LAUNCHED: DJ Neil Lewis Podcasts

My pal Leif Wauters is spearheading an effort to post the sets of the late and legendary DJ Neil Lewis, whose epic work is considered by many to represent a pinnacle of San Francisco nightlife.

Welcome to the premier podcast of Neil's recorded sets from his nights at Pleasuredome. Each release represents both sides of an audio cassette tape recording that has recently been digitised. Although I'm not an audio engineer, I have done my best to remove any gaps and to generally beef up with quality of the recordings but some unavoidable warbling and glitches remain. Please allow these imperfections to remind you that this is simply an attempt to share the joy of Neil Lewis' music what was adored by dancers, flaggers and other DJs around the world until he took his life in 2004. Please share these podcasts far and wide as they represent what some would consider the best of a golden age in dance music. There will be a new release roughly every couple of weeks until the collection has been completely shared. If you enjoy what you hear, please consider making a donation to San Francisco Suicide Prevention as a "Friend of Neil Lewis" so they can continue the critical work of keeping our troubled loved-ones amongst us.

I made most of my San Francisco friends on Neil's dance floor and even just a few minutes into this podcast, I'm flashing back to people I haven't thought about in many years. Appropriately, this first posting begins with Chicane, the gloriously serene trance act that came to represent Neil's unique style. Bookmarked.

DJ Neil Lewis - Final Performance

Digging through an old box, last week I came across a forgotten CD recorded in Chicago by my late pal DJ Neil Lewis during what would be his final gig on February 28th, 2004. Neil passed away at his San Francisco home the next day. I know lots of my fellow "Neilies" (as we called ourselves) have tons of his Pleasuredome sets, but I put this mix up on SoundCloud today for the Neilies that want more, as well as dance fans that never got to enjoy the music of Neil Lewis in person.

DJ Neil Lewis Collection For Sale

Dance music and vinyl junkies will be interested to learn that the vast collection of legendary late DJ Neil Lewis is now for sale.

As one of the most highly regarded DJs on the international dance circuit for nearly two decades, Neil Lewis captivated audiences and inspired a generation of loyal fans from around the globe with his mesmerizing and incomparable musical style. Beyond his historic residency at San Francisco's Pleasuredome, Neil established his world-class reputation at some of the most popular dance events around the world, including Sydney's Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, Folsom Street Fair weekend's Magnitude, and Black & Blue Weekend in Montreal. The loss from his untimely death is still deeply felt by the dance world and by all those who loved his music and his gentle spirit.

But his memory and his musical legacy live on.

So many of my fondest memories of my time in San Francisco are woven into the soundtrack that Neil provided us. Every weekend on SF's dance floors his fans would gather together as a giant family. We called ourselves "Neilies". I remain in awe of Neil's talent and generosity.

The entire 7000+ piece collection (listed in Excel format) is being sold as one item and includes many hundreds of classic impossible-to-find releases. Neil was meticulous with his vinyl and I'd imagine that virtually all of the pieces are in pristine condition. His collection represents an aural archive of 20 years of gay nightclub culture and we can only trust that the lucky person who takes it treats it as such.

Neil Lewis: September 14, 1965 - February 29, 2004

Full disclosure: As some of you may know, I was one of the producers of Neil's two commercial CD releases: Magnitude 2000 and Magnitude: Late Night, however I have nothing to do with this sale.