True House Stories interview podcast hosted by Lenny Fontana

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ KEN WALKER AKA KEN@WORK # 079 - PART 1 Ken@Work is the alias of Melbourne DJ & Producer Ken Walker. Ken shares with us his beginnings from starting in grade school as a disco DJ. His first chance of playing music for a crowd was when his school had a dance and he was put to the task to spin the music. He finds a nitch with a South African DJ living in Melbourne that had a...

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ KEN WALKER AKA KEN@WORK # 079 - PART 2 Ken@Work develops a strong following playing six to seven days a week. He starts to work in the music industry with Central Station Records and begin his first start putting together the compilations. He earns awards for his edits and productions. His achievements are many including ARIA certified platinum & gold albums (over 20 majo...

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ NICKY SIANO # 078 - PART 1 In 1971, at the tender age of 16, Nicky Siano getst his first DJing gig at The Roundtable in New York City. In February 1973, he opened The Gallery in Downtown Manhattan with his older brother Joe Siano. New Yorker Magazine called it "one of the five most visually breathtaking nightspots of its time”. The Gallery was, alongside Macuso's Loft and The...

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ NICKY SIANO # 078 - PART 2 When Steve Rubell opened Studio 54, he asked Nicky Siano to be one of its Resident Jocks, which he agreed, while remaining at The Gallery during the weekends. Nicky was DJing during Bianca Jagger's infamous Studio 54 birthday party, and was playing live while Bianca Jagger entered on a white horse which made all the newspapers the following day arou...

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ STEVE RAINE # 077 - PART 1 True House Stories sits with Steve Raine the sheep farmer, who turned into one of the greatest club promoters of the 1990s. He created a brand known worldwide called “Hard Times” Steve will walk you through his journey on how he found house music and what it did it to him. It was so life changing that he wanted to recreate the first night experience...

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ STEVE RAINE # 077 - PART 2 Steve Raine vowed from day one that Hard Times would bring the USA’s underground House elite over to the UK at a time when they were still honing their skills in their homeland. He came up with the plan around the pool in Miami at WMC in 1992. It was this introduction of what we all now recognize as ‘House Music’s legends’ that lit the Hard Times fi...

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ JON MANCINI # 076 - PART 1 Jon Mancini is Scotland’s most well-known house DJ. He was the key to the successful Street rave parties at the Ayr Pavilion back in the early 90’s. He then moved on to the short lived but legendary Kitsch club nights. He now resides at the Arches for all the Colours events. He has played alongside every name DJ that the UK has to offer & has fe...

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ JON MANCINI # 076 - PART 2 Jon Mancini wraps up his story with all the guest DJ’s he has played with over the 30 plus years and all the follies that went on with the Street Rave, Colours and Colours Orchestral Series. He shared his moment traveling to New York and playing at The Limelight and the experience he gained.  He also currently has a video production company and...

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ MARK FARINA # 075 - PART 1 Mark Farina born in Chicago, Illinois, USA is an American disc jockey and musician, known for Chicago House Music, Acid Jazz and Downtempo works. His notable releases include "Mood" (KMS Records, 1989) and the Mushroom Jazz series (OM Records, 1996–2011), and is also known from the house compilations EL Divino. He is primarily identified with the Ho...

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ MARK FARINA # 075 - PART 2 Mark Farina speaks about his club life and getting a job at the record store in Chicago. He makes his alliance with Derrick Carter and Stacey Pullen . Shelter Club gives him his first residency in Chicago and the rest is the history. He then works hard to become one of the few DJ’s that travel around the USA and Canada for the last three decades. He...

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ JABIG # 074 - PART 1 JaBig shares with us his life as a young man in Africa and making the transition of moving to Canada. His DJ career begins with teenage dances and two stereos. He teaches himself the art of blending vinyl, CD’s and cassettes. The most important part in the beginning of his music journey was the selection of music. He always wanted to have all the right mu...

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ JABIG # 074 - PART 2 JaBig is one of the first DJ’s to utilize the internet to its fullest in the early part of the 2000’s. He saw a massive opening with a new platform called YouTube to showcase and stream his mixes. He took the risk and uploaded his mix on there and it took off immediately. Years and years of working on YouTube he has uploaded over 800 different mixes. Over...

