Backyard Parties

1980s: East LA's DJ Culture

Gerard Meraz of the Wild Boyz and The Brat Pack stepped into a thriving DJ scene as a teenager. He had heard of the DJs that came before him and how some had moved into club residencies, large halls and massive events at the Pico Rivera Sports Arena. When he started he was just one of about 20 DJs at his high school. He knew he had to prove himself so he too could be club DJ with his own residency. This was the paradigm of the Eastside DJ scene.

Video Interview

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

View Multimedia

View Book

Written by Gerard Meraz

By the 1980s DJ culture was fully entrenched in the Eastside. Record stores, DJ equipment rental and sales shops dotted the streets. Printing companies and downtown clothing emporiums like The Factory, catered to the DJs, promoters and the growing crowds attending DJ based events.

Musically, the DJ had a cornucopia of genres to mix together such as disco, Hi-N-R-G, new wave, rock-a-billy, ska, reggae, funk, freestyle and pop. DJ names sometimes overlapped and had to be distinguished from the one from L.A., from the one from S.G.V. The number of DJs meant that most DJ sets were between 45 minutes and 15 minutes, depending on the popularity of the DJ.

The promoters, who grew in numbers and size, gained greater power as their ability to promote more than a DJ gave them the numbers to claim larger venues and hire the best or hottest DJs. Backyard parties of 100-500 attendees filled weekend nights throughout the various neighborhoods in the greater Eastside from South Gate to Highland Park, from Boyle Heights to La Puente.

Read full text

Posted Aug 23, 2008
06:29 PM
by Cosmo D
San Diego, CA

I spent hours on this story. My wife and I are both products of LA and the 80’s. We met at these house parties and are still going strong today. My wife Elsie, was listening to your story on the radio and told me about it over dinner. After dinner we both rrushed to the computer and brought up your story. Thank you for preserving these memories. My wife and I listened for hours. So many memories came back to us, memories we haven’t thought about for years. The mix music section on the website was so great; We started dancing in our room and laughing about the good old backyard party days. I just wish I could find a mix with all those songs again. Thank you for all your hard work it really allowed us to relive some special moments. Let us know if you come up with anything else or have a ne

Posted Aug 25, 2008
05:03 PM
by Cierra
Pasadena, CA

It is great to see this part of LA history get the attention it deserves. Here are some names from the past and I wonder what happened to them. Tony and Gigi Little Hustler Attractions. Carmela LA's Pretty Pleazers, I heard she is staying out in San Bernardino. Bus Boys from El Sereno. Nu Minis. Lowie Boys. If you are here you probably already know about www.backtodisco.com and www.thedivinedolls.com