This is going to be a post about 90s dance music and the 90s New York City (and surrounding areas) nightclub scene. I’m not particularly proud of my once taste in music, but I’m certainly proud of the many good times I’ve had in the once nightclubs. There’s a lot to tell from this era and if you happened to have been alive during it and if you happened to have lived in the New York tri-state area, you may just relate to what I’m about to share below. Either that, or you were simply annoyed by the entire thing. Or you were somewhere in the middle.
I grew up about an hour north of New York City. I lived in what’s referred to as a bedroom community, which is a suburb located outside a city in which the bedroom community’s residents largely work. My town wasn’t particularly exciting and I, as well as many other residents, often lamented its lack of goings on. While my town wasn’t the center of activity, it was at least near the center of activity. Southern Westchester County as well as NYC offered tons to do. As I grew into my late teens and early twenties, I took full advantage of many of those offerings.
To start this post off, I’d like you to watch a bit of the following video. While it was recorded during the late 80s, it’s indicative of the energy of our area during the early to mid-90s. In the video is a once NYC DJ named Broadway Bill Lee. While he’s moved around quite a bit, during the late 80s and early 90s, he worked as a jock at the high energy radio station, Hot 97. During the late 90s, he worked at WKTU, which was a direct competitor of Hot 97. Both stations have had their ups and downs, but when I was around 20 years old, they were the best dance stations on the air. Hands down, nothing could compare to the New York City radio market and none could compare to the talent that market attracted.
As a side note, I left southern New York in 1996, so I have no idea what happened to music after that. From what I gather, it exploded and went straight down hill. I’d like to think my absence had something to do with that.
