DJ Tracy Young :: Spinning into a New Year

There aren't all that many DJs who can casually spin a dance floor into a turbulent sea of pure jubilation. It's a special gift, one that Tracy Young sports in abundance. When she ascends to a music booth, she ritualistically casts a spell of aural adulation that beats out of a sound system like a siren luring seamen. And those sailors -- we -- are powerless to resist.

Young has spun to the heights of popularity on the Circuit scene, one of a handful of leading ladies who can sell out a big room in the headlining position - due not only to her skill at the turntables but also her energenic personality. Even those across the room can see from her expression over the mixer that she's rambunctious, saucy, yet determined to please. It's an attitude she bore when a certain one-named singer first elevated her to fame. That's right: when Madonna called, Tracy was there.

That Young is able to convert any room into a throbbing sea of fist-pumping and hip-action no longer surprises her fans. On a recent Thursday night inside District 36, one of New York City's must-experience club spaces, she took the opportunity to celebrate her birthday with her trademark mix of high-energy music.

"Now that I'm in New York I wanted to make this a special event," says the Miami/Los Angeles transplant. Her birthday bash was an inauguration of sorts. Although Young once held a residency at Splash, the Chelsea mainstay, Young never made NYC her headquarters - until now. To celebrate, she enlisted the help of friends including fashion maven Patricia Fields, who hosted the evening; and dance diva Deborah Cox, who performed her latest single "If It Wasn't For Love." Of course, Young just happened to have her own remix handy.

If It Wasn’t For the Remix

"I frankly think it's one of my best works," Young says about the new track she produced for Cox. Young enjoyed an extensive production career in the past, but this is the first time she's collaborated with Cox. "It's been awhile," she said. "I haven't been very inspired in the studio. But now I'm back!"

When Young began to blaze her trail in music more than a decade ago, she was a hip-hop radio DJ. Before long she learned how to blend the heavy beats of hip-hop with the dark rhythms of House. Then she added the soul of R&B, and found she'd developed the ethereally electronic vocal acoustics that would become her signature sound.

"Ten years ago, when you would do a remix, it would help you and the artist," she recalls. Of late, the over-saturation of the remix culture and the rampant pirating of music has resulted in an industry somewhat at war with remix producers and their contributions. "It's gotten lost," she lamented. "It doesn't have the same effect when there are so many that come out. If I'm going to spend my time doing something it has to be my passion, my heart and soul."

That led her to Cox, one of the top R&B and dance-music vocalists working today. When Young heard the song, she knew she wanted to tackle the remix. "It was something I chose to do," she says. "It worked out for me on a creative level." This is only the second remix Young produced in 2011, the other being a re-imagining of "Hold It Against Me" by Britney Spears.

Madonna & Young Making Music.

At the turn of the millennium, Madonna released "Music," the follow-up to her most critically well-received album, the multiple Grammy winning "Ray Of Light." "Music" would prove Madonna's best-selling album of this century and would put Young on the map as a remix producer to watch. It was also the beginning of a long-term friendship that continues today.

"Madonna and I have an awesome and very cool connection," Young says of her collaborator. For "Music," she took on the title track, as well as "Don't Tell Me" and "What It Feels Like For A Girl." About those initial collaborations, Young admits, "It was very special for me. I have a great deep respect for Madonna."

Since then, Young has moved on to rework tracks for Pink, Britney Spears, Cyndi Lauper and other pop artists; and she has maintained her link to Madonna, taking on the single "Revolver" for her greatest hits package of 2010, "Celebration." "We have that relationship where I expect it to end and for her to move on," Young said. "There are a lot of people out there that I'm sure she wants to work with - and then she'll call again."

With a new music set to come in early 2012 from the pop diva, Young is hopeful that she will get another call from Madonna's camp.

The Ongoing Genesis

Partying 'til the world ends? Young intends on doing just that. The hottest ticket of the season is her New Year's Eve party in Miami. This year Genesis, in its ninth year, is moving into one of South Beach's most prestigious addresses at 1235 Washington Avenue, the legendary Mansion. "It's really interesting that Genesis has become such a pinnacle event." Even she is taken aback by its popularity. "It started out as a simple experiment."

Nine years ago, Genesis was just a "little something" that Young and club promoter Vito Abate (who passed away recently) decided to put together to meet the expectations of crowds looking for the ultimate New Year's Eve experience in the ultimate party town. "New Year's is supposed to be this awesome time," she said. "You want to get to the best place, at the right time, and it was just a pain."

They could not have imagined the event they ignited. "There was a line around the block. I'll never forget it," Young recalled. "We weren't ready to handle it. And now everybody from across the world comes to it."

She'll be playing once again at what has become her signature event, and she won't be alone. Young has already recruited ... yes, Deborah Cox. The dance diva enthusiastically performed for Tracy's fans at District 36 and will perform again onstage at Mansion.

There isn't a more interactive DJ than Tracy Young. She often teases her audience at nearly every turn during her sets. "I've always got little tricks up my sleeve," she said. Whether tempting the crowd to raise their hands or posing for candid snapshots from her booth, she is as much a part of the party as every sweaty body on the dance floor.

After all, music makes the people come together, and Tracy is forever young.