Mangiami 'La Compilation' celebrates the titular NYC Lower East Side Italian restaurant and party. Translated literally as 'Eat Me', over it's six years of existence it was a legendary hang out for the city's underground cognoscenti like DJ Harvey, Tim Sweeney or Eric Duncan, as well as serving up a mean seafood Risotto Alla Campagnola.
When owner and DJ Gianfranco Costa approached Golf Channel's Phil South with the idea of releasing commemorative edits and a compilation album to capture the vibe, he jumped at the chance. First, they released 3 Mangiami Edit 12's in 2014, and now the full comp. The album features new tracks from regulars Totes Preesh (Sean Marquand and Patrick Wood from The Phenomenal Handclap Band), Dedication (Felix Dickinson's Japanese band project), familiar downtown presence Nick Chacona aided on vocals by Cole Odin Berggren. Cole is a DJ, singer and multi instrumentalist from San Francisco, previously in rock band Bobbie Marie and psychedelic band Ownership, his new project is a solo outing of psychedelic rock-inspired electronic music called Song Rider.
Golf Channel's own The Loose Control Band (West Coast legends DJ Spun & Jonah Sharp of Spacetime Continuum). Gianfranco himself turns vocalist on two new productions, one from Throne of Blood's Populette and another from Alex From Tokyo And Bing Ji Ling. Alongside these are two long overdue reissues of lost classics by Thugfucker and Will Burnett's Grackle alias.
Unofficial musical co director / promoter Jason Kincade was affectionately known as 'The Mayor' of the restaurant. He writes: 'From 2006 until its lamented closing in 2012 Mangiami was the downtown clubhouse for a very New York cross-section of DJs, artists, musicians, fashion people, music obsessives and assorted layabouts. On any given night of the week you knew that within an hour of sitting down at the bar any number of your friends would soon appear, and be entertained by the massively charming owner, Gianfranco. Then there were the DJ nights. Every Monday (and later Wednesday) from after work until far too late on a weeknight pretty much a who's who of local heroes and international superstars would play on the rickety old Technics sat on the bar, with mayhem and general debauchery to follow. It wouldn't be a surprise to come in one night and find DJ Harvey at a table with Tim Sweeney next to Alex from Tokyo and Bing Ji Ling with Eric Duncan manning the decks and 100 people crowded into the tiny space and spilling out into the street.
Before things reached a climactic close, one of many highpoints was the night Tony Humphries asked to play there. The beauty of how full circle things had come was not lost on Costa and South and when the time came, they asked Tony to mix the CD part of the compilation. His expert long blends and trademark smooth style will be familiar to all those who caught the man back in the day either via his Kiss FM mastermixes or his legendary Zanzibar residency. Here he gets a whole new set of toys to play with, and delivers a master class in sequencing, mood building, and the fine art of Deejaying.
'The music is a lovely reflection of how the nights went down there, just happy, good time stuff - whether it's the more relaxed or the more banging end of the spectrum - both are represented.' says Golf Channel's Phil South. The cover of the gatefold vinyl is a collage of black and white photos Gianfranco took over the life of the restaurant which showcase the good natured vibe of the establishment - to say the least.
Jason Kincade continues 'this compilation of is a pretty accurate view of what went on there. From low-slung fuzzed out sleaze, slow and sexy party grinders to anthemic 120bpm club monsters there is something for all moods to reflect the eclectic shenanigans that went on in that now hallowed space. They're about to roll down the shutters! Get in!'.
