Cevin, welcome to the DMC world, a prolific prodcer and a DJ who plays simplym unbelievable house music. You started spinning in your teens, famously DJing at Whitney Houston’s all night parties in New Jersey – what is the story here, what were those nights like – and weren’t you fazed by her?
“Yeah I started playing way back with a childhood friend of mine , his older brother was a regular at the famous Paradise Garage and had a set of turntables in his garage so we used to skip school and play music all day until we felt we were ready to start gigging. And one of those early gigs was playing at Whitney’s parties. At the time she was simply known as Nippy, she was modeling at the time and hadn’t become famous as Whitney Houston yet . I remember being in a big house in a place called Seven Oaks in Orange in New Jersey and I would be on the decks rocking out all night long until the sun came up . There was crazy energy and the party people danced and danced as I would play everything from disco to the Sugar Hill Gang , to D-train – I got to play a wide variety of music and it was awesome .”
Your 10th Anniversary remixes of ‘The Freaks Come Out’ courtesy of Prok & Fitch, Tim Davison, Eric Entrena and Anil Chawla had the likes of Erick Morillo, Paul Oakenfold, David Guetta, Louie Vega and Roger Sanchez jumping around in Miami last week…what made you roll out one of dance music’s biggest ever tunes again and how would you describe each rework?
“Well this was the brainchild of my label bosses over at Subversive Records in the UK . We had such great success in re-releasing ‘You Got Me Burning Up’ – I think it was only natural to re-release “The Freaks Come Out” and it turns out that as this is our 10 year. anniversary which makes it even more special . It’s an awesome feeling to see such a wide variety of DJs picking up on the remixes , its exactly what happened to the original – and that makes me feel really groovy baby . We decided to go with Prok and Fitch who simply laid down a wicked remix as they did with ‘You Got Me Burning Up’ . Tim Davidson , Eric Entrena and Anil Chawla all did the track justice as well . I find myself playing all of the mixes at different times and different venues which is quite amazing . Big time cheers to all of the great remixers involved in ‘The Freaks Come Out’ remixes .”
The second set of remixes you are bringing out of the tune on Subversive will be sending dancefloors in the Summer, obviously Ibiza will be going mad for it as it’s a more chilled affair, perfect for the white isle – Benham & Clark, Gabriel Robella, Darren Flecta and Sharp ‘n’ Smooth in the studio this time working on your tune – what have been your best Ibiza moments?
“Again, it’s so cool to have so many different flavors included in this remix package . Wow Ibiza , its been a while since I’ve been there though , only twice in my career. The first time I went as a fan . And I had a blast. It was awesome to see so many people in the streets , on the beach , and of course in the clubs . the energy was amazing . I saw DJs , press , promoters all doing there thing and I thought to myself I really need to play here . And luckily I got the chance . It was fantastic . I’m looking forward to playing there again . I believe it’s in the cards for me to be there sometime this year . The countdown is on and I hope that when it happens , I’ll have some great stories to tell you all about .”
What do you think were the big, new tunes that came out of Miami this year – do you think another classic was unleashed?
“I was really excited to hear “The Freaks Come Out” being played by so many top DJs . Also , I heard ‘Amazzonia’ by Giorgio Giordano , ‘Your So Sweet’ by Madame X which was definately tops for me . Also ‘Little Bird’ by Ricky Luchini featuring Moony was simply brilliant, to name a few. But these are the big Miami 10…
1. Ricky Luchini ft. Moony ‘Little Bird’ (Airplane Records)
2. Cevin Fisher ‘The Freaks Come Out (Remixes)’ (Subversive Records)
3. Stalker Studios ‘We Should Fall’ (Irma Records)
3. Giorgio Giordano ‘Amazzonia’ (Yoshitoshi)
4. Eric Entrena ftg. Cevin Fisher ‘Dirty Games’ (Promo)
5. K-Klass ‘Rythm Is A Mystery’ (Promo)
6. Franklin Fuentes ‘The Robots’ (Kult Records)
7. Ralph Falcon ‘Whateva’ (Nervous Records)
8. Sunrise With Love ‘Sunrise Sunset’ (Promo)
9. Abel The Kid ‘Tell Me’ (Subliminal Records)
10. LadyHawke ‘Paris Is Burning’ (Promo)
Pacha NYC – holding a residency there, Erick was raving about the place to me in Miami, it started a little quiet but is now one of the best club’s in the world – why do you think the club has exploded and which DJs that you have played with there have been the best?
