Francis Grasso

Francis Grasso (25.3.1948 [ [http://www.geocities.com/jahsonic/FrancisGrasso.html Mail by Bill Brewster] ] -20.3.2001 [ [http://ped111251.tripod.com/francis.htm Tribute Site on Francis Grasso by John England] ] ) was an American disc jockey from New York City, best known for inventing the technique of slip-cueing and later beatmatching (sometimes referred to as mixing or blending) which is the foundation of the modern club DJ's technique. Francis started his DJ career in 1967 at a New York City nightclub called Salvation II. When the primary DJ Terry Noel failed to show up on time one night, the owners offered Francis a chance at the job. The crowd responded almost immediately and soon he had his first regular gig. It was there and at subsequent New York City clubs such as Tarots and his most famous nightclub, Sanctuary (featured in the movie Klute) where Francis perfected his craft. Though he died in March of 2001, the skills and techniques he pioneered remain the foundation of what is heard in a modern nightclub.

Francis Grasso was the first dj to require headphones as part of his setup. This allowed him to preview a record on one turntable while another played on the second turntable. Its difficult to understate how this, in combination with slip-cueing changed the art of djing. The records that Grasso was mixing were not the same BPM all the way through as most djs have the luxury of spinning these days. The records were just the funkiest and most favored songs of the crowds at the clubs at the time. It took incredible skill and an incredible ear to mix these records for minutes or more. While Grasso had an impressive setup, the Thorens turntables he liked best were still a far cry from the Technics turntables most djs use in clubs today. Through teaching others, Grasso spread the art of mixing. Eventually it passed all the way from Grasso to Grandmaster Flash, and no matter what type of music a dj spins, the legacy of Grasso will last for a long time.

Goldman, Albert. Disco. New York: Hawthorne Books, 1979.