Rafe Gomez is the DJ/host of a Twich channel called Danceteria REWIND, a weekly replication of the sounds of Danceteria. The show streams on Thursdays from 8 to 10PM Est.
Rafe Gomez tells us in an exclusive interview about his experiences as a Danceteria patron, including when he bought Madonna a drink and what she was like hanging around and working at Danceteria!
What was the overall vibe at Danceteria?
Rafe: Known as a five-floor supermarket of style, Danceteria attracted a crowd – and employees – who were all on the verge of something with their pursuits. Musicians, producers, photographers, videographers, designers, stylists, dancers, artists, and every aspiring “influencer” and “creator” in between congregated at Danceteria. Each floor featured a different theme and different kind of music (DJ’s and live performances). Afrobeat, punk, Latin, mondo disco, emerging rap and hip-hop (which was just getting started), emerging electro (which was also just getting started), early EDM, reggae/dub, disco, 70s funk – it all lived, merged, and collided at Danceteria!
Were there any theme nights? What was your favourite event there?
Rafe: There were many theme nights and special event parties, all the time throughout the week. I never attended any of them, but they were non-stop.
When Madonna’s demo for “Everybody” was played, do you know how the crowd reacted?
Rafe: Madonna was a popular and well-liked member of the Danceteria community. She was dating the club’s chief DJ, Mark Kamins, and she also worked at the club. She had a lot of support among the employees, and was recognized by regular club patrons – but among regular clubgoers, who was completely unknown. The reception and applause that you hear in her debut video performance of “Everybody” at the club in 1982 was mainly her co-workers – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCeo3R546r4
When did you first notice Madonna at Danceteria and mostly why did you notice her, what made her stand out in the crowd?
Rafe: Her style was super cool, she was very attractive, and very energetic. She was also very composed and confident – even working as a coat check “girl” and elevator operator at Danceteria.
Describe a typical night at Danceteria back in the day and how does it compare to a night’s night out now?
Rafe: Danceteria had five floors. It was housed in a former factory on W.21st Street, which had no residential buildings or stores – so the street was really quiet, especially at night. Because so many talented and interesting people worked at and attended the club, there was a really colorful and vibrant energy on each floor. In terms of the layout of the club, once you wanted to try something new while you were inside – both stylistically and musically – you could go to another floor and have a completely different experience. This is very different than what’s available in clubland now, where the dancefloors are massive, there’s only one of them, and there’s primarily one DJ who’s performing. Sonically, because almost all music that’s played in clubs today feature synths and programmed drums, there’s a sameness to the BPMs and rhythmic structures. That was not at all the case at Danceteria. With so many different types, pacings, and styles of music being presented at the club, your ears were constantly being exposed to new and delicious inputs of sounds.
Was Madonna always in company of friends or visited she mostly on her own?
Rafe: I always saw her with her buds, but she occasionally was hanging at the bar chatting with the bartenders.
Describe your favourite moment with Madonna at Danceteria.
Rafe: I bought her a drink and introduced myself! I recognized her because I had seen her publicity photo in the Manhattan record stores where I shopped, and she also operated the elevator when I was going to different floors within Danceteria. She was very friendly and very witty.
What did Madonna drink at Danceteria? Was she treated to a lot of drinks by admirers?
Rafe: Madonna ordered a club soda – no alcohol. By the time any admirers would have bought her drinks, she wasn’t working at Danceteria anymore – she was too famous! BTW, regarding drug use, Madonna was famous for passing along joints when they came her way. She never smoked them.
Do you feel going out and having fun in the 70s and 80s was a lot crazier than it is now? Do you think people felt more free back then or the complete opposite?
Rafe: Oh, it was insane back then. Especially at Danceteria, since the workers and crowds were so uninhibited and creative. Drug use fueled the craziness, but the vibrancy and diversity of the music – especially at Danceteria – also bumped up the fun.
When M came clubbing, was she right there from the start up until closing hours?
