BTD008 – Johnny “D” De Mairo: The House of Henry Street Music, Atlantic, SIN, 30 Years of Henry St, Johnny D Experience, Autobiography

In this episode, Robert sits down with Johnny D De Mairo, founder of iconic house music label Henry Street Music and an influential figure in the growth of house music through heavy hits in the 90s era of house music. Johnny shares his story from sneaking into Studio 54 with a fake ID to becoming a respected DJ, record collector, and label owner. We discuss his early years in the New York music scene, his passion for vinyl that led to a collection of over 100,000 records (at peak), the origins of Henry Street Music, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and a real world class in the business of the music industry. Along the way, Johnny talks about working with legends like Kenny Dope, Louie Vega, Todd Terry (& more), and creating iconic tracks like The Bomb. School is in session, so get your pens and pencils ready for this history lesson - this episode, is not to be missed. Transcript: https://learningtodj.com/btd008-transcript EPISODE LINKS Johnny's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/henrystreetmusic Johnny's Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7xQ4M4LwZ5ifRedqWUoDC8 Johnny D Experience: https://live365.com/station/THE-JOHNNY-D-EXPERIENCE-a47613 UNDER THE RADAR, ON REPEAT & GUILTY PLEASURE Under the Radar King Brit - Non Stop Action The Force On Repeat Falling in Love - Halmton Joe Frank Cool Night - Paul Davis You’re The Only Women - Ambrosia Guilty Pleasure Heartbeat Its a Love Beat - Tony De Franco PODCAST INFO: Beyond the Decks is your guide to mastering the art and business of the DJ, electronic and dance music industry. Get New Episodes Straight To Your Inbox: https://start.learningtodj.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-the-decks-podcast-with-robert-simoes-learningtodj-com/id1758609395 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/34jVG0wkfNyinasE9G2jln RSS: https://learningtodj.com/podcast/feed/ Youtube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@learningtodj SUPPORT & CONNECT Twitter/X: https://x.com/l2djschool https://x.com/robert_x_world Instagram: https://instagram.com/learningtodj https://instagram.com/robdeepmusic Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Learningtodjcom/61556544425570/ Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/learningtodj.bsky.social OUTLINE Introduction to the Podcast (00:00:00) Johnny's Early DJ Experience (00:02:51) Influence of Studio 54 (00:04:27) Discovering Vinyl Mania (00:11:46) Working at Atlantic Records (00:16:17) A Life-Changing Decision (00:20:26) Parallel Journey with Henry Street (00:26:20) The Birth of Henry Street Music (00:29:05) Collaboration with Nicky P (00:36:32) Creating Hits with Kenny (00:42:08) Impact of "The Bomb" (00:48:14) Challenges in Record Labels (01:05:10) Transition to Digital (01:08:16) The Demise of Traditional Music Business (01:15:51) Future Plans and Autobiography (01:21:17)