Frankie Bones performing at Club Moog in Barcelona, Spain (2018)

Frankie ‘Bones’ Mitchell is a prominent figure in the development of dance music in the US. Bones is widely regarded as the "Godfather of American Rave Culture"and is credited with helping to establish the underground dance music scene in New York City in the 1980s and 1990s. Bones started his music career in the early 1980s, spinning at clubs and parties throughout NYC. He gained widespread recognition for his role in organizing the first outdoor electronic music party in the US, known as “Storm Rave" which took place in Williamsburg, Coney Island, & Plumb Beach. Throughout his career, Bones has produced, remixed, and released countless tracks, albums, EP's, and mixtapes. He has also performed at many large scale music festivals and events around the world such as the Love Parade in Berlin, Germany and Insomniac's Electric Daisy Carnival located in Las Vegas, Nevada. Today, Frankie continues to be an influential figure in the dance scene and remains active as a performer, producer, and author represented globally by Southfirst Talent. 

[1]

Early life

As a child growing up in Brooklyn, Frankie 'Bones' Mitchell's father was murdered just before Frankie graduated high school. His life radically changed, and he inherited his father's entire vinyl record collection.[2] He began to produce house tracks with Lenny Dee.[3]

His brother, Adam "X" Mitchell, is also a techno DJ and producer,[4] and their colleague Heather Heart is a DJ and music writer/zine maker who helped create the community for underground techno music in New York and beyond.[5] Bones, Adam X, Heather Heart and others are associated with the record label Sonic Groove. The three co-owned a record store with the same name at 41 Carmine St in New York City, where it had relocated to from a Brooklyn location in 1995. The shop closed in 2004.[6]

Bringing rave culture to America

After he had begun producing records, Bones was offered a gig to play for 5,000 people in England called "Energy".[7] As the event started on August 26, 1989, he played to the unexpected number of 25,000 people.[8]

Together with his brother, Adam "X" Mitchell, Bones took to forming his own event in Brooklyn in the form of a series of ″Storm Rave″ events that started on May 11, 1991.[9][10][11] The events began with only a few hundred people in attendance growing to over thousands where the likes of Josh Wink, Doc Martin, Sven Väth, The Horrorist, DJ Keoki and Richie Hawtin were able to launch their performances into international careers.[12][13][14]

Bones is recognized to have spread the idea of Peace, Love, Unity and Respect (PLUR) into rave culture.[1][15] Supposedly in response to a fight that broke out at one of his Storm Raves in Brooklyn in June 1993, Bones is said to have got on the microphone and yelled: "If you don't start showing some peace, love, and unity, I'll break your faces."[16] Other sources report that as early as "on July 4, 1990, [...] Frankie's brother and Storm Rave collaborator Adam X painted 'Peace Love Unity' on a train car".[1]

Berlin's Love Parade, which had been generally considered to have been the largest rave festival in the world at the time, named its 1991 and 1992 parades after well-known compositions by Frankie Bones: "The Future is Ours" in 1991, and "My House is Your House (And Your House is Mine)" in 1992.

Discography

Singles

12" Vinyl Releases

Albums / DJ mixes

References

  1. ^ a b c "How New York Legend Frankie Bones Became the Godfather of the PLUR Movement". Thump. 2015-05-14. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
  2. ^ FRANKIE BONES – Article on Dig Boston. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
  3. ^ Matos, Michaelangelos (29 September 2011). "Q&A: Industrial Strength's Lenny Dee On Distorting Electronic Instruments, Sampling Pantera, And "Draft Ponk"". www.villagevoice.com. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  4. ^ "Adam X's biography". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  5. ^ "SONIC GROOVE RECORDS Biography". Sonic Groove Records. Archived from the original on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  6. ^ Sonic Groove – Biography. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
  7. ^ "Red Bull Music Academy Daily". daily.redbullmusicacademy.com. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
  8. ^ "Frankie Bones: From Humble Beginnings To Historic Events | TechnoBass.net". www.technobass.net. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
  9. ^ Wender, Dan (2015-05-13). "Thump.Vice Magazine: How Frankie Bones' Storm Rave Birthed the "PLUR" Movement". Thunp.Vice Magazine.
  10. ^ "DJ Frankie Bones - Hardcore / Old Skool / Rave". Archived from the original on 2013-05-11. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
  11. ^ Music Academy, Red Bull (2015-05-01). "Red Bull Music Academy Radio: Heather Heart Live at Storm Rave". Red Bull Music Academy Radio.
  12. ^ Matos, Michaelangelo (2012-09-13). "Red Bull Music Academy Daily: The Perfect Storm: New York Techno In The Early 90s". Red Bull Music Academy Daily.
  13. ^ Janson, Gerd (2014-01-30). "Red Bull Music Academy Daily: Interview: Frankie Bones on Bonesbreaks and the early days of New York techno". Red Bull Music Academy Daily.
  14. ^ "RedBull.com in Red Bull Music Academy , Electronic : Frankie Bones and Storm Rave Return to New York". RedBull.com. 2015-05-19.
  15. ^ Julian Kazenas: "Frankie Bones: The Godfather Of PLUR & The EDM Scene", in: The Festival Voice Blog, 26 February 2019, retrieved on 2 Juli 2020.
  16. ^ Steve Powers (6 June 2015). "The Graffiti Kids Who Became Raver Kings". The Daily Beast.

External links

Authority control databases: Artists
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