Larry Levan

Quick Facts

Full Name	Larry Levan
Occupation	DJ
Date Of Birth	Jul 20, 1954(1954-07-20)
Age	70
Date Of Death	November 8, 1992, Manhattan, New York, NY
Birthplace	New York
Country	United States
Birth City	New York
Horoscope	Cancer

Larry Levan Biography

Larry Levan is one of the most popular and richest DJ who was born on July 20, 1954 in New York, New York, United States. American DJ most recognized for his 10-year residency at NYC hot spot Paradise Garage.

He has incorporated many different artists into his sets, including sampling tracks by artist Chaka Khan.

Levan was born at Brooklyn Jewish Hospital, New York, to Minnie (née Levan) and Lawrence Philpot. He has an older brother Isaac and sister Minnie who are biological twins. He was born with a congenital heart condition and suffered from asthma from a very young age which would make him prone to fainting in class. Although a fragile young boy, he excelled in math and physics, leaving an impression on his teachers that he would become an inventor one day. He inherited his love for music from his mother who loved blues, jazz, and gospel music, and he was able to use a record player from the age of three. As his mother reflects, “I’d make him put records on so that we could dance together.” While attending Erasmus Hall High School in the late 1960s and early 1970s, as the neighborhood of Flatbush transitioned to a predominantly African-American population due to white flight, the flamboyantly vanguard Levan (who dyed his hair orange nearly a decade before the ascendance of punk rock), was frequently bullied by his classmates. Eventually, he dropped out of high school and found assuagement in Harlem’s longstanding ball culture as a dressmaker, where he first became acquainted with fellow designer and lifelong best friend Frankie Knuckles.

At the height of the disco boom in 1977, Levan was offered a residency at the Paradise Garage. Although owner Michael Brody—who employed Levan at the defunct Reade Street in 1976, where he “developed the techniques as well as the sound – the deep, dark bass, the queasy, dubby emotion that he would extract from records – that would make him a legend”—intended to create a downtown facsimile of Studio 54 catering to an upscale white gay clientele, the new venue initially drew an improbable mix of streetwise blacks, Latinos, and punks after a disastrous opening night alienated the target demographic; according to Mel Cheren of West End Records, Brody’s former companion and a silent partner in the venture, “The sound equipment got stuck in a blizzard at an airport in Louisville, Kentucky. And people were kept outside in 17-degree weather. Some of them never came back… the club didn’t really take on the atmosphere that people remember it for until 1980.”

He was born in New York.

Larry Levan Net Worth

Larry Levan is one of the richest DJ from United States. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Larry Levan 's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: December 11, 2023)

He got his start spinning alongside Frankie Knuckles at the Continental Baths.

After seeing many of his friends die during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, he became increasingly dependent on drugs like PCP and Heroin.

Larry Levan (/l ə ˈ v æ n / ; born Lawrence Philpot, July 20, 1954 – November 8, 1992) was an American DJ best known for his decade-long residency at the New York City night club Paradise Garage, which has been described as the prototype of the modern dance club. He developed a cult following who referred to his sets as “Saturday Mass”. Influential post-disco DJ François Kevorkian credits Levan with introducing the dub aesthetic into dance music. Along with Kevorkian, Levan experimented with drum machines and synthesizers in his productions and live sets, ushering in an electronic, post-disco sound that presaged the ascendence of house music. He DJ’d at Club Zanzibar in the 1980s as well, home to the Jersey Sound brand of deep house or garage house.

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

Larry Levan height Not available right now. Larry weight Not Known & body measurements will update soon.

Who is Larry Levan Dating?

According to our records, Larry Levan is possibily single & has not been previously engaged. As of December 1, 2023, Larry Levan’s is not dating anyone.

Relationships Record : We have no records of past relationships for Larry Levan. You may help us to build the dating records for Larry Levan!

Levan informed his mother in June 1992 that he had “lived a good life” and was “ready to die”. Having been mildly injured on the Japanese tour, he was voluntarily hospitalized at Beth Israel Medical Center following his return to New York. Three days after being released into the care of his mother, he was re-hospitalized at Beth Israel with hemorrhoid symptoms. He died, aged 38, of heart failure caused by endocarditis at 6:15 p.m. EST, on Sunday, November 8, 1992.

Facts & Trivia

Larry Ranked on the list of most popular DJ. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in United States. Larry Levan celebrates birthday on July 20 of every year.

In September 2004, Levan was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame for his outstanding achievement as a DJ.

Why did the Paradise Garage close?

The impact of the AIDS epidemic and changes in music, as well as the fact that Brody was diagnosed with AIDS , affected the Paradise Garage. On September 26, 1987, the club closed, two months before Brody died.

What type of music did Larry Levan play at the Paradise Garage?

For 10 years from 1977 to 1987, Levan was the star attraction at New York’s legendary Paradise Garage, writing himself into clubbing lore with swashbuckling DJ sets that took in minimal underground disco, funky rock, dub and synth-pop , which foreshadowed the house music revolution.

Who started Paradise Garage?

The 10,000 square feet (930 m2) club was founded by sole proprietor Michael Brody , and occupied a building formerly located at 84 King Street in the SoHo neighborhood. It operated from 1977 to 1987 and featured notable resident DJ Larry Levan.

Who owns West End Records?

West End Records was acquired by Verse music group in 2010.

What turntables did Larry Levan use?

Technics 1100 or 1200s were mostly used by the smaller discos and block party DJs, but for influential DJs like Levan or Mancuso the Thorens T125s belt drive turntables were preferred. Thorens, a German brand of turntables, were famed for being difficult to mix on.