Tom Moulton

American engineer, mixer and disco record producer born November 29, 1940 in Schenectady, New York. Tom Moulton is credited as the originator of the remix, the breakdown section ("Disco Break"), and the 12-inch single vinyl format. Though not a disc jockey himself, Moulton was more essential to the rise of disco than any other single figure in its history.

Moulton's career began in the late 1960s when he created overlapping song mixes for The Sandpiper, a high-profile Fire Island bar. His innovative approach involved subtracting elements from original multi-track recordings rather than adding to them. His philosophy was simple: "I never made a dance record, I made records you can dance to."

He pioneered recording techniques including extending high frequencies and tightening bass for improved high-volume playback, as well as lengthening tracks through key passage repetition for greater emotional impact. Moulton earned the title "father of the Disco Mix" after producing the first continuous-mix album side on Gloria Gaynor's seminal "Never Can Say Goodbye." His mixing credits include The Three Degrees' "Dirty Ol' Man," MFSB featuring The Three Degrees "Love Is The Message," B.T. Express' "Do It (Til You're Satisfied)," The Trammps' "Disco Inferno," People's Choice's "Do It Any Way You Wanna," Andrea True Connection's "More, More, More," First Choice's "Doctor Love," and Claudja Barry's "The Girl Most Likely."

Between 1977 and 1979, Moulton produced Grace Jones's first three albums, including her acclaimed rendition of "La Vie en rose." He was inducted into the 2004 Dance Music Hall of Fame for his remixing achievements and currently serves as official archivist for the Bethlehem Jazz and Salsoul music catalogues.