By stitching music together in a narrative, and using it as a tool to work his dancers, rather than just playing a night of unrelated records, Francis Grasso founded the craft of modern DJing. He taught the first generation of New York's disco DJs, he dated Playboy bunnies and he spent more than his rent on drugs. After a youth spent at full throttle he retired to a reclusive existence, and died in March 2001 a few days short of his 53rd birthday.

So you’re from NY originally?

Brooklyn. Born and bred, lived in many different places.