Richard Long (sound designer)

Richard Long (1933–1986) was an American sound designer.[1][2] He is known as the preeminent sound designer of the disco era, having installed systems at clubs including Paradise Garage, Dorian Gray, Studio 54, City Hall, and Max's Kansas City.[1][3][4]

Career

Richard Long initially worked for Alex Rosner, famous for his system installed at the Loft.[1] Rosner would send Long to fix sound systems that were broken down, but eventually Long became a designer in his own right.[5] Long's first nightclub was SoHo Place.[1] In 1977, he designed the custom sound system for Paradise Garage. This system became his flagship.[6][7] Long was known for his heavy bass sound.[1] Nicky Siano described Long's sound as more "funky and down-home", compared to a more polished sound from Rosner's systems.[7] Long also developed a J-Horn, a bass speaker cabinet designed to protect the lower frequencies.[7]

Paradise Garage had a custom speaker, the "Levan Horn", designed to increase bass in the club, and named after DJ Larry Levan.[8] The club was Long's showroom–he continued to maintain and tweak the design after it opened.[7]

Over the course of his career, Long installed more than 300 systems.[8] Locations included Copacabana, Directoire, the Ginza, the Limelight, Max's Kansas City, Studio 54, Area, Bonds International Casino, Zanzibar (Newark), The Box (Chicago), Ware House, Paradise Garage.[1] and City Hall (Venezuela).[9] In 1980, Long won the Billboard award for Best Disco Sound Design.[10]

Long died of AIDS in 1986.[1] The only surviving Richard Long soundsystem is at the Eldorado Bumper Car ride in Coney Island, NY.[1][11][12] Long was invited to install the system by the Eldorado's owner, Scott Fitlin.[13]

References
  1. "Magic Touch: Richard Long's Life-Changing Soundsystems". daily.redbullmusicacademy.com. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  2. "Richard Long DJ Console — DEEPBLAK". Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  3. "In Paradise". Design Observer. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  4. "The Story of NYC Through Sound And Change". Boy's Own. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  5. "Richard Long's Life-Changing Soundsystems – Blitz". Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  6. "Moments in Music: 8 Sound Systems that Changed the World". LANDR Blog. 2016-11-07. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  7. "Tuning the room: The origins of sound systems on the dance floor". Jaeger. 2019-10-24. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  8. "The Disco Soundsystems That Birthed Modern Dance Music". reverb.com. 2020-06-08. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKM7Zw6TNjY
  10. Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1980-07-26). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  11. "From Studio 54 to a Bumper Car Birthday: the Legacy of Disco King Nicky Siano". www.vice.com. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
  12. Sloan, Brian (2015-03-26). "Disco Pioneer Nicky Siano Hasn't Lost the Beat". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
  13. "Is New York City's Best Club Soundsystem in a Bumper Car Arena?". daily.redbullmusicacademy.com. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
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