The Objektivity boss tellin’ us how it is
Hey Dennis welcome back to DMCWORLD – where in the world are you right now?
“I don’t know! No…I mean…my internal clock is jacked. I don’t know whether I’m in NYC or Amsterdam anymore! I’ll go with an old friend’s mantra “…be here now”. So I am here now…lol.”
Life is never quiet for Mr Ferrer, work permits problems keeping you out of Montreal, putting on one of the parties at ADE with your Objektivity crew and even more importantly featured in the first ever DJ Dance Moves site…a new web site showing how superstar DJs like to get down whilst spinning. Great energy going on there Dennis, we thought DJs can’t dance!?
“HAHA!! Well….I’d like to think I’ve perfected the art of great DJ dancing…KIDDING! The reality is that I just absolutely love to get lost when I’m spinning. I hate boring non-technical spectacles. If you are a turntablist…then you have EARNED the right to stand still…respect is granted. BUT if you’re a house, techno or EDM DJ and all you do is freaking blend then bruh, pardon my language, F**k that!. If I paid my way into this club you best entertain my ass! Jump up on the decks…douse yourself with vodka and light yourself on fire…pull a Marilyn Manson…anything but don’t just stand there and bore me with your “…I’m too cool to dance…but listen to this track that only 2 people in the whole world have had for the past 6 months” attitude. That shit is soooo 2002. LMAO!”
Your label has just released another mighty slice of classic house via Jovonn and his ‘Slammin Doors’ EP. We are loving this Brooklyn dude, were you sharing the same dancefloors as him back in the 90s at such classic clubs as The Loft and Zanzibar?
“I’ve known Jovonn for so many years it borders on family. LOL. He used to come and shop for keyboards and stuff when I worked at the vintage music equipment shop in my formative years. I never got a chance to cut a rug at the Loft or Zanzibar though. I was to busy bum rushin’ house parties those days.”
The UK is bracing itself for the Ferrer Circus on New Years Eve when you roll into town for the Defected spectacular at The Electric in Brixton with Deetron and Noir. How do you plan your New Years sets, are they just another big night for you or will there be a sprinkling of 2012 smashes in there?
“I don’t plan sets in reality…it’s more of a hmmmmm lets see if this’ll work right now attitude. Sometimes I get it right…sometimes I get it wrong. That’s the fun of it. Why take the surprise and skill set out of the equation? I never know what I’m gonna play…and in what order…so why should you? lol. As far as an ode to 2012…I dunno…gonna have to think that one through…”
What has been your tune of the year?
“‘Waff’ – Jo Johnson on Hot Creations. That was SUPER HOT and it was my go to record…kinda still is LOL.”
You once said, “I have grown tired of commercial expectations. You will not hear the remix to Rihanna’s new track…you’re never going to hear Guetta out of my box.” The year obviously started with your name in all of the press when the management at Mansion in Miami kicked you off the decks for not playing the music they wanted to hear. Were you surprised at the worldwide attention this incident received and how does the land lie with Mansion nine months later?
“I was very shocked over the all the attention this incident received. But I was even more shocked at how I was thrown under the bus by the ill informed staff handling the PR. The good out of this? The venue has or had a sort of “underground” Thursday night. Good for them…I wish them nothing but the best. I harbour no ill will.”
On January 1st this year you announced that your resolution for 2012 was to get back in the studio and “do what got me to this point in my life”. So, you happy how the year panned out?
“It’s been panning out in real interesting ways. With mentoring new talent…getting back to basics in songwriting…it’s becoming fun again.”
What will be the resolution for 2013?
“Hmmm see more of the world instead of just the hotel room, airplane cabin and club when I get to a destination.”
You have played at some incredible clubs and cities recently. Aruba, Istanbul, Sao Paulo, Amsterdam and Angola all sounded like a lot of fun – where have been your stand out clubs this year?
“Ibiza – Ushuaia (for the sheer enormity of it all), Istanbul – Sensation (they partied like it was their last day on earth), Trouw, Red Zone in Italy …umm…there were so many…I can’t possibly remember them all.”
You cite your influences as gods such as Stevie Wonder, MAW and Jeff Mills although you also love the likes of AC-DC and The Pet Shop Boys. Who though are you listening to at the moment away from the studio to chill out?
“I’ve been going to A1 Records in NYC and buying old vinyl lately. Just totally going to the bin and randomly taking 50 – 100 records…not knowing what’s in the stack at all. It’s so much fun to just find records I’ve never heard of and some that I have but never purchased. It’s made listening to music personal. I have something in my hand…a tangible object that I can own, look at, touch…and not consisting of bits and bytes that I cannot see. I missed this.”
A famous quote from you : “All the heroes that I grew up with are just not relevant right now because they’re not willing to change with the times.” Now that to me, just wreaks of bad management?
“Not at all…it’s not bad management. It’s just that most have forgotten what it is that got them there…kids. Youthful expression, youthful enthusiasm. They’ve let themselves age within their minds. As we all know…life happens…understood – but when you make dance music you can’t forget who it is that goes dancing. You want to chill out? Go make Jazz, World music or go score some orchestral piece. You want to make people go nuts? Pay attention to what’s happening, adjust and educate yourself and go create. Don’t get sucked into believing your own hype.”
What is your idea of a perfect, non working Sunday?
“A few hours in the studio and waiting for the Giants/Jets/Knicks to come on tv. Hassle free rest day.”
Dance music has gone ballistic in 2012 in the States. From the perspective of an artist with the underground running through his veins, what are your thoughts on how the electronic sound has swept your home country this year? Does it make your role as one of the stars of the underground easier?
“Hmmm it’s been so long since I’ve seen this happen here that I’m still looking at it with a skeptical eye. lol! I’m like…huh? Is this really happenning? AGAIN? FINALLY!!!! lol. It’s funny as it feels like the early 90’s where the current EDM songs are like the T99 and Snap’s of it it’s era. You won’t see me diggin those up to play out anytime soon..so ummmm…I’ll keep my mouth shut. LMAO! My role is the same role as when I started. Just try to provide quality music for the genre I belong to. Whether someone claims I’m popular or not is irrelevant. I’m an entertainer and my job is to entertain you. I’m solely measured by that ability. Rest on your laurels and it’s sayonara! So no my role is not easier.”
Kerri Chandler famously gave you the keys to his house back in the day allowing you to learn your trade on his equipment. Who are some of the new up and coming producers we should be looking out for in 2013?
“Wow there are so many amazing people coming up….Waff, Andrea Oliva, Jordan Peak, Mark Fanciulli, Lilith and our very own Andre Hommen and Nasser Baker just to name a few. It’s gonna be really interesting to see where time takes us with these new people.”
How’s your health these days? I seem to recall a nasty bout of Piriformis Syndrome a while back, that is some nasty shit!!
“Yeah that back thing was pretty outrageous…people don’t realize that we stand on our feet hunched over for hours at a time and that takes it’s toll on your spine. It’s all good now….I’m as fit as ever and looking forward to our new season in 2013.”
And finally, what is coming out next from the Dennis Ferrer studio vault…?
“I’m done giving predictions…I don’t really know…that’s whats fun about this for me. Surprising everyone. Making everyone go “..huh? WTF?!!!!” and then watching someone lose their minds on the dancefloor. I love this life!”
Defected NewYears Eve
Monday 31st December 2012 @Electric Brixton, London. 9pm – 7am
Line-up: Dennis Ferrer, Deetron, Noir, Simon Dunmore, Sam Divine
Ticket details :
http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/defected-in-the-house-new-years-eve-tickets.aspx
