Before there was Madonna there was Deep in Vogue

No need to get into a whole theory on how important Malcolm McLaren was.  Fact is he was genius!

Madonna ever the one to take inspiration from others was certainly influenced by this 1989 release by Malcolm McLaren and the Bootzilla Orchestra.  I can assure you being on the New York club scene in flying colors during this period, Deep in Vogue was OVER!
ZIP O VOGUE

And the video of course featured the legendary Willie Ninja.  Truly a master of the art of voguing and an inspirational force on the New York Club scene in that period.  I used to love to go to Sound Factory Bar on Wednesdays where it seemed like the whole dance floor was packed with professional dancers and banjie boys.  But it was always just for a hot minute because my tribe was around the corner at Disco 2000 at The Limelight.  And whatever party was serving club kid action that competed with it.

DEEP IN VOGUE AND BREAK 4 LOVE 10's ACROSS THE BOARD…..

We here at disco vinyl like to keep it real and in an era pre 90's.  This is one of my first posts that gets up near that point in time.  First with Malcolm McLaren's genius Deep in Vogue featuring the late Willi Ninja who is forever immortalized by his appearances in one of the best documentaries of all time Paris is Burning.

I really can't say enough about this film.  The way it so incredibly captured a scene and an era will be inspirational to any documentary filmmaker.  Feelings that permeated what was so fresh about my first years living in N.Y.C. and the way ballroom culture had an effect on The Sound Factory the only club which could claim the title of carrying the torch after the closing of The Paradise Garage.  So many quotes from the film are still used in street lingo today.  And the ballroom scene never went away.

Deep in Vogue was clearly all about the ball scene when it came out in 1989 well before Madonna's Vogue mind you.

The documentary's release in 1990 inspired Madonna to invite voguers from the film to tour with her and to appear in her video for Vogue, which remains one of the biggest hits of her career.

The scene was also very much championed by Johnny Dynell who is still an incredibly popular and successful DJ in N.Y.C. usually featured at all of Suzanne Bartsch's events.

A RECENT BOBBY BUSNACH EDIT OF BREAK 4 LOVE

In 1987 a release out of Grove records in D.C. shook up the scene in a big way.  Break 4 Love became a standard of the ballroom scene.  Vaughan Mason the man responsible had done roller disco classics like Bounce, Skate, Roll.  It even was covered by The Pet Shop Boys a few years later. 

Here I provide you with a few versions of each to enjoy.

BREAK 4 ZIP

DEEP IN ZIP