Maestro

When I saw the film in Mass. I thought it was a great piece of work.

In fact it was an in-depth look at the underground like never before. The profoundness of the music was on point, specifically the scene in which one of the main individuals is introduced with melodic keys overlayed with a poetic voice over; it's hypnotic.

From the opening shots along the street from the train, to the entry of the club then on into it's inner sanctum, viewers will be sucked into the screen until the final credits roll, and glued to their seat long after that. It is powerful, sincere and an accurate representation of "What is dance music culture", and required viewing for those who want to know. Audience members testified along with the soundtrack, hollered as their hero DJs appeared on-screen and cried as they were reminded of all we've lost. Yes, it was worth the wait and it will be large.

The movie finds its strength in the gritty video footage of David Mancuso's Loft, Nicky Siano's Gallery and of course the final weekend at the Garage. Never widely seen, these priceless nuggets of history offer a spine-tingling visual of the dancers in their hallowed rooms, while showing the youthful exuberance of the DJs as they blazed their musical trails. It also excels in the presentation of uncommonly heard voices of the movement like the Sanctuary's Francis Grasso, Tony Humphries and Alex Rosner who spoke about aural pioneer, Richard Long. Josell augments the overall impact of all this by employing interesting camera angles, slow motion replay and the effective use of silence. Calling each viewers individual Theater of the Mind into full-effect, and capturing the tacit truth of just how powerful this all really is. It's greatest weakness is that it can't tell every story, recall every influential party during this period and beyond, name every name, or reflect every partier's experience but for what it does explore, specifically Larry and those around him, it paints a realistic picture from an excellent starting point.

I think all those people in the public that wonder about studio 54 or disco or house or the underground should witness this great piece of work. It worked for me and many of my friends.

the beauty of film Phil undagroundArchives

What I have to say about this film is that it takes on a rare feel. one that transcends those people that are not into hand helds or ambient lighting. This is a story of underground music. The first scene is almost hypnotic. It takes you through dark streets with a Voice over that haunts you. At the end of the road a thumping melody comes into play that of a song that I once heard in a club in my naughty years.

If you are expecting a narrated documentary TV style this film is not for you. It's raw and very artsy.

no doubt this is a doc that goes back to the roots of aesthetic film making. I thought it was deeply rooted, makes you think and ponder. Not your typical TV documentary. would recommend it.

I'm a photographer so seeing the director keep ambiance is appreciative. I always say there's no need for so much lighting. great piece..

Excellent bit of historical boogie fare. This film is superb, interviews with some of the biggest movers in the house-music scene over the last 20 years; well filmed, superb soundtrack (note to the makers - make it available, it would be essential listening for anyone who has ever danced in their lives).

I would recommend this film to anyone who has been to a nightclub in the last two decades, and would like to find out where and who the music came from, how where and why it happened, where it has been and where it may go. Full of insight, humour and joy.

Until the 1970s, the jukebox was the main way of listening to music in New York City clubs, but then DJ-centered dance music as we know it today arose in the legendary venue Paradise Garage. Opening in the disco boom, Paradise Garage quickly became famous for the eclectic music choices of its DJs and later would play a key role in the spread of house music from Chicago to clubs worldwide until it closed in 1987. Josell Ramos's MAESTRO is a 90-minute documentary from 2003 about the Garage, the demographic it drew, and especially the DJ Larry Levan.

The documentary maker goes back to describe The Loft, the invitation-only parties that inspired the Garage, as well as the creation of the 12" record. There is some archival footage, but mainly this is an interview-driven documentary. There are interviews with DJs Antony Ocasio, Nicki Siano, Frankie Knuckles, Tony Humphries, "Little" Louie Vega, Derrick May. Especially shocking is an interview with Francis Grasso, who was only in his early 50s at the time, but worn down by drugs he looks like he's in his 80s (he would die soon after the interview). Also heavily featured are vox pop interviews with people outside a NY club who remember the Garage.

While not dedicating much time to it specifically, MAESTRO aims to depict the prominence of African-Americans and gays (and African-American gays!) in the Garage scene. Viewers whose experience with dance music is the more mainstream form in Europe will probably be surprised by how many men in this documentary talk swish. The impact of AIDS is briefly remembered.

While I enjoyed learning something about the early years of NYC club culture, I was rather disappointed by how padded this documentary was: the main reason that the documentary is 85 minutes long is that the subjects interviewed speak very slowly with a lot of "uh" and "like". If Ramos had approached this material in a different way, he could have tightened things down to an hour.