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ CHAD JACKSON # 073 - PART 1 Chad Jackson sits with Lenny Fontana and discusses in this episode how he started his life in the music with piano lessons. He also was dancing a lot at all the big events in the northern scene. He begins his music career as a record collector and following the dj's. He befriends Manchester DJ Greg Wilson and the rest is history. 👕OUR NEW MERCHAND...

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ CHAD JACKSON # 073 - PART 2 Chad Jackson in this part talks about his start with his new professional DJ work in the clubs. He begins in the northern part of the UK and is given the chance to take over from DJ Greg Wilson . As he explains it the baton was passed on to him and he is focused on making his Radio show an incredible listening experience on Radio Piccadilly Manches...

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ KAYPER # 072 - PART 1 Kayper sits with us on True House Stories and explains how she became a DJ from being a drummer. She gets her humble beginnings from her brother purchasing two Technics 1200 and just learning on her own. She even explains how her name Kayper came to be from her school days. She gets a call from a friend who was promoting a student night at Ministry Of So...

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ KAYPER MONDESIR # 072 - PART 2 Kayper in this segment explains how she finds a college outside London to study Music Technology. Listen to hear talk about her parents try to discourage her from being a DJ. Against all the odds she pushes on and then at one gig a BBC talent agent discovers her and experienced her set and asked her to come for a meeting at Radio and try out for...

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ CRYSTAL WATERS # 071 - PART 1 Crystal Waters a true icon in house music speaks about her humble beginnings from a young child and being exposed to some of the greatest musicians because of her dad who was a famous jazz musician. She toured with her dad as a young artist and was able to get an education of what it is like to be an artist. As she finished college she takes a jo...

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ CRYSTAL WATERS # 071 - PART 2 Crystal Waters in this part shares with us her life after success and at the same time trying to define herself as a true dance pop artist. She was in the middle of a divorce and battling with her production company and record label over the contracts through her lawyers. As you will hear from herself this is never an easy thing to be dealing wit...

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ JOHNNY “D” DE MAIRO (HENRY STREET RECORDS) # 070 - PART 1 Johnny D De Mairo in part 1 speaks about his start from his older sister introducing him to disco music and then in 1979 walking into a roller rink and hearing this music as well at the teen disco. At that moment he knew his life changed and wanted to be part of this music thing. He finds Disco and it becomes everythin...

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ JOHNNY “D” DE MAIRO (HENRY STREET RECORDS) # 070 - PART 2 Johnny D De Mairo in this part speaks about his professional music life, the beginnings of Henry Street Music, his promotions duties at SIN Promotions, and to eventually being hired to work at Atlantic Records in Crossover A&R Promotion. He shares with us what the responsibilities are expected when you are working...

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ RAY PINKY VELAZQUEZ # 069 - PART 1 Ray Pinky Velazquez gets his start from his father being the manager of an equipment famous Electric Shop called Leonard's Electrics back in the 1970s. The owner of the Brazilian Disco called Ipanema spoke to Ray's dad and Ray's father advised the owner to try his son out for the DJ position. Well to say the least Ray went to the tryout and...

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ RAY PINKY VELAZQUEZ # 069 - PART 2 Ray Pinky Velazquez known as the DJ, Artist, A&R, Remixer and Editor speaks about his beginnings of 99 Prince Street Record Pool. He leaves that pool to join Eddie Rivera's IDRC Record Pool and because of that move, Eddie helps put him forward for the A&R Consultant at Vanguard Records. In this part he explains what it was like worki...

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ ROWETTA SPECIAL SHOW 007 Rowetta who is considered true musical royalty in our music business. Against all the odds of growing up rough, she pursues a musical career. Her adult life begins very young being married at age 16 and having two kids before she is 18. She tells it all from being a battered young wife to the front lead singer of the Happy Mondays . A very special Sun...

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ JENS LISSAT # 068 - PART 1 Jens Lissat explains his young life as a child in Hamburg Germany. His mom was a DJ who played at a afternoon tea dance with one Gramophone. His older sister has a huge influence on him and since she was seven years older she was already up on the new sounds of disco. She was bringing home new music that he was listening to and Jens personally was m...

TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ JENS LISSAT # 068 - PART 2 Jens Lissat in this part talks about his life in the music business. He picks it up from Disco and how he works his way into getting different residencies in other cities in Germany. He also self learns editing with the cassette pause button. The next phase of his life will be “The Megamix”. His first professional job comes from WEA and they ask him...