Anyone who has any more than a passing inbterest in disco music should know the name John Morales. Born and raised in the Bronx, he immersed himself in the music scene as disco was about to explode, contributed to the re-edit/medley acetate craze of the day, DJed in some of New York's most important clubs, before going on to carve a very successful career producing and mixing for a diverse range of artists from Jocelyn Brown to Tina Turner. Faith magazine asked me to interview him a while back. So I did. And this is what he said...

Where did your love of music come from?

It was acquired from my parents. They always had a radio on in the house and being that I am from Puerto Rican Parents the music was Spanish. Of course I would mess with the stations and hear the latest '60s tunes.

When was this?

From about the age of twelve.

And what kind of music were you listening to?

I just loved music in general. All music, no matter what it was. The Beatles, James Brown ,The Hollies, The Temptations, The Monkees...

You worked in a record store at an early age right? How did you get the job?

Well I remember when I was in middle school, about 7th or 8th grade, I used to walk on a street that had this awesome record shop. It was called Stan's Records on 154 St in the Bronx. I used to go there every day after school to hear all the latest 45s. One day I asked if they needed any help and Stan said they could use someone after school for a few hours.

Did you get paid??

He would pay me in 45s - I was in heaven! I used to get eight records that I'd pick out at the end of the week.

So how did the DJing come about?

I always loved music and like many frustrated musicians used to play the guitar. I was gonna be the next jimi Hendrix! Guess that didn't happen, so I constantly looked for ways to get into the music. I was always into gadgets so I built all my own equipment and started to play records in my room. I remember the Dynaco & Heath kits you used to buy and put them together. They were really cheap, but good.

Dynaco & Heath kits?

In the '70s there were these audio kits that allowed you to build your own amplifier and pre-amp. It was cheaper than buying them and they were pretty good quality. I loved building things so really enjoyed the challenge of putting them together. And yes, they did work after I finished!

How did you learn to mix? Did you hear other DJs?

At first I used to just let a record go almost to the end and then fade in another record. In the early days it was more about selection that blending or technique. I really only started to blend in the early �80s.

Were you aware of other DJs though, like Walter Gibbons and Nicky Siano who were blending records?

I knew of them but didn't go to see them spin often till the mid to late '70s. Mostly I stayed in the Bronx and upper manhatan working for the first few years. I used to only really go to the city to get records.

But you went to clubs?

Well I went to many not well known clubs back then in the Bronx, a lot of after hours clubs. I did go to all the popular clubs in the '80s: 54, Funhouse, Limelight, The Garage, and so on.

So, how did you get gigs?

By constantly hounding club and bar owners, offering to play for free so they could see what I could do. The only problem was they never wanted to pay! I played in all kinda clubs and bars at all hours of the day and night.

You're well known for your edits and medleys, when did you start editing?

Probably around 1974-75. Right around the time I started to work in Roller Skating Rinks.

How did you learn to edit tape?

The first re-edits I did were using the pause button on a cassette. That was a chore! Trying to figure out how much lag time there was between letting it go and when it would actually record. Then I got my Reel to Reel, a SONY TC-730 and learned to edit tape after many hours of trials, experiments and errors.

Why did you do it?

Well, DJing back then was not a one or two hour job, but sometimes eight to fifteen hours depending on where you were. It was getting tough playing some of the records over and over so I needed to figure a way to make them longer. With the help of a cassette player pause button and later editing tape, the Sunshine acetates were born.

Sunshine Sounds cut your acetates; Did you plan to cut them when you began editing?

I didn't have a clue Sunshine Sounds existed!

How did you find out about it?

I really can't remember, but I think it was during one of my visits into the city to get records. Sunshine was housed in a building that also had a few record companies. I would usually go into the city once a week to try to get promos from the labels.

What else did they do at Sunshine?

Their primary business was cutting acetates for the record companies. They had a small office and they eventually did a sideline of cutting acetates for DJs.

Did you press the first edits you did, or were there others you kept on tape?

I did try to press most of what I did. The primary reason they were created was to use them at the club to play. I still have almost all the mixes I did on 1/4 in tape and cassette. Its unbelievable to see it now.

You must've spent a lot of time on those edits?

It would depend on how complex I wanted the edit to be. Some I could just bang out if It was merely trying to make a song longer. Or in the case of a medley it could take days to plot out and put together. If you've heard the early medleys Im sure you can tell.

How many do you think you did?

I probably did about 25-30. They were mostly edits though, the medleys were very time consuming to do.

Sunshine sold acetate edits too - How many copies were pressed of your edits?

