West End Records Online Store
Where the sun sets and the stars rise
New Arrival
Main categories
The New Collection Is Coming
Get Discount On All New Albums and Singles
Order today and get a 20% discount code for the t-shirts, albums and singles from the upcoming collections.
About this disco-turned dance record label
Here is the story:
West End Records is an American music record label based in New York City. Led by co-founder Mel Cheren, West End was one of the most prominent labels in dance music's history, along with Prelude Records, Salsoul Records, and Casablanca Records. West End Records helped introduce the 12-inch single, the vinyl format popularized by disco music in the 1970s[1] and promoted the nascent garage house music pioneered by DJ Larry Levan in Paradise Garage. West End Records was acquired by Verse music group in 2010. On June 29, 2015, Verse Music was acquired by BMG Rights Management.
History
It was founded by Mel Cheren and Ed Kushins in 1976 and the label went on to define the sound of New York City in the heyday of disco. That sound eventually filtered to dance floors and clubs across the country and around the world. During the disco era, many labels and artists scrambled to put out records that would ride the wave of disco's popularity but West End was not jumping on any bandwagon. West End created the bandwagon, releasing hits like Taana Gardner's "Heartbeat," Karen Young's "Hot Shot," Loose Joints' "Is It All Over My Face," Barbara Mason's "Another Man," and The NYC Peech Boys' "Don't Make Me Wait," creating a frenzy on dance floors. These titles, along with many others in the West End Records catalog, went on to become some of the most sampled songs in music history.
In 1992, a UK music production and remix team called West End produced numerous UK #1 Club Chart hits influenced by the style of the West End Records label and associated Garage sound.
Samples of West End Records' titles appear in productions of million selling artists: Jennifer Lopez, Notorious B.I.G, Ja Rule, Ini Kamoze, DMX and many others. The sound of West End is intimately remembered by all the dancers and music lovers from the world over. In the film industry, you can find West End's music in such films as "The Cookout" (Lions Gate Films, 2004), "Honey" (Universal Pictures, 2003), "Loving Jezebel" (Shooting Gallery, 1999), "Reversal of Fortune" (Warner Bros, 1990) and much more. West End's music has also been featured on such television programs as "The Ellen DeGeneres Show", "Queer Eye for the Straight Girl", and "Showtime at the Apollo".
The label released such hits as
- Taana Gardner – "Heartbeat"
- Karen Young – "Hot Shot"
- Barbara Mason – "Another Man"
- Loose Joints – "Is It All Over My Face?"
- The New York Citi Peech Boys – "Don't Make Me Wait"
- Raw Silk - "Do It To The Music"
Contact
- 2250-2252 Broadway, New York, NY 10024
- 1-800-216-2166
- westendrecordsonlinestore@aol.com
- opens 24 hours
This disco-turned dance record label is in memory of:
Melvin Cheren
Record executive
Born January 21, 1933 in Everett, Massachusetts and raised in Revere - Died December 07, 2007 C.E. --- Former Financial Backer of the Paradise Garage, C.E.O. of West End Records, Trendsetter, Owner of Colonial House Inn, Founder and President 24 Hours For Life Foundation, Philanthropist, Painter.
Luther Vandross
Backing singer for West End recording artist Colleen Heather
Michael de Benedictus
Member of post-disco group Peech Boys
Larry Levan met Michael DeBenedictus when the latter offered to work with him on a theme party at the Paradise Garage. Michael was a keyboardist amongst other things, and in 1982, the two formed a partnership with singer and guitarist Bernard Fowler and called themselves the Peech Boys.
Larry Levan
US-American DJ and producer
Born July 20, 1954 in Bedford Stuyvesant Brooklyn, New York - Died November 8, 1992 of heart failure at a mere 38 years old. Larry is revered primarily as the DJ and driving force of the famous gay-friendly disco Paradise Garage. With engineer Richard Long, he custom-designed the Garage's sound system and DJ booth, complete with audiophile Thorens turntables. Larry's brilliance lay not only in his technical skill and audio expertise, but also in his eclectic taste. He broadened the 'rules' of what dance music could be, mixing everything from gospel, reggae, Philly soul and Euro-disco to rock ("Stand Back"/Stevie Nicks and "Eminence Front"/The Who, to name but two), post-punk ("The Magnificent Seven"/The Clash, and Talking Heads), ambient/environmental music (Klaus Schulze and Manuel Gottsching, for example) and just about everything else. He augmented his sets with disorienting sound effects and audio manipulations, working the crossover and balance controls to throw sound around the room as if it had a will of its own. Larry cut his musical teeth at The Loft, essentially the first underground, afterhours disco. Started by David Mancuso at the advent of the '70s, The Loft combined psychedelic culture with proto-disco music, which then consisted of longform, psychedelic-influenced soul ("Melting Pot"/Booker T. & The MG's, "Papa Was a Rolling Stone"/The Temptations, etc.), jazz-funk like The Blackbyrds, funky rock ("Woman"/Barabas, for example) and trippy head music like Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon." When "Paradise Garage" opened in 1976, Larry added gospel-and R&B-flavored disco to his musical menu. After the Garage closed in 1987, Larry kept a considerably lower profile, doing guest spots at various clubs, including "Studio 54," "Palladium" and "Mars," and D.J.-ing regularly at "The Choice," arguably the inheritor of the Garage's underground legacy. "The Choice" didn't have the grandeur of the Garage, but Larry made it his home, casting his psychedelic spell on a diverse crowd of devoted Garage fans and various other afterhours types.
Busta Jones
American funk soul bassist from Memphis, Tennessee
Armando Trovaioli
Italian film composer and pianist
Armando Trovajoli (born September 2, 1917, Rome, Italy - died February 27, 2013, Rome, Italy) was an Italian film composer and pianist with over 300 credits as composer and/or conductor. He was married to the italian actress and singer Pier Angeli.
Kurt Borusiewicz
DJ - songwriter - producer
Born in 1952, in Conshohocken, PA, U.S. Died in July 1994, Philadelphia, U.S.m, 42 years old, of complications from AIDS. He co-wrote Karen Young's smash "Hot Shot", along with Andy Khan
George Lagios
Disco Producer for Canadian disco studio group Bombers
Pat Deserio
Italian-Canadian songwriter, producer, and record company executive based in Montréal, Québec
Karen Young
Queen of Pop and Disco from Philadelphia, PA
US-American singer from Philadelphia, PA (March 23, 1951-January 26, 1991); best known for her hit "Hot Shot".
Tee Scott
DJ - remixer - producer - technician - engineer
Tee (Toraino) Scott was a highly influential New York DJ from the early 70s on. Best known for playing at Manattan club Better Days, he also played at Cheetah Club and Zanzibar in New Jersey and the legendary Continental Baths. His recorded work included mixing records for a wide array of labels and artists including many of Began Cekic's productions on BC Records/One Way Records.
