More about: Tony Visconti

Legendary producer Tony Visconti has been speaking to Gigwise about the magic of London’s historic Denmark Street, which campaigners are battling to save from re-development. 

Visconti has mixed ‘Christmas In Denmark Street’, a seasonal single by infamous punk pranksters Spizzenergi, which aims to boost the campaign to gain protected status for the threatened street. 

“I arrived in London from New York in April, 1967,” says Visconti, “My boss’s office was in Oxford St, one block from Tottenham Court Road. It took me about a week to explore the area and Denmark Street immediately came to my attention. In New York City, our ‘Denmark Street’ was West 48th St. There was just about the same amount of music stores in both places. Denmark Street comforted me. Yeah, I could just about afford guitar picks and strings, but a fellow can window-shop, can’t he?!"

"And to this day I still have to stroll up and down Denmark Street, sometimes walking away with a new instrument. Each store had its specialties, like basses only - one sold Hagstroms, the others didn’t. Then there was the 12 Bar Club, quite a dingy place, but all the best musicians played there from one time or another. There was musical magic in that street. There are other music stores in the vicinity of Denmark Street. It is the place to go for instrument shopping. And its location is perfect as the Shaftsbury Avenue Theatre District has many musical stage-shows and musicians work in the area. Denmark Street is a London treasure, just as much as Piccadilly Circus is.” 

As well as being home to music shops and industry offices, the street played in an important part in the careers of The Clash, Sex Pistols, Rolling Stones and David Bowie, while Jeff Buckley, Adele, The Libertines and many others played the now closed 12 Bar Club, mentioned in the song. 

‘Christmas In Denmark Street’ is released through Holy Dotage on November 27 (digital) and December 18 (limited 7” vinyl).

More about: Tony Visconti