Danny Tenaglia is a groundbreaking force in house music and revered as one of the world’s most influential DJs. He’s spent decades shaping global dance floors with his genre-blurring sets while holding the torch for the inclusive values the scene was founded upon.
Photo credit: Danny Tenaglia Official
Over the course of half a century, Danny has headlined legendary clubs like Paradise Garage, Vinyl, and Club Space, earning a reputation for immersive, all-night performances that revolutionized modern DJ culture. His work includes collaborations with industry icons and unwavering support for rising artists, highlighting both his trailblazing spirit and commitment to the underground
Electronic Groove was fortunate to sit down with Danny as he prepares for Miami’s Winter Music Week events including: Celebrating 50 years behind the decks.
Danny shares vivid memories from his first gigs in Williamsburg as a teen to experiencing Studio 54 and playing The Loft, his creative marathon sets and his journey as a New York house music ambassador in Miami. He offers real insight for upcoming DJs and promoters from paying residents fairly to achieving a true transcendent underground vibe and the importance of self-expression. I could tune in to his adventures all day but what’s most exceptional is the underlying wisdom inherent in each tale that can only come with witnessing history and continuing to make it new with every set. Danny’s 50-year milestone honors his lasting impact on dance culture, authentic artistry, and passion that resonates with fans around the world.
EG: Hello Danny, it’s an honor to speak with you.
Danny Tenaglia: Hi, Thank you.
EG: Let’s get right into it. You’re celebrating 50 years on the decks at the Sagamore in Miami during Winter Music Week. Congratulations! What does that milestone mean to you?
Danny Tenaglia: This all started for me when I was really young. I just turned 64, and I’ve been obsessed with vinyl since I was about seven. I was probably 13 when my cousin introduced me to DJ tapes, and I wanted to get the turntables right away. I was doing it the cheapest way imaginable—two turntables, one amp, and I was just using the balance control. So one song will come out of the left, one song will come out of the right. I was just in junior high school and then, in 1975, I bought proper turntables and a mixer. I consider that the start of my DJ journey.
About a year or two later, I got a job in a pub three blocks away from our house, and I was underage, but my brothers chaperoned me and it was full of relatives and cousins anyway. I had to be home by 1 a.m. and that was the start of it. And I’ve never done anything else.
I went from there to a roller disco in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and then I crossed the bridge to Manhattan, which was the ultimate dream.
Get your tickets to the 50th-anniversary celebration of Danny Tenaglia behind the decks with special guests Nicole Moudaber, and Jonathan Cowan.
EG: When you first started did you ever dream your career would reach this level?
Danny Tenaglia: None of this was imaginable. In 1978,1980 – traveling the world as a DJ didn’t exist. I don’t even think there was such a thing as flyers, just the club putting on a marquee “tonight, live DJ.”
Then it wasn’t until later you started to see the growth – dance music magazines and the explosion of Disco. Studio 54 opened up in 1977, and it was catching on everywhere. So yes, there were promotions but not like it is today with social media. We have gone from one DJ at a residency to ten DJs per gig—indoor raves, I called them.
I moved to Miami in ’85 and stayed for five years. I brought New York house down to Miami, which was very much freestyle and Italo energy. I came with more of a New York, Chicago house thing and it wasn’t appreciated at first. I thought I was going to get fired but eventually, I won them over.
I couldn’t imagine this – celebrating 50 years. I’m also tying it into the fact that I’ve played 50 countries. Fifty years, fifty countries. Let’s have a party.
EG: You mentioned Paradise Garage. Many consider it legendary. What made it so special, and how did it influence you?
Danny Tenaglia: Paradise Garage was life-changing. It was an after-hours spot, no liquor, open late -a pure dance party. People would show up in shorts and tank tops, ready to sweat. It was also predominantly Black and Latino, though everyone was welcome.
