DJ Disciple facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
DJ Disciple
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DJ Disciple in Philadelphia
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | David Leander Banks |
| Also known as | DJ Disciple, The Banji Boyz, Boriqua Bandits, Street Preacherz, Brooklyn Soul Boys, Innervisions |
| Born | September 2, 1965 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | House, EDM, tribal house, tech house |
| Occupation(s) | DJ, music producer |
| Years active | 1987-present |
| Labels | Catch 22 Recordings, House Trained, Vendetta, Blanco Y Negro, Nets Work International |
David Banks (born September 2, 1965), known as DJ Disciple, is an American DJ, house music producer, and author from Brooklyn, New York. Early in his career, he worked in London and helped make UK garage music popular. In New York City, he was a key part of the house music scene. DJ Disciple also wrote a book called The Beat, the Scene, the Sound: A DJ's Journey through the Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of House Music in New York City with Henry Kronk.
Contents
Growing Up: DJ Disciple's Early Life
David Banks was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1965. He was the youngest of four brothers. His father played piano with famous jazz musician Miles Davis. His brother Stanley played bass with George Benson, and another brother, Larry, is also a musician.
David grew up in the Farragut Projects. He played drums at the Greater Refuge Temple in Harlem. Some of his family's neighbors were musicians like Strafe and Rusty Taylor, who played bass for Shannon. Famous people like Grandmaster Flowers, Jocelyn Brown, Puffy Combs, and Mary J. Blige were friends with his brothers.
David finished Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School in 1984. He first studied accounting at Baruch College, but later changed his major to journalism.
DJ Disciple's Music Career
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While in college, David worked at Baruch's college radio stations. He started as a gospel DJ. He chose the name "Disciple" to remind himself that his work should last. In 1987, he became a radio host and mixer for WNYE FM. His show was called The Best Kept Secret.
He became known for playing new music before it was officially released. This included songs like "Follow Me" (1992) by Aly-Us and "Beautiful People" (1994) by Barbara Tucker. He also played music by Todd Terry, Louie Vega, Roger Sanchez, and Todd Edwards. His show was one of the first to feature women DJs doing mixes.
His first professional DJ job was at Studio 54. Then, he played at The World nightclub in 1989. He became a resident DJ at Wild Pitch. He also played at David Mancuso's Loft Space and the Choice in Lower Manhattan. He appeared at The Pyramid Club.
DJ Disciple was hired to DJ parties for Hunter College. He also closed shows for artists like Jomanda, Liz Torres, Main Source, Special Ed, Run DMC, and Brand Nubian. These shows were at the Syracuse Greekfest from 1989 to 1991. He also played at the Jones Beach Greekfest and parties at St. John's University and The City College.
In 1991, he was the Friday night resident DJ at Club 280 in New Jersey. He then played at Club Zanzibar after Tony Humphries left. His popular radio show, The Best Kept Secret, led to him becoming a regular mixer for Japan's World Dance Traxx Part on Bay FM.
Through connections with Roger Sanchez and his mentor DJ Camacho, DJ Disciple started touring in the early 1990s. He played in the United Kingdom at many clubs. These included Lakota, Ministry of Sound, Notting Hill Carnival, Southport Weekender (1995–1997), Cream, and The Zap. From 1993 to 2001, he played at Ministry of Sound at least twice a year. He also played at To the Manor Born in Sedgefield three times a year (1994–2004). He played annually (1994–2010) at Notting Hill Carnival. In Montréal, he appeared at Sona twice a year between 1998 and 2004. He also played on Kiss FM London's The Zoo Experience twice a year from 1993 to 2003.
DJ Magazine listed Disciple as one of the Top 100 DJs worldwide in 1993. They featured his first interview the next year. His first song, "When the Music Stops," came out in 1993. It became a club hit in Italy. He performed at the Angels of Love club in Naples that same year.
Disciple produced The Street Experience EP. Three songs from it were very popular. "On the Dancefloor" reached No. 67 on the UK singles charts. "Steal Away," featuring Dawn Tallman, was put on a Ministry of Sound album by Erick Morillo. "Burning" was released by Deconstructed Records in the UK.
In 1994, the Hard Times club in Leeds started a music label. One of their first releases was DJ Disciple remixing Robert Owens and Michael Watford's song "Come Together". In 1996, he sang on Basement Jaxx's "Slide Slide." The first hit for Disciple's own label, Catch 22 Recordings, was "Put Your Hands Up" (1998) by the Black & White Brothers, which he mixed.
Disciple started writing for Streetsound magazine in July 1993. His article was called "Unreleased Tracking - DJs Want to Know." In 1997, he became the first American to make video blogs (vlogs) on the internet for a website called Pseudo.com.
How DJ Disciple Influenced UK Garage Music
DJ Disciple was one of the DJs who could play both house and UK garage music. The UK garage scene welcomed him. He played guest sets at all the famous London garage clubs.
When the speed garage duo Double 99 (Tim Deluxe and Omar Adimora) made their song "Ripgroove", they used drum sounds from a disc that DJ Disciple had given them.
His popular UK garage songs include "Keep On Movin'" by the Banji Boyz. He also worked on "2 the Bone" by Grant Nelson and his remix of Plutonic's "I'm Addicted."
Other UK garage songs he worked on include "Don't Shut Me Out" (DJ Disciple feat. Mary Gold). He also worked on "Dangerous (DJ Disciple 91.5 Mix)" (Tuff Jam feat. Mr. X). Other songs are "Steal Away (R.I.P Remix)" (DJ Disciple feat. Dawn Tallman), "Takin' It Back" (R.I.P feat. DJ Disciple), and "Desire" (with Jeremy Sylvester).
In 1997, Disciple left WNYE FM. He then hosted the Transatlantic Mix on KISS 100 in London with Tony Walker, which was very successful.
