True House Stories® Youtube & Spotify Video Podcast
TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ BOB BLANK
Bob Blank interviewed by Lenny Fontana for True House Stories™ # 059
Part 1
Bob Blank, known as the producer, musician, engineer and owner of Blank Tapes Studios NYC, talks about his humble beginnings working his way up from being a full-fledged engineer working for other studio owners around New York City and as well-being a session guitarist.
He is pushed into a situation where he needed to fill a void and decided to open up his own studio at 22 years old and called it Blank Tapes Studios purchasing a Fairchild Console which he had to build and repair. His first initial work is with New York City Charanga Bands recording Salsa and as he starts to get his experience working with all these bands as he gets a chance to start to work on Disco Music.
Part 2
Bob Blank is growing with the Salsa Community and now is being sort out as a hot engineer producer. As the disco explosion begins Dan Rather from 60 Minutes recorded a video clip at Bobs Studio Blank Tapes which becomes an important segment for CBS Television based around the excitement of Studio 54 and the Saturday Night Fever Explosion.
At the time Bob was also mixing records for DeLite Records, Prelude Records, Patrick Adams, Leroy Burgess and so many others. He explains how Patrick Adams would write on the fly scores of music at the sessions for the string and horn sections. One of the top albums he worked on was the group Musique on Prelude which was a game changer for the disco sound. Bob also talks about how he was instructed by the labels to push the records to sound crazier.
He did this alongside the DJs in the sessions by pushing more heavy bass and bringing out the rhythm section in the mix and as well editing new parts giving the listener a whole new version that was perfect for the dancefloor. Listen to Bob talk about his transition into the Ballroom Dancing world. He has such a dynamite story.
Bob Blank YouTube Video Part 1
Bob Blank YouTube Video Part 2
Biography Bob Blank
I am a music producer who is also a dancer who, with Martha Estevez, became 3x US and 1x World Champs