Legendary DJ Grandmaster Flash Helps The Wayfarer Turn One On July 11

GRANDMASTER FLASH

GRANDMASTER FLASH celebrates The Wayfarer’s First Anniversary Jul 11

Fresh off of tour dates in the UK, the legendary father of hip-hop and modern turntablism, DJ Grandmaster Flash, will hit The Wayfarer stage on Jul. 11. The show is a part of the venue’s One Year Anniversary Party series, co-promoted with Modern Disco Ambassadors.

The night will feature DJ Grandmaster Flash (Joseph Saddler) on his instrument of choice, the turntables, a musical tool that can thank Flash for its innovation and introduction into the mainstream music scene.

Flash’s career in music finds its origins at the neighborhood block parties of the South Bronx in the early 70’s. His experimentation with sound found its first listeners there, ready and waiting for the next step through musical evolution. Flash did not see vinyl as a one-dimensional vehicle for sound, instead he heard the possibility for intricacies and nuances that had yet to be drawn from audio equipment. Modern DJ’s can thank Flash for the introduction of the cue button, plus techniques like backspins, scratching, punch phrasing and the very foundation for everything a DJ can do today.

The introduction of MC’s to DJ Grandmaster Flash’s set-up in the late 70’s spurred a revolution in music. With the addition of the Furious Five, Flash’s ensemble produced the pioneering album, “The Message,” with its single by the same name, and Flash’s epic “The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel,” which introduced a new type of DJing to the mainstream.

Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five garnered much critical acclaim for their introspective lyrics. Songs like “The Message”, which earned the group platinum status, and 1984’s “White Lines” were the first to use hip-hop as a medium for social commentary, expressing the gritty realities of life in South Bronx.

DJ Grandmaster Flash went on to produce several solo albums including 1985’s “They Said It Couldn’t Be Done”, 1986’s “The Source” and 1987’s “Da Bop Boom Bang”. Flash also worked for five years as the music director for the HBO series, “The Chris Rock Show”.

In 2007, Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Jay-Z, marking the first time a hip-hop or rap artist earned the honor. “What Les Paul and Chuck Berry did for the electric guitar, Flash did for the turntable,” Jay-Z said about the forefather of modern DJing. Flash has also been the recipient of many other awards including The Icon Award from BET for his contribution to hip-hop, The Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Industry Association of America, the Bill Gates’ Vanguard Award and VH1 Hip-Hop Honors.

Catch DJ Grandmaster Flash at the Wayfarer on Jul. 11 for the venue’s One Year Anniversary Party. Other bands to play The Wayfarer’s One Year Anniversary Series leading up to Saturday’s epic Grandmaster Flash show include FMLYBND on Jul. 9 and Matthew Dear (DJ Set) on Jul. 10.