I don't know exactly how many but would say a lot. After a whle I had an arrangement with Frank where he would sell the acetates at Sunshine and give me $1 for each one he sold. I remember once a guy from Canada came down and bought 100 copies of a mix of In the Bush I did.

Did you buy other edits from there?

Not really I usually just took my stuff there to get pressed.

Did you meet other DJs hanging out there?

Most definitely. In the late '70s when DJs started to hear about it they started to go there to get some of the mixes. I met my dear friend there, Ray Pinky Velasquez. But I didn't hang out there much. I went there to get my acetates and pretty much left.

How did the remixing come about?

In 1978 I was doing a lot of the Sunshine acetates and Frank the owner told Greg Carmichael & Patrick Adams about me. Their office was right across the hall. I went to meet Greg and he invited me to the studio for my first mix, I'm Caught Up by (Inner) Life. After that I did many mixes for Greg And Patrick.

How did you know what to do??? I guess there was an engineer to guide you?

Well I knew what I wanted to hear and had to explain it to the engineer, who would hopefully make my ideas come alive. By the mid '80s I started to engineer my own sessions. I was fortunate to work alongside a lot of great engineers from who I sponged and learned as much as I could.

How would you describe the "John Morales sound"?

I would say the John Morales and the M&M sound is very percussive and drum driven. Maybe because of my Puerto Rican background and growing up hearing Latin rhythms in the house all the time. Guess that's how it was born.

OK, M&M - Morales & Munzibai. How and when did you meet Sergio?

I first met Sergio at a radio station called WBLS. I was one of the DJs doing their On Radio Dance Mix shows, which usually ran at mid-day and during the weekends. Sergio was also a DJ in NY and NJ, but I never saw him spin back then or knew him before we met.. We first worked together in 1982, after we met up at Blank Tape Studios, where we used to check out what each other was doing, eventually becoming good friends.

What was the first record you worked on together?

The first record we did together was Mikki 'Itching for love'

And how would you describe the M&M sound? Did it change with Sergio's involvement?

No, the sound didn't change. It just kept evolving as technology grew. It was always percussion based with lots of breaks and drop outs.

Sadly Sergio passed away in 1993. Were you still working together?

No, Sergio and I went our separate ways about 3 or 4 years before he passed.

Did you continue on your own?

Yes, most definitely. I kept woring for a few more years till I got sick..

You had to stop?

I stopped in the mid '90s due to some health problems I developed along with the proverbial burn out factor. I was just doing way too much..

But you're back in the studio now. What made you return?

I've always loved music. It never left my heart. It just wiped me out. Now I'm re-energized and ready to go back out into the mean world better equipped and with better support. I need to thank Paul Simpson who gave me the spark and opportunity to start again.. he is a true friend. And most of all my dear wife Gail. Without her support, encouragement and love it would have never happened..

I hear you've been working on something pretty special?

Yes. I've just completed mixing Marvin Gaye's lost "Love Man" sessions for a forthcoming anniversary edition of "In Our Lifetime," Marvin's last album for Motown.

Wow! How did that come about?

That was thanks to my friend Paul Simpson. We were mixing something together, but he had to leave before we got finished. He asked me to finish up and gave me the number of the guy to call when I was done. Well, the guy came to pick up the tapes and stayed for a meal. Over dinner he mentioned he had something else I might be interested in. When he told me what it was I couldn't have jumped any faster!

So how many records did you work on over the years, both alone and as part of M&M?

I have been involved in I would say almost 500 records

Sadly that's all the space we've got. And we've only just scratched the surface of John's 30 odd year career. If only we'd had space to talk more about Greg Carmichael, Patrick Adams, Began Cekic, Leroy Burgess. Damn! A heartfelt thanks to John for taking the time to do this interview. For a full discography of John's work check his website www.johnmoralesmix.com

LISTEN TO JOHN'S SALSOUL LISTENING PARTY MIX

LISTEN TO JOHN'S SUNSHINE SOUNDS EDIT OF

IT'S A BETTER THAN GOOD TIME

The above interview was done in 2006. This year, 2010 saw the release of "The M&M mixes" on BBE, a retrospective of some of John's work, a lot of which was previously unissued... Below are the sleevenotes from the album. Thanks to BBE for sharing.

"30 years! Has it really been that long since I stepped into my first recording studio," reflects a nostalgic John Morales from his basement studio in New Jersey. "It was a late night in 1978, when I walked into Nola Recording Studio on 57th Street in Manhattan to see Greg Carmichael and Patrick Adams, and there on the other side of the glass, was a young Jocelyn Brown. The song they were working on was 'Caught Up (In A One Night Love Affair)'. Little did I know the magic that was being created that night, and the impact that session would have on my life".

