The legendary Larry Tee has been living and breathing the London clubbing scene since he moved here from New York a few years back. With his weekly party Super Electric Party Machine going from strength to strength at East Bloc, we sent Lee Dalloway to have a chinwag with the lovely man…
LEE: OK, let’s take it right back… You started out on the ‘scene’ back in the 80s in Atlanta and then New York. Tell us more about that time…
LARRY: Well, Atlanta was great for me at that time because I was best friends with Michael Stipe of REM and had my band called the Now Explosion, who introduced RuPaul and Lady Bunny to the world. We made movies, lots of crazy music and really must’ve stretched Atlanta’s patience to the bloody max! But lots of things were happening there and we would travel to New York City all the time with the band to play at the Pyramid Club, where we would see Madonna, Andy Warhol etc, just hanging out. Amazing! New York was dangerous but so alive with creativity.
What would you say was the ‘turning point’ where you feel you really broke through and became a well-known DJ?
In New York when I was playing to 4,000 people every Saturday at the Roxy. I didn’t realise that DJs could become rock stars! They just weren’t at that time, but that changed when Paul Oakenfold and others broke through. I was a drug addict, got clean and in the early noughties I threw a festival called Electroclash festival. It featured Scissor Sisters, Felix Da Housecat, Ladytron, Peaches, 2 Many DJs, and many others. I started to tour the world to support that scene; that’s when people really discovered I could throw down some big tunes! But it wasn’t until ‘Licky’ came out that I was really a festival draw. I never think I have actually made it, even though I have a career that’s the envy of many [laughs]!
You moved over from NYC to London a few years back. What was it about London, specifically Shoreditch, that excited you?
Let’s face it; London is where everything is happening these days musically, with four of the five top US albums coming from here. Everyone is so open to new music and there is so much new talent all over London that it forced me to come here because it’s so inspiring! Shoreditch is fun, but Dalston and Hackney is where the action really is!
Tell us about Super Electric Party Machine, which is currently doing the business at East Bloc. For anyone who’s never been, how would you sum it up?
Super Electric Party Machine is the party that we take all over the world, from Barcelona to Lisbon and the States. It features a live MC (Bitches Bitches Bitches!), musical exclusives from remixes of the top artists in the world to unreleased gems you won’t believe. The crowd is hot and gay but we do like to welcome hot girls who want to party and an occasional straight dude that gets it! We have guest DJs like Severino, Tom Stephan, Designer Bruno Basso of Basso and Brooke, Jodie Harsh, Kris Di Angelis, Ladytron, plus sets and live appearances by local favourites like Serious Thugs, Vince Kidd, and Nwando Ibizie. It’s just a surprising night where you are gonna get laid! Largely because the crowd is so young and gorgeous! [Laughs].
What hotness have you got coming up over the next few weeks? Who’s spinning and shaking?
We have BBC Top 40 star D Ramirez on the 15th, and we’re doing a very special SEPM at XOYO on Sunday Feb 17th for fashion week, featuring Grimes and Brooke Candy. The party is called the Fashion Week Disaster Party and it’s designed to allow people to wear their most disastrous fashion fails of all time… which should be hilarious!
East Bloc is surely one of the hottest spots, not just in Shoreditch but across the whole gay scene! Why do you think East Bloc works so well?
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the East is a big growth territory now for gay culture and I give great props to Wayne Shires, who helped create the Vauxhall scene, to bring an amazing space at East Bloc, the Summer Rites Festival and his Blochead parties, to service the needs of the hot gays that live closer to the East side. He has made my stay in London a lot more amazing with his contributions!
If you could pinpoint your favourite moment from Super Electric Party Machine, what would it be and why?
Oh Lord, I was super excited to meet Nicola Formachetti the night that London Legend Danny Rampling and D Ramirez were playing my club. The Voice’s Vince Kidd got up unannounced and sang along to Rihanna’s Diamonds, adding naughty new words, and Glyn Fussell of Sink The Pink had the whole room swaying with drunken abandon! It still makes me dizzy thinking about it!
• Don’t miss Super Electric Party Machine, every Friday at East Bloc, 217 City Road, Old Street, EC1V 1JN.
