Update looks back in time and to the future with one of the biggest music headz in the business, Mr Eric Kupper…
Welcome Eric to DMC World. So your musical work doesn’t just hit dance music; pop, heavy rock, punk, folk and indie with the likes of Gloria Estefan, John Wesley Harding, Julee Cruise, Coolbone, McQueen and Ofra Haza have all seen you create great and a huge different array of sounds. Please explain what was your childhood home like that has given you such an incredible, vast and eclectic musical taste. Who were your idols early on, what albums still make you tingle, what artists are responsible for where you are today?
“I come from a family of musicians. My grandparents and their parents were concert violinists, opera directors, etc. back in Europe. Although my father was not a musician, he was a keen audiophile and we would listen to a ton of music together, of all genres. Classical, jazz, He also helped hone my ear as far as sound quality. We would sometimes sit around and listen to the sound of different speaker wire. No joke. Most of my early idols are still amongst my idols; The Beatles, Quincy Jones, Todd Rundgren, Giorgio Moroder, Erik Satie, Miles Davis, Brian Eno, Burt Bacharach, Kate Bush… among many others. I still listen to the Beatles, especially ‘Rubber Soul’ on a regular basis. I just listened to Roy Ayers “Ubiquity” last night. Believe it or not, Burt Bacharach’s Greatest Hits is one of my all time faves. I have it on several formats… vinyl, CD, 8 track, even reel-to-reel! Electronic music caught my ear at a very early age. When I was a child I used to listen to just about anything with a synthesiser on it! (Hello prog-rock!). I obtained my first synth in 1975… traded it in for another 1977. I still have that one.”
And then there is the soulful side of house grooves which have made you a 4/4 god, what sort of clubs were you spinning around in when your were just finding your disco feet?
“I was in some experimental punk/new wave bands in the late seventies/early eighties back in the East Village in NYC. It was a very vibrant scene. You would walking the streets with the likes of Joey Ramone, Debbie Harry, etc. There were also these sort of “crossover” disco clubs, like Area, the Mudd Club, Danceteria and the Ritz, which played a variety of dance music, from New Wave to Punk to Disco and everything in between. That is what really turned me on to dance music. Then, one of my first mentors and collaborators, Justin Strauss, really exposed me to the emerging genre of house music. This was in 1986. To me it seemed like the new frontier, a place to experiment and express with virtually no boundaries. I gravitated toward the more soulful sounds coming out of Chicago – Larry Heard, Marshall Jefferson. They really moved me. I also loved what was going on in Detroit… I then began to work with Mark Kamins, who was one of the most influential people ever in dance music, period. Not only did he produce Madonna’s first record, he also brought the newest music to New York from Europe (and everywhere else!) before anyone else had heard it. I learned a lot about world music working with Mark. I also learned a great deal about ‘vibe’ from him. When I met and started working with David Morales and Frankie Knuckles it was just a really good fit. We just went about the business of making the best records we could, with a great team of collaborators. It was a very fruitful period musically. Alison Limerick, ‘Where Love Lives’, CeCe Peniston ‘Finally’, Shabba Ranks ‘Mr. Loverman’, Mariah Carey ‘Dreamlover’, and of course ‘The Whistle Song’. Fun times. In the early/mid 90’s I used to frequent the Sound Factory Bar to hear Louie Vega spin. That also shaped who I am as an artist and a DJ in a very major way…”
Myself and my friends used to dance around London club owner Nicky Holloway’s club The Milk Bar with misty eyes swaying to Frankie Knuckle’s ‘The Whistle Song’ – which you wrote. What was behind that record?
“I went to a Def Mix party at the Redzone, where David regularly would spin. I heard Frankie do his set, and one of the records he played was a record on Strictly Rhythm called ‘The Warning”‘ by Logic… I really loved the vibe. I also loved ‘The Poem’ by Bobby Kondors, the spacey flute solo and all. Soon after I had a few drinks one night (at the time I would rarely drink) and went home to my studio and just busted out the first draft of ‘The Whistle Song,” totally inspired by what I had heard Frankie play. I played it for him, he loved it, and was interested in putting it on his upcoming album, perhaps having a vocalist try something on top. He played the rough version at the Sound Factory, his regular NYC gig at the time. People would walk up to him and say “what is that whistle song you have been playing?”, I didn’t even think of the hook sound as a whistle, but I guess it was! The crowd at the Sound Factory actually gave the record it’s name. At that point Frankie felt a vocal was totally unnecessary. So, that rough version became ‘EK’s Sound Factory Mix’ and then Frankie did a more polished version with a live flute and a more elaborate arrangement, and it became our first co-production. Both versions were played regularly. On my first trip to London (1991 meb thinks?) I went to the Milk Bar and saw Danny Rampling play. It was a life altering experience. I have rarely seen anyone who had such a deep connection with their crowd than on that night. He and the people on the dancefloor were as one. Beautiful.”