He left the studio the following morning walking into the pressure cooker that was New York rush-hour traffic, straining in the bright daylight after a night locked within a sound proofed studio. Yet far from tired, he was energized and invigorated with only one thought on his mind. "I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and from that day on, and for the next few years I was at just about every single session that Greg and Patrick had." In near stalker mode he followed the two hottest producers on the circuit from studio-to-studio, befriending and assisting them with his creativity, knowledge and studio-proficiency. "John is certainly one of the angels in my life," confirms Patrick Adams, one of the stalwarts and leading lights on the then burgeoning disco scene. "At the time that John was involved with us, I always felt that my work was in good hands," he continues. "The original process of 're-mixing records' was intended to provide an alternative listening experience which had been optimized for people who went out to dance at discos. John was one of the early pioneers who loved music, understood his craft and had respect for the creative work from which his mixes were derived."

Their union would result in Morales collaborating on the majority of Carmichael's and Adam's work during those heady years, including working on recordings for the likes of Inner Life, Logg, the Universal Robot Band, Bumble Bee Unlimited, Conversion, Musique, and Wish � the majority centred around the vocal dexterity of Jocelyn Brown and Leroy Burgess. "John Morales is the beginning of Jocelyn Brown," enthuses the songstress in her typically larger-than-life persona. "We started out with a demo of 'Caught Up' and there it began. He knew how to record and work the sound of my voice like no other engineer has. John was the reason I stayed in the studio with Inner Life; he made each day that we were together a wonderful and exciting adventure. Being a singer is one thing, but being an artist is another. He made me see the difference and how to apply the talent that I had to the knowledge he had to our music. People never forget the songs we did together and the feeling that went with the songs. And throughout it there was one constant: John Morales was there for every session: first one in and last one out. ! I am so happy to have had this chance in my life with him and how it all still is so important in the recording business after 30 years. I will always know him as a part of my family and most of all, the one who believed in me, and my voice."

Similarly it's by no means a one-way street with the mutate appreciation for each other's respective talents: "In my opinion Jocelyn has one of the greatest voices of all time," continues Morales. "I spent a lot of time in the studio watching her sing, and words cannot describe the feeling of hearing her flawless work. She always gives 110 %, and then some; she's a true professional and a creative genius with her voice, to me Jocelyn's voice is so unique and powerful you can pick her out of a crowd of thousands. Jocelyn is my angel. From the first day I met her, I was blown away by her amazing talent and I am proud to call her my friend for over 30-years."

30-years ago the music world was a very different place from where we are today. Yet for every chart hit that pounded into the public's consciousness, there were dozens of far superior tracks being played at a hard-to-find basement club. Some of these cuts would enter the lower regions of the charts six months later; others would remain deliciously obscure and cause an ethereal trance-like beauty to envelop the disco fanatic whenever they were obsessively discussed in terms of the hair-raising highs they engendered on the dancefloor. Chances were many were touched by the skilled hands of John Morales.

Born into a hard working Puerto Rican household in the Bronx, at the start of the rock 'n' roll era, Morales, like many children of the era, was fascinated by this new art-form that was saturating the airwaves and rebelling parents everywhere. So in love with the music he heard, as a 12-year old he persuaded his local record store to give him a part-time job with payment not in dollars, but in 45s. By the time he was old enough to get a full-time job his burgeoning record collection had helped land him one of his first DJ gigs at the influential Stardust Ballroom in the Bronx (his father had earlier owned a bar in Jersey City where John had first got the DJ bug). As his reputation grew Morales was invited downtown to Manhattan to play guest spots at the likes of Pippins, Bentleys, 1018, Limelight and the infamous Studio 54.

Like many DJs of the '70s, John ventured into the studio more through need than necessity: "I started to make medleys and remixes because the records in those days were too short, most in the 3 minute range, and being a DJ I needed to get more out of the records I was spinning. I first started editing using the pause button on a cassette deck, and then I graduated up and I purchased a used Sony quarter inch reel-to-reel tape recorder and really learned to edit properly on that. It was hard work and long hours editing and putting all the little pieces of tape together and making something creative happen. Reflecting now, I realize how important it was to what I would later do. It taught me a lot about what I wanted to do and how to do it, so that by the time I got in a real studio I was virtually a whiz at editing tape much to the amazement of some of the engineers I worked with."

