User:Paul Moss/Captain PJs Disco
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Captain PJ's Disco was the name of a musical group entertainment business, based in the Waikato, New Zealand from 1970 to 1981. Programmes was the name of the light-show operated in conjunction with the disco, and live bands. The company name was Grafix Programmes Limited. The disco operation started out operating under the name Spectra Studios.
Image:Captpj2.JPG
Captain PJs Disco Business Card
Contents |
[edit] Location
[edit] Background
- Captain PJ (The Captain) started out in 1967 at age 15 by playing records at school dances, for charity fundraising, 2 lunchtimes a year. The venue was under the stage of the then new assembly hall, of the Hamilton Technical College, that changed name to Fraser High School the same year. A Philips radio gram was used, connected to a 30watt RMS valve amplifier (Twin EL34 valves, built by Capt PJ) and that in turn was connected to a 12 inch Goodmans loudspeaker, in a large solid mahogany cabinet, also built by the Captain. The students brought a selection of records, but only about 16 records were actually played. The play list included Revolution by the Beatles, Indian Lake by the Cowsills, Paperback Writer by the Beatles, California Dreamin' a song by The Mamas & the Papas, These Boots Are Made for Walkin' by Nancy Sinatra, Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones, Gimme Some Loving by The Spencer Davis Group. New Zealand pop music was about 6 months behind the UK and USA, and 3 months behind Australia, to allow records to be pressed in the same factories for all markets. The Captain recorded Sydney AM stations broadcasting new songs, using a Collaro reel to reel transcription tape recorder. The 3 month advance music gave him the edge on other budding DJ's. Later The Captain was trained in DJ techniques by Alan Judd and his DJ Charlie Warn, on Radio Active discotheques, after co-manufacturing 4 consoles and associated equipment. Much later the Captain co-manufactured both sound and lighting equipment for Radio Active discos. That experience was seminal to the resulting history.
[edit] Fleet
All core equipment was manufactured by Captain PJ, to enable low cost rapid expansion of the fleet as the bookings expanded at an un-precedented rate.
[edit] Personnel
- DJ The Captain (disco company director)
- DJ C
- DJ John Campbell
- DJ Karen Lennox (disco company director)
- DJ Fil
- DJ John Marshall
- DJ Mark M
- DJ Dalziel
- DJ Ian Twaddle The Knobz sound engineer
- DJ Geoff
- DJ Steff
- DJ Henry Dudeck (had his own gear, UK built with Goodmans 18in woofers in scoop bins)
more
[edit] Venues
Residencies:
- Gasworks (with bands)
- The Globe Hotel (Auckland)
- The Alpha Hotel, Kihikihi
- The Waihou Tavern
- Courtenays Restaurant and Niteclub
- The Moon Restaurant
- Morrinsville Teenage club
- Taumarunui Restaurant
- Waikato Technical Institute (with bands)
- Hamilton Teachers College (with bands)
- Waikato University Students asssoc (with bands)
- International Students assoc
- Fairfield College (with bands)
- Hillcrest High (with bands)
- Fraser High (with bands)
- Hamilton Dio
- St Peters College
- Paeroa High
- Otorohanga High
Casual:
- Teenage dances (incl Radio Waikato School Holiday mini tour promo)
- Marae (Te Kuiti, Waihou, Huntly)
- Weddings
- Birthdays 21st's etc
- Company Socials
- Club Socials, esp Rugby (Leamington RFC) and Darts.
- Outdoor events
- Indoor markets
[edit] Agency
- Musicare Entertainment Services
[edit] Publicity
- Radio Waikato school holiday dances
- Spectra Studios sales brochures
- Waikato Times articles, advertisin
- Musicare Entertainment Services
[edit] Media
Records
- '7in 45s
- LP
- 12in 45's
Tapes
- 3 in 1/4in reel (Jingles)
- 5 in 1/4in reel (small compilations)
- 7 in 1/4in reel (grouped songs)
- 10 in 1/4in reel (entire show segments)
Video
- VHS
- BETA
[edit] Sound Equipment
- Console
- All made by hand, using particle board, initially with natural timber laminate but later simply painted. The first model was at sit-down height but all later models were stand-up height. Some had lighting controllers built in. The first model used external power amps, all later models used built-in amps. Two units had light-shows built in to the base, that typically folded for transport. The first model had 2 turntable channels, 2 tape channels, and 2 microphone channels. All later models had 4 channels. All channels could be re-configured for all uses.
- Electronics
- The key attribute was the use of broadcast techniques; a modular system was used to enable repairs and upgrades, rapid reconfiguration of inputs and outputs. Each module was designed with ultra-low output impedance to reduce hum and noise to very low levels, even when extended with cables. Individual modules were used for Microphone selectable input impedance), phonograph (RIAA equalisation), mixing, headphones (2 watt amp), and line drivers.
- Turntables
- Garrard brand was used in all consoles, first SP25 idler drive, then SB100 belt drive with slip pads.
- Cartridge and Stylii
- Shure was used where possible M44 M55 and M75, but audio technica for general use to lower maintenance costs with hired DJ's. Stanton was used much later.
