Night people How to be a DJ in '90s NYC

Grammy-winning producer Ronson debuts with a mesmerizing memoir about his Manhattan DJ roots. As child, Ronson nurtured his love of music by spending time in the home studio of his stepfather, Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones. He developed a love for nightlife as a teenager in New York City, learning quickly that "night meant good times, so long as it was full of loud music and people." Here, Ronson recalls cutting his teeth in various Manhattan clubs before and during college, writing rapturously of (often drug-fueled) gigs and highlighting key connections he made along the way, including with his NYU classmate Ben Velez, who introduced Ronson to a cabal of rare vinyl collectors, and club promoter "Big Frank" Walston, who helped the author brand himself and regaled him with stories of Debbie Harry and other downtown legends. Ronson's account sometimes gets lost in nitty-gritty details of DJing, which will fly over the casual reader's head, and pop fans might wish it touched on his work with Amy Winehouse or Lady Gaga, but the focus on music as a community-building force ultimately proves poignant. This wondrous snapshot of a bygone New York will make readers want to get out on the dance floor. Agents: David Kuhn and Nate Muscato, Aevitas Creative Management. (Sept.)

A pop music star reflects on his early days as a New York DJ. Songwriter and record producer Ronson is no stranger to the top of the charts. He produced Amy Winehouse's blockbuster albumBack to Black and scored an inescapable megahit of his own with the 2014 single "Uptown Funk." (Movie fans might know him from his early cameo inZoolander and for co-writing the earworm "I'm Just Ken" fromBarbie.) Before all that, though, he was (and still is) a DJ, and his debut book focuses on his rise from a kid with a set of turntables he got as a high school graduation present to one of the country's most in-demand record spinners. Ronson recalls his early life as a child in London, the son of parents who "were good people, but not good together," and his move to New York, with his sisters, mother, and her new partner, Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones. He talked his way into DJ gigs, writing of one event, "I already had advantages that most others didn't. My mother bought me the gear. I was raised by a musician with a home studio. But this was an absurdly lucky break, even for me." Ronson writes beautifully about the allure of the nightclub: "For someone who grew up amid chaos and uncertainty, the DJ booth was the perfect refuge--a one‐man command center, where every fader and dial bent the world to my will." His chronicle of his rise to success is entertaining, funny, and humble; while he allows that he's good at his job, he remains well aware of the role that chance played in his career. You don't have to love dance music to enjoy this thoroughly charming memoir. An endearing memoir from a musician who's more than just Mark. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.