Rafe: At Danceteria, I rarely saw her clubbing. She was always working. When Danceteria closed at around 2 or 3am, she likely went to many of the after hours and late night spots in the city, like Paradise Garage – which was open all night and into the next afternoon!
When did M started to work there at the cloakroom and as an elevator lady? Was she a dedicated employee?
Rafe: From what I understand, she began working at Danceteria in 1981. Rudolf, the owner of Danceteria, loved her, and expanded her responsibilities as she proved herself to be an excellent and popular employee.
Do you recognise the Danceteria scene/vibe in any of her early work?
Rafe: Absolutely. The diverse sounds of Danceteria – especially the electro and Latin genres – guided/shaped/influenced the feel of her early releases from her first album. You can also see Madonna dancing at Danceteria in a famous scene from the movie “Desperately Seeking Susan”! – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyiG9P_Vc7A
Did you go and see the recent Celebration Tour? If so, what did you think?
Rafe: I unfortunately wasn’t able to attend Celebration – but I have friends who did and they loved it.
Short before the tour started Mary Gabriel released a book about M’s life. For us at Madonnaunderground, we feel it’s the best biography written on Madonna thus far. Very detailed, including the people she’s met along the way. It really felt like being in NYC in the early 80’s. Did you read it and what are your thoughts?
Rafe: I haven’t read it, but I’m going to read it, thank you! A great book that I’ve used to help me create Danceteria REWIND is called “Life And Death on the New York Dancefloor”. It examines the entire downtown arts/music/club scene in NYC of the early 80s and spends lots of time analyzing Danceteria and Madonna. I highly recommend it. – https://www.amazon.com/Life-Death-Dance-Floor-1980-1983/dp/0822362023
How was it, living in NYC in the early 80’s
Rafe: Fun, with lots of options and possibilities for nightlife. You could go from club to club to club in one night and you’d still have many choices of places to go where you’ve never been before! However, early 80s NYC was also dangerous. The city was just coming out of bankruptcy, so there was a shortage of police and city services. You really needed to be careful when going out to enjoy yourself. Interestingly, in the early 80s, there were approximately 10,000 nightlife establishments in the city. Today, there are less than 1,000.
Was Danceteria openly welcoming the Queer community?
Rafe: Very welcoming! Queer downtown icons and influencers such as Klaus Nomi, John Sex, and Haoui Montaug called Danceteria their home.
Did the Aids crisis change Danceteria?
Rafe: Absolutely. The queer population noticeably diminished, and there were fewer gay-themed events.
Can you tell us a bit about the crowd? What kind of people were known to hang out there?
Rafe: It was an incredible combination of NYC creative types and artists along with “bridge and tunnel” patrons from the New York boroughs, Long Island, and New Jersey. Interestingly, it was the “bridge and tunnel” crowd that was happy to pay full price for admission and drinks, since there was nothing as exciting and dynamic as Danceteria back where they lived. I would know – I was living in New Jersey at the time, and Danceteria was an incredible escape from the boring and close-minded world of suburbia! Thankfully, the people who worked at the front door of Danceteria had no problem letting us in. Their attitude was like “if you get what we’re doing here and you support it, we don’t care where you’re from, come on inside.” Here’s more information about “bridge and tunnel” crowd – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_and_tunnel#:~:text=Bridge%20and%20Tunnel%20(often%20abbreviated,it%20for%20work%20or%20entertainment.
Can you tell us a bit more about the radio show you are hosting, Danceteria Rewind?
Rafe: Danceteria REWIND re-creates the musical excitement, flow, and genre diversity of the Danceteria club experience. It takes the amazing sounds from all five of the club’s floors and combines it into a two-hour seamlessly blended experience. If you’d like to experience the sonic trip that shaped the creative vision of Madonna (as well as the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Sade, Keith Haring, and Jean Michel Basquiat, who all worked at Danceteria at the same time as Madonna), then you must tune me in every Thursday night from 8 to 10PM EST on Twitch!
Listen to a sample show of Danceteria REWIND HERE
Includes Dub Version of Madonna’s “Everybody” by Mark Kamins
