DJ Pierre
The word ‘legend’ should be used sparingly, but there’s no doubt that DJ Pierre’s contribution to the world of electronic music places him in that category. Credited as the inventor of acid house with the 1987 release of ‘Acid Tracks’ under the name Phuture, the group he set up with Spanky and Herb J, it was while messing around with a Roland TB-303- a bass synthesizer – that Pierre discovered the distinctive squelchy, bubbling sound that sparked a revolution in club music. With releases forthcoming for Dim Mak and his own Afro Acid label, we sat down to find out his views on EDM, being asked to produce English pin-up Samantha Fox and what exactly happened to the 303 he wrote ‘Acid Tracks’ on...
It’s all happening in the States right now. How do you feel about the advent of EDM and the crossing over of dance music into the charts again? “I think it’s a great thing. Finally our music is getting the recognition that it deserves. For me in particular, it’s very gratifying to hear acid, the sound that we created as Phuture, being used in a lot of the music that is crossing over today.”
There have been very public argument as to what constitutes house music. Is it something that you’re able to define?
“House music is EDM, EDM is house music. There would be no EDM if it were not for house music, but for those who want to define things further I would say nowadays the more smooth, deep, soulful and melodic sounds would be considered house music, and EDM would be acid house and the other genres influenced by acid house such as of techno, trance, dubstep and electro. So you could even say that acid was the start of EDM.”
When did you start your Afro Acid project? Is it purely devoted to the sound of acid and what releases do you have coming up?
“I started the Afro Acid Project in 2005. I did a whole album but felt like it wasn’t yet right so I kinda put it on the shelf. It’s not just acid, it’s electro, techno, and acid dub. Acid dub is the sound that my new group AC!D FACE will be doing. AC!D FACE have a remix on my up-coming Dim Mak release called ‘Strobe Lights, Laser, Disco,’ and also on the current releases out on Afro Acid Digital titled ‘XTC’ by Xenia Beliayeva, and on Bush Records on ‘We Are Phuture’, which is a remake of the original Phuture song from 1987. I produced this along with Carl Cox, Phuture, and Steve Ward. Next on the production slate will be a second release on Dim Mak with Rory from Stonelove, one of the premier
soundsystems in Jamaica, and a new album by Phuture featuring DJ Pierre.”
Acid is a sound that never seems to die. Who are some of most notable people that have carried on your legacy? “Well, it’s basically a who’s who of the top artists and producers that are incorporating acid into their music, from LMFAO to Skrillex to Boysnoize. Right now I’m really feeling Boys Noize, Bart Bmore, Tommie Sunshine and, believe it or not, a couple of DJ Chucky and Skrillex tracks.”
What happened to the actual Roland TB-303 that you wrote ‘Acid Tracks’ on?
“Some lucky person has it as it got left in a repair shop some years a go.”
If you could do it all again, what one moment would you change? “Well I’d like a do-over of when Jive Records asked me to give a song to Samantha Fox, to which I said ‘no’ because the song they wanted was already with this group I was working with. I just felt it would have been wrong to snatch that song out from under them. Now when I look back, it would have been the perfect strategy to gain more recognition for myself so that I could in turn put that group out bigger and better than I actually had.”
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