But it was in the studio environment that Morales truly excelled, while his now infamous 'Deadly Medleys' and 'Sunshine Acetate Medleys' brought him to the attention of Greg Carmichael and Patrick Adams, who were impressed by the hunger and desire of the self-taught engineer. "My first credited mix was Inner Life's 'Caught Up (In A One Night Love Affair)', even though I had worked on a few other tracks before that, but I hadn't been credited, like 'Dance And Shake Your Tambourine' for the Universal Robot Band and Musique's 'In The Bush'."

Bob Blank, engineer and owner of the now legendary Blank Tapes studios on 20th Street in NYC where half of disco's greatest records were recorded, picks up the story. "Back then one of the problems with mixing was that it was unsung. For every album credit that I did get, there were three or four that I didn't. It was much more about the artist name then who worked with them. John's modesty has kept him from the acclaim that he justly deserves. One of the things about John that I admire so much is that he was a catalyst in making a lot of this stuff happen, particularly with his work with Greg and Patrick. Patrick Adams is a brilliant arranger, a good engineer, and an excellent songwriter. Whereas Greg Carmichael was very good at surrounding himself with talented people who did the things that they do well."

"John is also very modest: for years he would come to my studio and be hanging out in the lounge, fast asleep or propped up just waiting. I'd say to him, "What are you waiting for?" and he'd say, "Until the end of the session so that I can get a reference mix for myself." I told him that may be several hours from now, and to go in there and tell them you've got to leave... but he was more than happy just to wait for these guys."

The wait paid off, and several of the masters on this album are direct reference copy mixes from those original sessions. "After the mixes were completed for the label I'd stay behind in the studio and make up additional mixes that I could use myself when DJing, or on the radio" Morales adds. "I'd run off reels of out-takes and pieces that I could edit into the mixes to make them longer and unique, I would be in there till I got kicked out. This is what is on this CD - the JM After-Session M+M Mix - along with unique tracks that were never released." These include his original demo mix of the Universal Robot Band's boogie classic, 'Barely Breaking Even'; along with restylings of Logg's Leroy Burgess-sung 'You Got (That Something)' and Inner Life's archetypal cover of the Ashford & Simpson standard, 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' fronted by Jocelyn Brown.

"The Universal Robot Band's 'I Wanna Be Your Lover' and La-Rita Gaskin's 'Never Can Say Goodbye' were intended for album releases after 'Barely Breakin' Even' and Wish's 'Nice & Soft' were respectively released" recalls Morales. "That never materialized, nor did many others I have, that I hope to share with you on future releases. To my understanding they were never finished, and the master-tapes were lost forever. These are the only existing versions I know of." Bob Blank concurs: "He is one of the last guys around that actually has master copies of a lot of these things. He basically was there from the beginning to the end of the night making a copy for himself. He has reference copies of music-in-progress that nobody else has. He's like a behind-the-music stud. He's a music nerd!"

A meeting at New York's influential WBLS radio station, where Cuban-born Sergio Munzibai worked as musical director alongside Frankie Crocker, would signal the next chapter in John's career, and result in unquestionably the most prolific remix partnership of the 1980s with over 650 mixes to their name. "I started to do mix tapes for Frankie's show on WBLS - I was doing the midday mix shows as well as some of the Friday night mix shows," John continues. "Later I was privileged to work with Frankie on his syndicated Westwood One Show. This is where I first met Sergio. After frequent visits to the station we became friends and I invited him to some of my mix sessions at Blank Tapes, one of the first being Mikki's 'Itching For Love', the Aleem Brothers' 'Get Down Friday Night' and Instant Funk's 'No Stoppin' That Rockin'. We both shared similar ideas and concepts for mixing so we decided to start a partnership and the M+M Mix Productions moniker was born".

"When John told me he was going to go into partnership with Sergio I thought that's going to be interesting," picks up Bob Blank, "Sergio was very much an out-and-about young guy, while John was a workaholic; always in the studio and that's what happened. John would come in and he'd be working for hours then Sergio would show up and say, "Oh, that's great!" Sergio was really one of these guys who'd know-when-he'd-hear-it, whereas John would be able to say, 'it needs this' or 'it needs that'." Sergio would make a contribution, but it was all basically down to John.

