Danny Krivit is an American DJ, producer, and remixer known for his contributions to disco and electronic music.
Born on April 10, 1957, in New York City, New York, Krivit was immersed in a rich musical environment from a young age. Growing up in Greenwich Village during the 1960s, he was influenced by his mother, an accomplished jazz singer, and his father, who managed the iconic jazz trumpeter Chet Baker before opening "The Ninth Circle," a popular venue where Danny worked as a boy. This club became a meeting point for notable figures in the music scene, including Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Charlie Mingus, John Lennon, and Yoko Ono.
Krivit's home was also a hub of musical creativity, with The Mothers of Invention living nearby and Sid Bernstein, manager of The Rascals, residing upstairs. Bernstein frequently visited to practice new songs on the piano. Among his classmates was the son of Creed Taylor, the esteemed producer behind many recordings on the Verve, CTI, and Kudu labels, and he also counted legendary soul artist Nile Rodgers as a close friend.
By 1970, Krivit had developed a passion for vinyl and began DJing as a hobby. His career took off in 1971 after a chance encounter with a neighbor who was vice president of Polydor Records introduced him to the legendary James Brown. Brown provided Krivit with white-label promo copies of "Get On The Good Foot" and "Think" by Lynn Collins. Shortly thereafter, Krivit began DJing at The Ninth Circle, which had transitioned into a disco. In 1975, his father opened a second club called "Ones," where Krivit served as the sole DJ until 1977. This experience led him to promote and DJ at his own after-hours club, further embedding him in the underground scene. During this time, he met prominent DJs like Nicky Siano, Walter Gibbons, Tee Scott, David Rodriguez, Richie Kaczor, and Bobby DJ, with David Mancuso of The Loft parties being particularly influential.
The Loft served as a musical sanctuary and the origin of the first Record Pool, where Krivit formed long-lasting friendships with DJs Larry Levan and François Kevorkian. In 1977, while DJing at Trude Heller's, Krivit also took up roller skating, often skating to the Paradise Garage, where Levan allowed them to skate around the club while he tested new records. The Paradise Garage became a central venue for Krivit until its closure in 1987.
Throughout the late 1970s, Krivit's DJ residencies flourished, and in 1979, he became the resident DJ at the Roxy following its opening. The Roxy hosted some of the leading hip-hop DJs of the era, including D.S.T, Grandmaster Flash, and Afrika Bambaataa. As one of the few white DJs adept at scratching, he earned the nickname "Danny Rock." Throughout the 1980s, his DJ gigs expanded to include prestigious venues such as Area, Danceteria, The Ice Palace, Laces, The Limelight, Red Zone, Save The Robots, Studio 54 (Virgin Islands), Tracks, The Tunnel, and The World, along with a guest appearance at the Paradise Garage.
Krivit's influence in the music industry was recognized in trade magazines like Billboard, Cash Box, Record World, and Dance Music Report, which featured his playlists. His mixtapes gained airplay on radio stations such as WBLS, WKTU, and Kiss FM.
The 1980s marked the beginning of Krivit's studio work, collaborating on tracks such as James Brown's "Soul Power," "The Funky Drummer," and "Give It Up And Turn It Loose," as well as "Touch And Go" by Ecstasy, Passion & Pain, "Let's Go All the Way" by Brenda And The Tabulations, and Gloria Gaynor's "Casanova Brown."
Entering the 1990s, Krivit inherited The Ninth Circle club night and continued to perform at various clubs, including Mars, Tracks, The Choice, Palladium, Shelter, Sound Factory Bar, Twilo, and The Warehouse. He co-founded the "Body And Soul" night at club Vinyl with François K and Joe Claussell in 1996, regularly DJing both in the U.S. and internationally, including performances in New York and Japan. A highlight of his career came in 1999 when he DJed for a crowd of 15,000 at a special Body And Soul event for "Summer Stage" in Central Park, NYC.
Krivit's reputation has grown significantly beyond New York, leading him to host international Body And Soul events in London for "Angels Of Love" and Giorgio Armani. His extensive record collection, boasting over 50,000 records, continues to enhance his stature in the music community. Additionally, he VJs with a collection of over 5,000 rare soul performances on video from the 1960s to the 1990s.
He is married to Akemi Kakihara, also known as AK.
