Vincent DJ

“Florence 1969: At Club 67, I played musical previews from all over the world”

THE START OF MY CAREER: “I began in 1969 at the Otto club in via Salsetti. I continued at the trendiest venue in Florence at the time, CLUB 67, where I met figures who were unknown back then, such as Armani (who was a window dresser at Upim) and Coveri, who was studying at the Art Institute. I remember everyone came there to listen to musical previews, for example, Donna Summer. We would start playing at 10:00 PM until 1:00 AM at the latest; we also played on Saturday afternoons and Sundays, which is unthinkable today. I started for fun, and here I am after 34 years, still working with music and on the radio. I have evolved. My career has been a continuous adaptation to the changes in the world. The way music is made changes, and consequently, our way of being a DJ changes.”

RADIO: “I founded RADIO ONE (1974), which was the premier DJ radio of the era. I worked there for nearly 20 years (under three different owners), then I moved to Lady Radio when Carlo Conti was the director, and finally, here I am at RADIO BLU (1989).”

MEMORIES: “At Club 67, I played musical previews from all over the world. At the time, I had friends—a flight attendant and a steward—who, every time they traveled from Rome to London to New York (about once a month), would bring me a musical preview. And at that time, it was truly exceptional. After working for years at the Ricordi record store, I opened my own shop in via Cerretani; ‘Discomania’ carried records that were unreleased in the city at that time.”

ANECDOTE: “Renato Zero, who in the 70s was not yet the famous artist he is today, was already a friend of mine, and I remember that when he finished playing at a club in via delle Oche, dressed like David Bowie, he would come to eat ‘penette alla boscaiola’ at Club 67.”

THEME SONG: The Crusaders;

ARTISTS: Donna Summer, Barry White (Love’s Theme), Gloria Gaynor