Discovering an instant rapport and musical appreciation it translated well into the recording studio where the M+M stamp became synonymous with almost every major dance release of the era, with the duo remixing upwards of 10 records in any given month. Alongside cult and groundbreaking records including Class Action's 'Weekend', Julia & Co. with 'Breakin' Down (Sugar Samba)', 'I Want You (All Tonight)' from Curtis Hairston, Ronnie Dyson's 'All Over Your Face', and 'Move To The Groove' by Margie Joseph, they refashioned certified pop smashes for DeBarge ('Rhythm Of The Night'), Harold Faltermeyer ('Alex F'), Shakatak ('Down On The Street'), Miami Sound Machine ('Dr Beat'), the Temptations ('Treat Her Like A Lady') and of course Jocelyn Brown ('Somebody Else's Guy'). Along with hundreds more, in an eight year period that saw them almost an ever present on the Billboard Dance, R&B or Hot 100 pop charts. Tina Turner, the Rolling Stones, Spandau Ballet, Aretha Franklin, Shalamar, Hall & Oates, Dan Hartman, Candi Staton, Melba Moore, Rose Royce, Billy Ocean, Debbie Gibson, Odyssey, the Commodores and even Peter Schilling and Rod Stewart, in fact just about every major artist of the day was in someway retouched by the hands of Morales & Munzibai.

"Me and Sergio worked together till around 1989," John recalls. During the late 80's music started to evolve and change as new genre's started to appear and the dance music we knew and loved started to change and take a back seat. For this and other reasons we decided to separate. Sergio left the business after that and passed away in the early 90's. Sergio was a wonderful person who was full of life, and loved by all he touched for his outgoing and fun loving charismatic personality, he was a great people person, me I just loved to be in the studio making music. Anyone who knew him loved him, and I'm sure wherever he is he's listening to some M+M music."

"Now, moving the clock forward after that I continued to work on some projects doing what I did best; mixing and producing and also getting into writing till the mid 90's, when I took ill and decided that living was a far more important option. After I got better and back on my feet I continued in the industry I love, but in a different capacity, I started to work for the software company Steinberg, makers of the CuBase DAW software which I still use today, the integration of software and computers was becoming the new foundation of the industry as mammoth studios were starting to be replaced by Atari, Mac and PC Computers. Having been someone who had embraced the technology in the early '80s it was an easy transition for me. During this time I still continued to tinker and played at home."

"One day my dear friend Paul Simpson asked me to be part of a new Marvin Gaye mix project he was doing, and thus that feeling and passion came rushing back, knowing I still had the chops and was good at this, I needed to re-establish myself once again, with the encouragement of my family and constant urging of Paul, Bobby Eli and my closest friend Tom Moulton they pushed me to continue and move forward, and I'm happy and grateful to them for this, as I feel I'm well on my way to being back on top of my game again, having in recent years had the pleasure of mixing Artist like Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Chaka Khan, Diana Ross, Double Exposure, The Four Tops and many more. I look forward to continuing to do what I do best.. Mix and Produce Music. It's in my blood, it's my life's passion."

"I want to add and share a few thoughts, for me working with artists like Jocelyn Brown, Leroy Burgess, Patrick Adams and then later Randy Muller, was an experience and opportunity you can't buy anywhere. To see Jocelyn work her magic, step into the studio, open her mouth and bring a song to life before my eyes - WOW!, that was a pleasure I was afforded for many years, and to sit next to Leroy as he was molding and weaving and creating his synth lines in and out of so many classic tracks, I pinch myself because I was there, sat next to him for it all. I remember him saying to Greg on many a day when he was on a roll "Don't worry, I got it", and he'd go on to lay down some serious masterful pieces. You can't get that today, watching Leroy and the guys cutting tracks live, musicians locked in a tight groove as the boogie kept coming; another take, another song, another day, another hit. Seeing Patrick putting down and making music come together it was surreal to be there, for reflecting back, some of the greatest dance records of all time "Caught Up", "In the Bush", "Weekend", "Keep On Jumping", "Barley Breakin Even" it goes on and on. And later on, the opportunity to see and work with Randy Muller as he worked his magic with Brass Construction, Skyy and Funk Deluxe was also a magical moment. I'm also happy to call Randy my friend after 30 Years."

"I'm so grateful and fortunate, I had the opportunity to be there, with them all, those memories will live with me forever and I hope in listening to this CD you can get a glimpse of what I was fortunate to witness. I again can't thank Greg and Patrick enough for letting me be a part of it, even as long ago as this all was, I can still close my eyes and see them playing and singing in the studio like it's happening right now. Jocelyn's "Ain't No Mountain", Leroy's "Barley Breaking Even", Patrick's "In the Bush" and "Weekend". You can't buy that DVD, anywhere. Not any loops or no sample can give you that feeling. All hands on deck that is how it was. I know things are different today. But I'm sorry you missed it. And I'm glad I didn't.

LISTEN TO JOHN'S PROMO MIX FOR BBE

WATCH THE M&M EPK