Prominent DJs
A name that is synonymous with L'Amour, Alex Kayne is considered the venue's most popular and influential DJ. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he started out as a mobile DJ in the mid-1970s. His club DJ career began when he was just 18 years old, when he beat a multitude of other DJs to win a borough-wide turntablist "Battle of the DJs" mixing contest at the Night Gallery Discothèque in Brooklyn. Word spread quickly and Kayne began deejaying in several local clubs. Over the years, he worked at various clubs large and small in and around the New York City area. Kayne came to work at L'Amour in 1979 and deejayed there on and off until the venue closed. He was the venue's original metal DJ and its longest resident DJ. His raspy, booming voice and more importantly his unique brand of rock and metal spinning style gave the venue its unrivaled personality, directly contributing to the venue's worldwide fame. He is widely credited as the first club DJ in New York to spin Metallica, Biohazard, Y&T, The Rods, TNT, Queensrÿche, Anthrax, Megadeth, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Manowar, White Lion, Helix, Talas, Motorhead, Metal Church, Tygers of Pan Tang and Slayer among many others, breaking and expanding their notoriety on the East Coast. His production company Rockmachine Concerts presents original hard rock/heavy metal shows throughout the Tri-State area. With a career spanning more than 30 years, Kayne is still actively working the New York club scene, where he is highly regarded and respected as a legend among rock and heavy metal DJs.
Chuck Kaye, a local metal DJ from Staten Island, was known as the "Roar of L'Amour". Kaye was the house DJ at L'Amour in the classic years from 1984 to 1988. As Jagger Kaye, he is now an acting coach.
Michel Gutman was L'Amour Far East's only DJ (after the opening night, when WBAB's Fingers hosted the show) and a favorite among everyone who attended. Blending a mixture of all types of metal and hard rock, Gutman would spin everything from Pat Travers and Queen to Slayer and Exodus. At a time when records were on their way out and CDs were just gaining popularity, Gutman owned a huge collection of both formats and was able to satisfy everyone's musical tastes.
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