It was like church. When I knew Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Guthrie – I’d make my way there. I love soulful music and I learned so much there. The biggest thing I learned from Larry Levan is how to make people feel what I was feeling. Because you play a lot of music that people never heard before, but they’re paying attention and eventually it grows on them and they start to realize why I love this so much. This connection -it’s catching, it’s contagious.
“Those are real dance floors, real sound systems, where people go to move, not just pose”
EG: It sounds like it fostered real self-expression. And acceptance.
Danny Tenaglia: We were all there for the music, dancing, lots of hugs and high fives and just being together on the dance floor. The community — talking about it the next day, meeting at the record stores, planning for the upcoming Friday and Saturday. The inclusivity got more widespread in the late 80s and early 90s with the club kids like at the Limelight. Everything was mixed together, gay, straights, different skin colors, drag queens, club kids. Everyone enhanced the party with their presence because it wasn’t like they were on stage doing a show, but just being there. We’re all here together dancing to this music, appreciating it from different backgrounds. There’s just so much I could say on this.
EG: Do you feel like nightlife today as the same spirit or is it more homogenized?
Danny Tenaglia: It depends on where you go. Some scenes like Vegas are bottles and models. And that has spread like a virus all over the States where people want to be seen and it’s not even so much about dancing for them. I can tell you that so many clubs diminished their sound systems in order to have VIP rooms and have the VIP people. So the sound systems went from being stacks to based on the floor and speakers hanging in the ceiling. So there’s just, you know, an open seat, and the music might be more commercial.
But there’s a huge underground scene that’s not into that at all. Look at Ibiza – places like DC-10 or Amnesia, or even Stereo in Montreal. Those are real dance floors, real sound systems, where people go to move, not just pose. Hardly anyone has their camera out but most of them are there to dance.
I might turn down gigs at bottle-service venues because it’s not my style. If people just want pop hits and sparklers, that’s not the vibe I bring. I’m glad people hire me for what I do.
EG: You mentioned Miami played a huge part in putting you on the map. Can you talk about arriving there in the mid-eighties and your connection to Winter Music Conference?
Danny Tenaglia: I moved to Miami at the end of 1985, so I missed the first Winter Music Conference in Fort Lauderdale. By 1986, I was there, playing at a club called Cheers. It was open seven days a week. When the conference happened, all the label people and industry folks would come through. Since we stayed open until 6:00 AM, people came over after their own clubs closed at 3:00 AM. It would be packed. The music industry saw what I was doing. Magazines like Billboard and DJ Magazine took notice. That exposure got me recognized. A lot of people were writing about me as this DJ from Miami but I had to correct them because of my Brooklyn pride.
Every year, I’d keep coming back to Miami for the conference, throwing my own parties at places like Groove Jet, which later became Treehouse. For a stretch in the mid-to late-nineties, those were the parties everybody wanted to be at. The room would fill up with other DJs, producers, and label reps. A special story you may have heard me tell is when Carl Cox was dancing on the bar. It was a special time.
Photo Credit: Sónar 2024
EG: In New York, you became known for your marathon sets at places like Vinyl, and later at Club Space in Miami. How did those legendary all-night sets come about?
Danny Tenaglia: I think it started at Paradise Garage. Larry Levan would go for ten hours or more. The same approach popped up at spots like Sound Factory and Shelter – after-hours clubs without liquor, open really late. Once you get going and the crowd is locked in, you lose track of time. At Vinyl, I’d start at midnight and go until noon. It was normal to go 10, 12 hours, sometimes more. Then Club Space in Miami had a 24-hour license, so that took it to another level.
I also do extended sets at Stereo in Montreal. I’ll play 13 to 15 hours, and there are still 200 people on the dance floor when I’m winding down. I’ll loop vocals live or drop a classic track from The Beatles just to change the vibe. It creates a new energy each time. There’s no clock—just one long journey.
EG: It sounds magical. Do you ever think of specific tracks that you drop in those late-morning hours that really blow people away?
