Rustam Ospanoff presents: Douglas Sherman (The Loft)

In 1979, while studying graphic design at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, Douglas was invited to 99 Prince Street, the private home of David Mancuso’s seminal Loft party, an inclusive home-like environment where everyone was welcome irrespective of their identity. This experience profoundly changed his view of how music can unite people from different backgrounds, generations, and places as participants in an emotional celebration of dance and love. He became a regular at the Loft parties and his interest became noticed by David when he showed up early and offered to lend a hand with set up. Mancuso mentored him about his concepts and principles around social progress, music, audio, and the ephemeral life of a party. His relationship with David lasted over 36 years and he is the Loft’s longest serving back-up musical host (beginning in 1984), having played countless Loft parties over the years. Douglas continues to be an integral part of the Loft’s legacy, still hanging balloons and serving as a musical host. He has a deep respect and appreciation for music and the importance of sound, to hear and experience records in the way that the artist intended without any manipulation, emphasizing thematic development over beat matching. In that spirit, he serves in part as a conduit for the collective vibration of music to reach the listener’s ear and liberate the soul to dance, creating an atmosphere where every record stands on its own and the music plays us.