“Pacha has exploded because they simply know what theyre doing over there , It’s an amazing venue with amazing staff, owners and of course, a crazy sound system and lights. I have had the pleasure of playing along side of Erick Morillo , Danny Tenaglia, Boris to name but a few. And its always been fantastic .”
You play at Circa in Toronto, Canada – what’s the scene like up there?
“Yup i’m officially a resident at Circa in Toronto . It’s a great place to play , I’ve loved Toronto since the first time my family took a vacation there , we went to the Niagra Falls and I thought to myself this place is special. I’ve been playing there for years now and it’s awesome how the music supporters and all of my friends have stayed with me . Circa is an amazing club and the first time I got a tour of the place it was special because I had worked in Peter Gatiens clubs in NYC – like Limelight , Tunnel , USA and Palladium . And he has been missed in the NYC club scene, so walking into Circa was like reliving the Peter Gatien experience all over again and to be able to have a residency at Circa means so much .”
You have played all over the globe, the UK, Singapore, Japan – literally everywhere. Which country has the craziest clubbers and what have been your favourite clubs over the years…?
“I love the energy in London, Ibiza , Toronto , Switzerland , Glasgow , Italy , Japan, Greece and of Course NY . I do believe we are going to tour Australia , Singapore , Indonesia etc. this year . I loved playing at Ministry Of Sound , D-Club , Air , Pacha , Circa, to name a few .”
Which music artists/DJs were an early influence for you?
“Going back, I would have to say that the Salsoul sound , West End , Prelude and disco/house in general was the sound that helped me make my decision to pursue a career as a DJ . I was heavily influenced by Larry Levan , Tony Humphries, Junior Vasquez , Danny Tenaglia , David Morales , Louie Vega , Roger Sanchez and of course Todd Terry .”
What is coming out next from the Cevin Fisher studio?
“At the moment I am working on a remix for a track called ‘We Should Fall In Love’ by the Studio Stalkers , I will also be doing a mix compilation on Nervous Records this year . I have also done collaborations with Prok And Fitch , Paul Harris , Eric Entrena , which will all be released in 2009 .
Your tune ‘(You Got Me) Burning Up’ featured the wondrous vocals of Loleatta Holloway – what was she like to work with?
“Working with a legend like Loleatta was amazing. I actually just used samples of her vocals to put together ‘You Got Me Burning Up’. I did get to meet her in the studio at the famous Shakedowm Studios owned by Arthur Baker – and she was fantastic .”
Your early gigs included playing at your father’s bar in New Jersey as well as college gigs and then the infamous Club Zanzibar. What sort of records were you playing back then?
“I played a wide variety of records , everything from Stevie Wonder to the B-52’s Keep in mind that I did start off in bars , so taking special request was the norm, I remember a guy giving me $50 to play a Marvin Gaye track, it was awesome. I had a cup next to the decks and by the end of the night it was always filled to the brim .”
So how important was the advice Danny Tenaglia gave you about your recording career looking back?
“I would have to say it was the best advice ever , He was and still is a great mentor to me . To this day i’ll send DT a track and he will always give his honest opinion and of course he still invites me to his loft , so that I can hear a project in the works on a proper sound system . He’s always telling stuff like “this is good Cevin , but where’s the kick” he he ..”
You have remixed/produced the likes of Quincy Jones, Chaka Khan and Robert Miles – which do you think is the best piece of work you’ve done for an artist?
Yes I had the pleasure of being a part of the production teams that we’re involved in remixing Quincy Jones and Chaka Khan, both productions went number one Billboard here in the States . I worked on these projects with Arthur Baker and Dave Shaw . I learned so much being in the studio with Arthur and Dave, priceless education that I use to this day. Thanks much guys. It’s hard to say which is the best piece of work, in a crazy way I love them all, they’re like paintings to me and some days – I love one more than another. I’m just happy and grateful that I have had the opportunity to be a part of all of this great music .”
And finally, what is your most treasured album of all time?
“This is another tough one , but I can’t dodge this question forever , so I will say ‘Songs In The Key Of Life’ , by Mr. Stevie Wonder . It’s kinda like the soundtrack to my life …
“Love the DMC people…”
Cevin Fisher ‘The Freaks Come Out’ – Tenth Anniversary Mixes Part 1 – Out Now
Cevin Fisher ‘The Freaks Come Out’ – Tenth Anniversary Mixes Part 2 – Released June
www.myspace.com/subversiverecords
www.myspace.com/djcevinfisher
