 1990s and helped developed brands such as Netflix, Vimeo and the internet. This man is a true legend so catch the show to hear all about Bruce Forest’s journey. Tune in to find out why…
Bruce Forest YouTube Video Part 1
Bruce Forest YouTube Video Part 2
Biography Bruce Forest
Bruce Forest, American DJ/producer who replaced the late Tee Scott as the resident DJ at NYC’s Better Days, a primarily Black Gay discotheque near Times Square.
His first remix ever was UDM – To Please You from 1982, and he often would do a special mix for the club, run over and play it fresh off the tape to gauge reaction, then go back to the studio to fine tune. He remixed/produced hundreds of records, and was involved in production of the very first Chicago house releases.
He moved to the UK in 1989, played guest spots at Astoria, Land of Oz and other London venues. He lived across the street from SARM West studios in London, bringing a NY feel to British artists like Elton John and Paul McCartney, while still making serious club records for Virgin’s More Protein label.
He was married in 1991, and decided to leave music production in 1994 to go full time into digital media technology, specifically music and film distribution on the net. He moved back to the States in 1995, and he still loves to go back to his DJ roots.
FOLLOW BRUCE FOREST
Red Bull Music
From the Operating Room to the Dancefloor: An Interview with Bruce Forest.
From the DJ History archives: the aspiring doctor-turned-DJ on Tee Scott, Better Days and the genius of Ron Hardy:
https://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2019/01/interview-bruce-forest