Norman Stradley
As James Brown is the “hardest working man” of soul, Norman is the
hardest working DJ in San Francisco. As a San Francisco native, if it
has a door, speakers and a couple of Technic’s 1200, chances are that
Norman has spun there. Any professional clubber in the City has grooved
to his beats before, knowingly or not. In the party scene, where
loyalties are hard to come by, Norm has a fan club of devotees that
brave the stifling heat, pouring rain, long ass lines and the probing
of SF’s now infamous security staff, in order to experience his set.
When he is spotted handing out one of his fans a CD, numerous hands
appear from the direction of the dance floor, trying to acquire one for
themselves. San Francisco has always been in the spotlight for its
musical legacies. The spirit did not escape our Norman. As a child of
the 60’s, the Bay Area exposed him to a wide range of music. Young
Norman became influenced by Herbie Hancock, The Isley Brothers,
Brothers Johnson, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. During the age of
Reaganomics, jelly shoes, junk bonds and Madonna’s desire to become a
virgin, Norman had his first encounter with the world of mixing and
knew at once that he had found his calling. With many years of mixing
under his belt, he became resident DJ at The Palladium, San Francisco’s
hot spot at the time. To satisfy his hunger for mixing, he dabbled in
modern rock, R & B and soul. He also became proficient in the quick
mix, cutting and scratching. Before his hiatus from the club life in
1990, he had the privilege of playing at some of San Francisco’s
greatest clubs and parties, such as Gotham City, Speed Club, Don’t Sit
On The Furniture, Club X, City Nights, Lipps, Oasis, Knock-Knock,
I-Beam, The Underground and the list goes on and on (til' da break of
dawn!). In 1994, it was good to be blue, at least in the Sound
Factory’s Blue Room. Under the tutelage of Pete Avila, San Francisco’s
patron saint of house music, Norman was baptized into the world of
house music. Now, he was able to marry his funky hip-hop skills with
the irrepressible energy of house music. As one of San Francisco’s “it”
clubs, Release has been a place where people have traveled wide
distances to see and be seen. Hosts Martel and Nabiel brought in DJ
Norman and gave him a push into who’s who in the dark. As time went on
the line blurred between Norman playing the “in” clubs and the clubs
becoming the “place to be” because of his presence on the turntables.
His fingers have manipulated the decks at legendary (and sometimes
infamous) clubs such as 1015 Folsom, Up N’ Down Club, DV8, DNA and the
End Up. Norm has been lucky enough to share the spotlight with such
talents as B.B. Hayes, Danny T., Armand Van Helden, Junior Sanchez,
Louie Vega, DJ Sneak, Wink, Disciple, Chill, Tony Humphries, Dr. Lee
and may others. Why do people call Norman the “Truth”? Is it because of
his true love for his craft? Perhaps we find the truth in hours of
dancing, while he leads us on a journey till dawn. But, whatever the
reason the truth is Norman Stradley has become one of San Francisco’s
most beloved DJ’s and is destined for more accolades to come.
Select date range