So you have produced, wrote for, remixed and played on over 1700 records over the decades – a true, true musician. I tip my hat sir. The list is endless, Madonna, Celine Dion, Destiny’s Child, Britney Spears, LCD Soundsystem, Coldplay, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Anastacia, Seal, Christina Aguilera, Janet Jackson, Toni Braxton, Kelis, Jamariquoi, Depeche Mode, Eric Clapton, Everything But The Girl, Björk, David Bowie, Garbage, Usher, Alicia Keyes, BT, Marianne Faithful, Goldfrapp, Cher, Shakira, Enrique Iglesias, Sheryl Crow, Lenny Kravitz, Kylie Minogue, Korn, Moloko, Smash Mouth, New Order, Yoko Ono, Dido, Brandy, Curtis Mayfield, Brand New Heavies, Robert Palmer, Afrika Bambaata & Soulsonic Force, Kate Bush, 808 State, Jessica Simpson, Anastacia, Donna Summer and PM Dawn to name just a few. Tell DMC please …
The best singer you have worked with…
“That is a very tough one. All singers have their certain charms. Peyton is up there for sure. He is a major talent and a true friend. I loved remixing Bjork. Working with her voice was very inspiring.”
What is your proudest remix you have done…
“I really cannot answer this one. There are many that I hold dear to me. Solu Music ‘Fade’, The Groove Collective ‘She’s So Heavy’ and The Whistle Song will always be very dear to my heart.”
Who did you have the biggest crush on that you worked with…
“Kate Bush maybe. I was mad about her as a teenager…”
What was the maddest night you had out on the tiles with one of them…
“Probably when I drank half a bottle of Absinthe at a Hed Kandi party in London. Dear lord. It was after this incident that Mark Doyle (former Hed of Kandi, now of Fierce Angels) dubbed me a “resident”.
You were a resident at ‘Hed Kandi’ at Pacha for four years and played for them as resident touring the globe. What clubs and countries really kicked off?
“Stereo in Newcastle was always a blast. Great crowds at the time. Colombia was absolutely mad! Also Manila. Ah, Manila…Korea, M2. Tokyo. Asia kinda rocks….”
And what have been the best clubs you have rocked over the last 12 months?
“Believe it or not, one of my favourite parties to play is a party that has been going for 10 years in Stoke-on-Trent called ‘Reckless’. Always a blast. I just played Aqua Booty in NYC and it was awesome… Also Amika in London rocks. Hopefully this will turn into a regular thing…”
So the Grammy connection…?
“OK, just to get this straight, I didn’t WIN the Grammy. I mixed 2 Grammy Award winning records. I don’t have a statue on my mantle piece. Nevertheless, it was an honour to be involved.”
What are the big 10 tunes in your box right now?
“Some old, some new.. .in no particular order…
‘Stargazer’ – Eric Kupper presents K-Scope (King Street)
‘Into My Life’ – Elements of Life feat. Lisa Fischer & Cindy Mizelle (Vega)
‘Show Me’ Degrees of Motion (Phase deux Musiq)
‘Twisted Mind” (Alex Celler Remix) Boza (Rawthentic Music)
‘Magic’ Terry Thompson (Code Red)
‘Reach Out For Love’ (DJ Spen Sneak Tribute Track (Extended Version) Marc Evans (Defected)
‘One Desire’ (Alix Alvarez F1 Series Vox) – Barbara Tucker & Tuccillo (King Street)
‘Control’ – Original Mix – Dataworx (Control)
‘Get The Horns’ – Original Mix – Kevin Yost (New Perspectives 1)
’90’s’ – Rocco & Claude Monnet (Back To Fundamentals)”
What did you do on New Years Eve?
“I played at a new club in Chicago called Club Royale. Good fun…”
Best new DJ you have seen over the last 12 months?
“Well, he is not new, but I first saw (and played with) Julius the Mad Thinker in Chicago in 2008. I thought he was really amazing. I also thought Dirty South had excellent technical skills…”
So the big news, your new album ‘Electrikiss’ is coming out on February 16th on King Street Sounds (USA) – talk us through the album, chill meets thrill and then some…
“Like the previous K-Scope albums, all of these tracks were done in one sitting each. Just a spurt of inspiration; a moment in time encapsulated in a track. It varies from the more relaxed to slightly thumping, but nothing overly aggressive. The common element is that all the tracks are very electronic in nature. I made use of primarily synthetic sounds and plenty of arpeggiators on this album. I wanted to keep it sensual and a bit sexy as well. Not only dance floor friendly, but ultimately “listenable” as well.”
What will 2009 bring us from Eric Kupper…?
“Lots of DJ touring in the US and abroad. 2009 will bring on plenty of remixes, but I will also be focusing on lots of original underground tracks. I intend on collaborating with many people I have admired over the years and have not yet had the chance to work with. I’m really looking forward to this (some good surprises in the works here…) I also have a new company I am partners in called Phase deux Musiq. My partners in this venture are my long time collaborator Richie Jones (we did Degrees of Motion together back in the day, and just released the new Degrees single “Show Me” at the end of 2008) and DJ/recording artist Franck Adam (Mombassa Blues.) We will be putting out a very steady stream of quality crafted house music. More projects for the great folks at King Street are on the horizon. A compilation for Grand Gallery in Japan. I will be working on a follow up album for K-Scope. Also, lots of content and parties for Fierce Angels. It also looks like I will also be collaborating a great deal with my great friend and musical parter Frankie Knuckles this year. Last year, we did the Hercules and Love Affiair “Blind” record together which did quite well, and we have just completed a remix for the new Depeche Mode record “Wrong.” We are going to get busy…”
Eric Kupper Presents K-Scope ‘Electrikiss’ Album is released February 23rd 2009 on King Street Sounds (USA)
