BETTER DAYS returns with David Morales & Bruce Forest (4.2.16)

Better Days—the now long forgotten 70s New York club that played a crucial role in establishing house music in the city—is getting a new lease of life as a club night at one of Manhattan’s newest night spots.

The venue, which was called home by some of the central figures of New York’s house scene in the 70s and 80s, was an unsung pioneer of clubbing from the very beginning. When the club opened in 1972, the first DJ to take the tables for a spin was a woman. Bert Lockett would play out to a mainly gay and black crowd in the venue that was little more than a glorified dive bar, dominated by a 50 feet dancefloor.

It was on that unassuming dancefloor, however, that magic—and vital pieces of dance music history—happened. The late Chicago house godfather Frankie Knuckles, New York’s longtime DJing stalwart François K, early house champion Tony Humphries, and Fingers Inc-affliated vocalist Robert Owens all played the club over the course of its 18 year run. Resident DJs, 2 Puerto Ricans, a Blackman, and a Dominican, conceived their iconic track, “Do It Properly” at Better Days.

The club—tucked away on 49th Street between 8th and 9th Avenue, then a part of town known for strip clubs and rat infestations—also held a residency of the one of the era’s most influential players. Bruce Forest, who’s credited for being an early adopter of using studio gear in the booth, played at Better Days throughout the 80s. Forest would bring his homemade samplers to use in his sets, which David Cole (half of dance music duo C+C Music Factory) would play live keyboard over. Better Days closed in 1990 (it’s now a Brazilian steakhouse), and a few years later Forest laid down his decks—at least in a professional capacity—in order to explore his interest in tech.

That slice of New York glory, however, is being revived more than a quarter of a century later, courtesy of Manhattan’s newest megaclub Flash Factory. Forest and his house protege David Morales, are bringing back the Better Days brand and reimagined it as a series of events, the first of which will be held at Flash Factory, on April 2. Forest and Morales will headline, with support from Brooklyn-based deep house producer, The Wig. The event is currently slated at Flash Factory as a one-off, but Forest and Morales promise more yet-to-be-confirmed parties are in the works.

THUMP caught up with Forest and Flash Factory’s owner Michael Satsky via email, to talk about their plans for the night and the future of Better Days, and to reminisce about New York’s bygone clubbing days.