- Amplifiers
- 50 watt per channel initially, using Sanken Hybrid modules, then 100 watt per channel later using RCA hybrid modules. Even later 300 Watt per channel discrete amplifiers were udeployed.
- Speakers
- Initially Philips 50 Watt 12 inch guitar speakers were used, later RCF 15 inch 200 Watt speakers and later still 15 inch JBL. Higher frequencies were handled with arrays of Philips dome tweeters, and Vitavox horns, then Altec horns and JBL slots. Some systems used 3 way Philips design systems, using 10 and 12 inch roll rubber surround woofers, 5 inch squawkers and 1 inch Dome tweeters.
- Most cabinets were sealed for power handling at low frequencies, but later the Altec/JBL 4560 designs were employed with 15 inch JBL curved horns and reflex ported bass, and then folded horn with twin 15 inch drivers in sealed enclosures, so-called 'W' bins. Experiments with twin 12 inch in modified 4560 style enclosures were successful, and then by literally slicing the design in half, two independent systems were created to expand the fleet quickly to booking demands.
- Tape Decks and Recording
- Cassette technology was tried and abandoned due to low quality. Thorn reel to reel was used successfully. Teac 3340 reel to reel was the best quality, and was also used to record shows, that remain high quality to this day.
- Lighting
- Lighting was typically constructed or hired, purchase prices in NZ at the time were very high indeed. Boards of Reflex Panels were used to reflect lighting and create awesome intricate moving patterns. Initially 150Watt domestic spot and chromatic lamps wer used but high failure rate and cost were still issues. Theatre spots and floods were used, with controllers. Eventually Berkey lumieres were used for quality light. Many aluminium lighting cabinet styles were manufactured, with 4 cells using both standard 150 Watt clusters of domestic lamps for low cost, and 500 watt 'sun-floods' quartz halogen pencil lamps. Standard theatrical cinemoid gell was used to derive colours. Entire light shows were hired as needed, using everything available at the time, from the two main outlets; Musicare and Theatrical Equipment.
[edit] Lighting and Special Effects
- Controllers
- Many different controllers were manufactured beginning in 1968 with strobelites, colour organs, and dimmers, and wooden light cabinets (used with The Game and Human Instinct).The lighting company was originally called Lupus Lightworks and based in Penrose, Auckland.
- Strobelites
- A design based on a hired strobelite was used initially, (Bill Millett, an american Hippie running a psychodelia shop in Mt Eden Rd, Auckland, 1968) then a new design based on electric fence controllers was used from 1973 onwards. Basically a storage capacitor directly across the xenon tube is charged directly from the mains using a voltage doubler. The tube is fired by a sub circuit, a small capacitor is charged via a potentiometer (rate control) and a diac discharges that small energy into an SCR that dumps more energy into a coil with 1:10 or 1:50 ratio, the output voltage spike ionises a trail of xenon gas in the vicinity of a wire wrapped around the xeneon tube. The xenon gas avalanches to a low impedance thus discharging the main storage capacitor in about 1 milli-second. The tube returns to a high impedance state and the process repeats.
- Lamps
- 150 watt tungsten domestic. 150 watt spot coloured. 500 watt QH pencil lamps. 500W QH theatre lamps.
- Projectors
- A variety of oil projectors based on slide projectors were used. Aquarius 100 was the most popular (used with Dragon (band) at Founders Theatre, 1974)
- Pyrotechnics
- Magnesium coarse filings mixed with sulphur in a pile on a aluminium platform with a standard domestic fuse holder in the centre. The fuse was wired, the filings poured on it, and a low voltage high current transformer mounted under the platform was used to burn out the fuse on command. A one to 2 second delay in propagating the energy through the mixture meant firing ahead of the music beat.
- Dry Ice (CO2)
- Commercially available, a specially modified hot water tank with a large exit pipe to the side was half filled with water and boiled early in the show. A 'rubbish bin style lid' was lifted and the dry ice poured in, the stored energy of the water created masses of fog that poured out of the pipe and over the dance floor. In one venue it then ran down the stairs into the lower dining area, and out the front door.
- Liquid Nitrogen
- When the CO2 was replaced with liquid nitrogen, the effect was spectacular. The colour was whiter than white and the density was many times greater. A favorite technique was to arrange the spot lights to illuminate the fog as it would carry any light long distances. When the magnesium was erupted under that fog, after a blackout of one second, the patrons were truly blinded by the light. There was a considerable physical eruption to the fog as well. The entire sequence was choreographed to song endings such as Black Betty.
[edit] Transport
- Trailers
- covered trailers, purpose built or hired.
- Vans
- Morris J4, Commer, Bedford CF, Bedford CF jumbo
- Trucks
- Bedford
[edit] See also
- Disc_jockey
- Disco
- Discothèque
- Musicare
- RadioActive Disco
- Music City Disco
- New Zealand Music Industry History
[edit] References
- Spectra Studios Promotional Brochure - 1975
- Waikato Times
- Telecom_New_Zealand
- nzreward.
- User:Paul_Moss and User:Mozasaur.
- Paul Moss CV