Danny Tenaglia: I’ve done things like mixing John Secada’s ‘Just Another Day‘ with house or tribal beats at 10:00 AM. People love it because it catches them off guard. It’s the perfect tune to say, “Hey, it’s actually morning now, and we’re still going!.” Then I might switch back to a deep classic or something really current. The fun part is the element of surprise.
“Clubs will pay a headliner huge fees but give the opener peanuts. If you’re a promoter, pay your resident DJs better and treat them well. They’re the ones setting the vibe before the headliner comes on”
EG: You’ve also done iconic remixes in the studio. Do you approach creativity in the DJ booth differently than you do in the studio?
Danny Tenaglia: They’re similar but not identical. Back in the day, I had to rent big studios, hire engineers, and work with tape machines. Budgets were reasonable until the early 2000s. After that, record labels started slashing funds. Streaming and downloading changed everything. Now, anyone can make a track on a laptop. I still love production, though. I’ll start by locking the vocal to the tempo, adding a kick, then building from there. Sometimes I’ll restructure the whole song to give it a different flow.
As a DJ, modern technology gives me the chance to remix on the fly. I use Traktor with remix decks and can add extra vocals, percussion, or effects live. It’s like producing in real-time. That keeps things fresh.
EG: Technology is moving even faster with AI. How do you feel about some of these AI developments?
Danny Tenaglia: I’m wary of AI generating entire songs with someone’s voice—like taking Paul McCartney and inserting him into music he had nothing to do with. It’s unfair if it’s done without respect or permission. On the flip side, I’m all for the advances that help creativity, such as DJ software that allows live remixing. But using AI to churn out fake versions of artists? That can be a huge problem.
EG: What’s your advice for new DJs hoping to build a career today?
Danny Tenaglia: Take care of your health first. At 64, I’m still going because I don’t party hard. You can’t replace your health. Start with the love and the acceptance, you know, and make sure that everybody’s there for the right reasons and the same reason—music. Also, be kind to everyone—staff, promoters, other DJs. I miss so much the residencies because it gave me a social community too. You miss the people you work with weekly: the light man, the doorman, the security manager. This was our livelihood and it really became a family, especially after three, four, then five years. I also think local resident DJs deserve more respect. Clubs will pay a headliner huge fees but nothing for the residents. If you’re a promoter, pay your resident DJs at least $500. Promoters have the money – and treat residents well. They’re the ones setting the vibe before the headliner comes on.
My advice for local resident DJs looking to become like headline DJs, make music. Gaining traction through original music helps build a reputation. Release tracks on Beatport or Traxsource, share stuff on YouTube – get your sound out there. That’s how agents and promoters notice you.
EG: Thank you for championing local DJs. They deserve it. As we wrap up, what’s next for you after Winter Music Week? Any upcoming projects maybe travel plans, a vacation?
Danny Tenaglia: A vacation? [laughs] Thirty-one years ago, that was the first time I left the country. And I toured with Kerry Chandler. We started in Rimini. We played there and we went onward to Naples and Rome. And, that was just an experience in itself. I love this little island, 40-minute ferry away called Ischia—I’d never heard of it. My family never heard of it. You know, we’re New York Italians but I fell in love with this island. And I got to say, some of my closest friends are there, and a guy who used to assist me, Adriano, he even named his first son after me. I flew back for the baptism, you know, he named him Daniel. SocI’ve experienced so much. I don’t need a vacation! I’m blessed.
EG: Thank you so much, Danny. We’re excited to see you in Miami. We appreciate your time, your stories, and all the inspiration you’ve given us.
Danny Tenaglia: Thank you. Make sure you drop by the booth and say hello.
EG: Definitely will. See you on the dance floor.
Celebrating 50 years behind the decks to the 50th-anniversary celebration of Danny Tenaglia behind the decks with special guests Nicole Moudaber, and Jonathan Cowar.
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