Dj Pierre

DJ Pierre is a legendary figure in the world of Chicago dance music. As the creator of 'Generate Power', he forged an acidic path that everyone from Josh Wink to Richie Hawtin would eventually follow. Fancy a tiny bit of potted history? Philippe Renaud from La Presse in Montreal, wrote that the term 'acid house' was "coined in Chicago in 1987 to describe the sound of the Roland 303 bass machine which made its first significant recording appearance on Phuture's Acid Trax". Phuture, of course, was a Pierre production. Still very much active as a DJ and producer two decades later, he's a regular We Love guest at Space in Ibiza, he has a new album project brewing and as well as turning in a killer remix of SMD's 'Cruel Intentions', he's even found time to mix the new single from The Human League.

1.    Digital Or Analogue? Which do you favour in your studio set up?

"Well, I'm basically all digital now except for the Roland 303. But with that said I think I'll go back to a 60% digital -40% studio setup so that I have the option to go all Analogue when I want to. Analogue just adds that extra bite that digital lacks."

2.    What gets your creative juices going when you start a track?

"Some prayer to centre my mind, a little sports TV, some Star Trek or a crime drama series as a theme to take care of business!”

3.    What is your favorite piece of kit or plug in?

"Well I work mostly with Reason & Record and I really like the new Kong Drum machine. It's just like an MPC 4000!”

4.    What is your monitor preference? Passive or Active? Low level or loud & proud?

"That depends on what I'm doing at the time. When I'm creating I don't want them loud. I need to hear myself think. Once I've come up with something interesting I'll blast them to see if it's bangin!”

5.    How do you feel about sampling and how it is used in much of today's music?

"Well all of our music is samples. All the drums and keyboard sounds are samples so I definitely don't have a problem with it. With out those samples we wouldn't have Electronic Dance music. Now as far as people sapling other peoples music that's a different story. I think sampling music is still fairly big but not as much as before but I don't have a problem with that either unless the person you sampled does.”

6.    How long does it generally take you to produce a track and what is your procedure?

"Takes me about a week. I have a wife and kids that I love to spend time with so my life extends much further than the music. I try and hit the studio by 1 or 2 pm. Try to be done by dinner time and no later then 7:30pm. And somewhere in there I have to squeeze in the gym….”

7.    How did you get involved in music production and what skills or information did you find useful on your journey to where you are today?

"I got involved in music production because my friend Spanky (which you may know because later we formed the group Phuture) had a drum machine and I used to bring his drum machine to my gigs & play accappellas over his beats in my DJ sets. Doing that I got interested in making my own beats and from there I got into making tracks. I believe some of my skillz in music had to do with me learning how to read music in fourth grade, I also played in concert, jazz, symphonic winds, and marching bands all the way up until I graduated from high school. I believe that has a lot to do with my internal knowledge of musical arrangement and production.”

8. What is your secret weapon or a piece of kit or plug in that you just cant live without in the studio?

"If I tell you it will no longer be my secret! These days I need to keep my edge!”

9.    What tip would you give to new producers trying to break into the industry in today’s climate?

"Be a student of the game! Be special and original. Come up with your own sound. Be the best at what you do. Be patient but be very diligent. Don't be a thief & don't be a cut throat. Be your own promoter. Wait for no one to make it happen for you. Last but not least, don't be lazy. Starting out you have to get up the earliest and stay up the latest without cutting any corners.”

10.    Whats your all time favourite record?

"This question is impossible for me to answer, but I wont leave you empty handed. There is one song that explains why this question cannot be answered: "I Love Music" by the mighty, mighty O'Jays!”

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