Late 1990s and Beyond
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In 1998, Disciple often played at Spy Bar in New York. He also worked at other popular clubs like Pangea, Rehab, Quo, Cain, Versace Mansion, Pink Elephant, and the Made Italy parties. Disciple was also a monthly resident DJ for GBH (Great British House) parties.
In 2001, he started writing about his experiences on the website Trust the DJ. This led to his CD Trust the DJ DS01, which talked about famous clubs he had played around the world.
My True Colors Album
In 2000, DJ Disciple's first full album, My True Colors, was released. It included the song "It's Easy," which reached No. 96 on the UK Singles Chart. The album also had "Wannabe" featuring Taka Boom and "Yes" by Suzy.
His 2002 song "Caught Up" reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. It was nominated for a Grammy award that November. The song also appeared on the Queer as Folk TV show soundtrack. His song "You" was remixed by Roger Sanchez in 2001. "Keep It Up" was a song he made with Robbie Rivera.
Recent Years: 2000s to Today
In 2008, Disciple started his own "Next Level Party" events in Brooklyn, New York. These events mixed music with poetry. Guests included The Martinez Brothers, Wunmi, Ursula Rucker, and Last Poets member Abiodun Oyewole. Disciple filmed a seven-part documentary about The Next Level Party for YouTube.
In 2012, Disciple took a break from traveling and making music. However, he still played at clubs like Cielo, Sullivan Rooms, Bar 13, and Coney Island. He also kept his regular DJ spots at Le Souk and his own party called Release. At Release, he played with other deep house DJs like Hex Hector, John Benitez, Dj Spinna, DJ Suki, and Duce Martinez. After Hurricane Sandy hit, Release held an event to give food and clothing to those who needed help.
In 2015, the Sapphire Lounge club changed its name to The Rumpus Room. In 2017, Disciple started another Tuesday night party there called "Feel Real." This party was a tribute to a famous London party. The party ended in March 2020 because of COVID-19. In October 2016, he became the music programmer for Martha's Country Bakery in Williamsburg. In 2017, his music label, Catch 22, celebrated its 20th anniversary.
From 2017 to 2019, every October, he hosted the "King in Me" event at PS 287. This conference was for boys aged five to fifteen. It helped them feel strong, learn about themselves, and talk about what it takes to be a DJ. In response to COVID-19, Disciple started doing live online shows from The Funktion House in 2021.
Working with Other Artists and Remixes
DJ Disciple has remixed many songs for other artists. Some of these include Xaviera Gold's "Good Luv" (1994) and Buzzin Cuzzins featuring Romanthony's "Let Me Show You Love" (1994). He also remixed 95 North Featuring Sabrynaah Pope's "Hold On" (1994) and House Foundation Featuring Akiko Wada's "Free At Last" (1995). Other remixes include Boris Dlugosch Presents Boom! "Keep Pushin'" (1996), Progression "If You Believe", Joi Cardwell's "Soul To Bare" (1997), Cassio & The Funky People Feat. Amira "What Is Love" (1997), and "Love's Here at Last" by Judy Albanese (1997).
In 1999, MN2S asked Disciple to remix their first song, "Things We Used To Do." His remix of Love Tattoo's "The Bass Has Got Me Movin'" (2001) won him an ARIA Music Award and a Grammy nomination. He also worked on "Always Come Back to Your Love" by Samantha Mumba. In 2002, Disciple sang on "Bass & Treble" with Robbie Rivera. This song was on Cart Cox's Global Compilation. The duo's song "Super Drum" reached No. 85 on the UK Singles chart.
DJ Disciple was credited as David Banks for "Here Comes the Morning" (2004) by Barbara Walker. This song was featured in the first few minutes of the Hollywood movie The Score, starring Robert De Niro and Edward Norton.
In the mid-2000s, he worked with artists like Michele Chiavarini (as part of D & M Project and Brooklyn Soul Boys), Guida de Palma, and Lady Bunny. In 2006, he released "Work It Out" featuring Dawn Tallman on his Catch 22 label. This song became very popular on dance club charts. It was re-released by Klaas in 2008 with new remixes. The song was played on BBC Radio 1 by Pete Tong, and its music video was DJ Disciple's first on MTV.
The song "Changes" was a collaboration with David Tort and DJ Ruff. It was one of the top three most downloaded songs on Beatport for two months. In 2008, he and David Tort worked together on "Rise Up," which was played on the Máxima FM radio station. That March, he was nominated for "Beatport Best House Artist." He also played at the Winter Music Conference BBC Radio 1 Pool Party in Miami.
In 2012, Disciple worked with Albert Neve, Dru Hepkins, and Norykko on a song called "Romper Room."
Giving Back: DJ Disciple's Activism
Every year during Thanksgiving, The Next Level Party, along with Eric Blackwell, hosts the "DJs Against Hunger" event. This event helps feed people experiencing homelessness. DJs play music, and canned goods are collected and given out.
Writing a Book
On June 15, 2023, DJ Disciple and journalist Henry Kronk released their book, The Beat, the Scene, the Sound: A DJ's Journey through the Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of House Music in New York City. The book talks about club and street culture from when disco ended to when EDM became popular.
DJ Disciple's Personal Life
David Banks married Amber Daniels in 2011. They have one daughter named Julia. They divorced in 2016. A scary experience on an airplane changed David's view on life. In 2021, David Banks was named "Parent Of The Year." In 2022, he received the Mary Andrews 'Above & Beyond' award for his community work at the Farragut – Fort Greene reunion.
DJ Disciple's Albums
- Sounds You Can Feel Volume 1 (2020)
- Sounds You Can Feel Volume 2 (2020)
- Full Circle (2021)
- Grateful 24/7/365 (2022)
- Harmonies (2023)
