Before the Paradise Garage, the Saint, or, the circuit parties there was 12 WEST.

Welcome to;

12 West Memories

http://www.12westmemories.org

You are on the main page. www.12westmemories.org is a tribute to the 1970s West Village N.Y. dance music scene and it's flagship private-membership disco 12 West and attempts to be a historical record of same. The web site is now about 80 % restored. The rest will be trickling in over the course of the year so check back once in a while for newly returned material and a few new pieces as well.

>>>After the page has loaded fully you may CLICK HERE IF YOU WANT SOUND<<<

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Most of the original letters are now back, more to follow;

NEW 22 JAN 2010: New letter and photo memorabilia on the

Letters And Links Page.

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WELCOME TO THE SITE! BE SURE TO

EXPLORE THE SITE INDEX BELOW, AND DON'T FORGET

THE  DEEPER LINKS FOUND ON SOME

OF THE SUB PAGES. ENJOY!

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 Remembering the original 12 West parties: They were a series of classic private membership "after-hours" discotheque parties held in a converted former floral industry warehouse located in New York City's Greenwich Village area. The parties were held 3 or 4 times a week starting from the spring of 1975 to the fall of 1980. Primarily a NYC area Gay male dance experience, they gained such a positive reputation outside of this community that many night-life enthusiasts from all walks of life sought out chances to party there. The members themselves would also bring friends, business partners, family members etc. It was also popular with many music and entertainment industry personalities of that era.

These parties happened during some of the best years disco music had as a form of entertainment in America. There were and are people who will tell you that 12 West had the most appreciative membership of the era and some of the best sound and lighting technology in New York City during it's halcyon years. We, the members, deeply appreciated the better disc jockeys and light show operators, demanding not just the well known music of the day but the imports, indy labels and remix dub discs as well. We enjoyed some of the best synchronised dance-beat turntable mixing and overlay work to be found in the mid 70s over an extremely well installed and well managed sound and light installation. We gave minutes-long standing ovations to the DJ and Light operator teams when the parties finally ended long after the sun had come up the next day.

Almost as soon as the parties were announced, they, and the term "12 West" became a dance music and night-life legend and remained so for years. Their history represents a facet of the 'disco era' that is little understood among most people - people who know the era only through the eyes of the Hollywood movie-makers or through memories of their own local venues of the era.

It is true that the 12 West parties were eventually superseded by the Saint. But, after all, that was the 1980s and the music, technology, and, sociology of New York night-life had marched on.

The original 12 West parties were truly a progressive N.Y.C. "insider" experience and an extremely welcome alternative to ordinary public night-life. Some of the limits and most of the problems that come with going out to an ordinary dance bar or nightclub simply didn't apply or occur here in our private party palace. However, it is of course an experience that has passed away along with the old warehouse building that held it and those carefree years of the mid-70s that were it's era. Those parties will never be completely recreated or recaptured as they actually were: the magic days - when the big city after hours private dance phenomenon peaked - and one of it's many legends was: 12 WEST.

This is a non-commercial hobbyist and historical tribute web site. Date first published: 06 Jan 2000. Maintained by New Jersey's "DJ Bob". AFTER A NEARLY FOUR YEAR SHUTDOWN, THE SITE IS NOW BEING BROUGHT BACK ON LINE. IT MAY BE A YEAR BEFORE ALL IS WORKING CORRECTLY AGAIN.

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