Luis Mario was there at the birth of disco and he still is a great dj after 40 years of dj'ing. You can still hire him for your Private Events for Clubs, Private Parties, Theme Parties, Weddings, Corporate Events from New York to South Florida and every town in between and you will get a show you will never forget ! Here is my interview with Luis were he shares his memories of his wonderful career:

-When did you discover disco music and how old were you:
Well, I will have to start by saying that my beginnings are way before “Disco” came to be. As a young kid I was surrounded by members of my family that are musically inclined and music was a huge part of my childhood. As I was ending my High School in 1969 before I graduated I was in love with the idea of going into the army, so one day before graduating I decided to enlist and I went to Times Square in New York. In those days there was recruiting offices right in the middle of T.S. so I approached the officer and before I open my mouth, he ask and say did you finish your High School yet? I reply no sir; I have 3 months to go. The officer looked at me and say, go back and finish then come back and I’ll be here to help you. Well, 3 months later at the end of 1969 I stared to go to clubs like the Machine at the Hotel Empire, the Heaven in the Village downtown Manhattan, the Jungle and other one day I went to a club call the “Sanctuary” I was taken by the music, the crowd and the ambiance, the DJ was Francis Grasso. I was in love with the power that this man had in front of 3 thousand people in front of him. He was in charge and the audience responded in a way that it was overwhelming. At that point I decided that I would be a DJ. The passion I had to become a soldier in the army had left my thoughts and my passion became the music and performing in dance clubs. Immediately I became friends with Francis and I became his understudy keeping the same play list for at list 2 years as I was getting more and more involved with the new music style that we had to get used to. So when Disco came I was in full gear and already had several years a professional night club DJ. Obviously there is so much more history to tell you about my beginnings, I’m trying to put it all in a book soon enough.   

-Where did you buy your records, and were you member of a DJ record pool:
In the early days as a DJ, the only choice was to do your own research and walk into every record store that you can find in order to look into all the crates or binds to find that special song that you can introduce to the crowd that night and see what kind of reaction you will get. You needed to use your instinct as a DJ to choose the right groove that can appeal to your audience The other thing that we used to do was to meet with other DJ’s during the day and go to all the record companies individually and get the “product” as we called all the record companies had a promoter. These promoters worked hard, they did the running around during the night. They used to stop by the clubs that we were playing and distribute the records that they felt it was worth promoting. But even if you got a record that night, we DJ’s decided to go straight to their office and hang out to try to get more music from them, music that they only had a couple of copies maybe hidden, and we will persist in getting that special record that the promoter was going to give to other DJ’s that was playing at a more excusive night club in the city. Most of us became good friends with those promoters. As I remember years later a dear friend of mine DJ Paul Casella, Dave D’Aquisto and David Mancuso signed a letter of intent (I have the letter in my archives) to open a Record Pool. David Mancuso opens the first record pool in the Soho area 99 Prince Street. New York. I was one of the first members along with the elite DJ’s of the time. This list is the foundation of the Legends of VinylTM Hall of FameTM.

-Can you share some memories about the record pool and how it was getting the records each:
Once a week DJ’s will come to get their product and fill in a feedback sheet to keep record of each song and to get the top 20, 50, 100. Feedback on the label and how the song is doing in each club that we play. One of the fun memories at 99 Prince St. was the meetings when we all got together and see each other for a few moments because we will work as in my case 7 night a week and there was no time left to hang out. I was lucky that I’ve always worked the full week for decades and worked in hundreds of clubs in New York and abroad.   

-In Which Disco’s did you DJ:
Well, here is a little history from my 4 decades.
Celebrating 42 years as a Pioneer and Legendary Night Club D.J.

First D.J. to Pioneer "touring" across the country and abroad in the early 70's. Representing New York club DJ's throughout the country and David Mancuso's and Eddie Rivera's I.D.R.C. Record Pools.

First D.J. to perform live 4 hour non-stop in New York's Radio WKTU FM in 1978.

The only D.J. to make history by Killing Disco in Las Vegas to introduce the New Wave era, broadcasted around the world by Entertainment Tonight Show in 1980.

Here are just a few Club memories that I can remember.
In 1973 afterhours/underground clubs where too few to get into as a DJ, so just like so many other DJ’s I had to join The Mainstream Clubs and I landed a job at Mr. Laffs Owned by Art Shamsky and Phill Linz, two ex Yankee players, on First Ave & 64th St. In a matter of weeks the line of people outside waiting to come in extended around the corner. They were coming in to partake in the wondrous musical trip that educated the minds of all my following based on my musical training beginnings in the Sanctuary, The Haven, Machine 1, The Jungle, Superstar.

A dream came true when I was asked to play at a membership only afterhours "Private Club. This club had the Underground atmosphere touch, that’s why I felt at home.
The place was called Cobra's, a most decadent atmosphere where the artist will come to hang out from musicians to actors. Cobra's was on the 7th floor of 18th & Broadway, owed by Dennis Johnston/Dennis Cobra. The ambiance started in the elevator where a dancer from the Trocedero Ballet Co. (a gay ballet company) would welcome you with a differently decorated elevator every Friday and Saturday night. 7 floors up you walked into a living room where the hostesses were several Cobras in a large enclosed aquarium. You could actually trip your night away watching these snakes munch on guinea pigs and rabbits. Enough said!!! What a trip of a job that was - I loved it.

I wanna thank Luis Mario “Flaco” Orellana Rizzo for this interview and to share this history and as Luis always say….L.O.V. is the message !!