What’s The Best Night Out You’ve ever Had?
One party that comes to mind is this huge one-off in the 80s at Navy Pier in Chicago. This was a huge promotion that had people like Farley, Ten City, Armando, Ron Hardy, Lil Louis and Loletta Holloway . I remember Ron Hardy playing FACES DRUMS and fading in Liquid Liquid’s “Optimo” and the part when the cowbell go backwards people went nuts. Farley was on the mic talking to the crowd and playing snippets of records and telling the crowd who made which track, that was something real special. This party was definitely a night to remember.
What’s Your Favourite Club?
That’s hard to pick but, I would first say it was a night out for some but the daytime for me. I played a DJ set at Panorama Bar in Berlin. This was a crazy loft style warehouse in Berlin that opens at 12 midnight Saturday and goes to 6pm Sunday. I played from 12-4pm in the afternoon on Sunday and it was DJ heaven with people like Daniel Wang jumping and screaming having a good time! I usually try to play anything I am feeling when I spin and this was the place for that. I played anything and everything and they loved it all. It not everyday you can play to a crowd who is into House, Italo, Detroit Techno and NYC Garage but they were and I left there amazed and charged up. Then we went to hear Richie Hawtin play the BEAT STREET Party until 2am, that may not seem that late but that party started at 11:30am that same Sunday morning. Berlin Rocks!
What’s Your Favourite Record Of All-time?
If I had to to pick just one I would have to say Sharon Redd’s Beat the Street. Garage in general in something I really love because it always makes me feel good to hear it no matter what’s going on in my life. I realized that one day when I was feeling blue. I just met Darryl Payne who wrote Beat the Street, Sinnamon’s Thanks to You and several other classics last year, a real nice guy. We hit it off real good, I could not believe I was sitting in his studio listening to demo tapes. I just tripped hanging out with this dude.
What Record Can’t You Stand?
I am trying to stay drama-free if at all possible, cheers.
What Record Did You Lose Your Virginity Too?
There wasn’t a record in sight if you can imagine not having some perfect set-up for such an activity. It was totally unpredictable and unplanned. I can’t tell the real story just yet buy my autobiography when I do it.
What Was The Last Record You Bought?
A used copy of my first ever original production: THRILLSEEKERS 12″ released in 1993 on House Jam Records in Chicago. I did the “Got the Cure” track at Reel to Real studio with Dwayne Thamm engineering, the funny thing is I did my first ever remix there too. Jungle Crew’s “Don’t Abuse the House”.
Name Three Of Your Biggest Influences…..
Totally off the top of my head: Absolutely No 1. Pre-House Music would be 12″ VINYL RECORDS in general, the label credits I used to read and the people names and sounds I learned about.
1.5 The Chicago House Music Culture: including people like Frankie Knuckles, Ron Hardy, Jesse Saunders, Lil Louis, Steve Silk Hurley, West Side Promoter of DaVinci Manner: Kousin Danny, The Original Hot Mix 5 DJ Crew: Kenny Jammin’ Jason, Farley Funkin’ Keith, Ralphi Rockin’ Rosario, Mickey Mixin’ Oliver & Scott Smokin’ Silz with there mix show on 102.7 FM WBMX in Chicago.
2. The NYC Garage Sound: Remix Culture, Record Labels and everyone involved in cultivating it. People like: Tom Moulton, Larry LeVan, Tony Humphries, Shep Pettibone, Chep Nunez, Jellybean, Tee Scott, Todd Terry, Victor Simonelli, Strictly Rhythm, MAW, NuGroove with Judy Russell, there are to many people to list.
3. Electronic Dance Culture: Alexander Robotnick, Italo Disco, German Electronic, Kraftwerk, Detroit Techno, Electro 1982 Music with people like Jon Robie, Arthur Baker, and Freeez, New Order, Doctor’s Cat, Adam and the Ants, Devo, please don’t get me started!
Who Would Play You In ‘Jordan Fields’ The Movie‘
I have a cousin who is right about the age I was when I started, I thought about actually doing a movie of my story. It could be fun. I think I would best play myself. I have all this stuff in my head and it may be easier to just do it. But Lenny Kravitz would give me a good look. He may be to skinny though. How about Mr. Bean?
What’s Your Dream?
At this point I would love for people to realize all this technology and fast access to stuff is not necessarily the best thing for our culture. Nowadays everyone has a label and is a producer and it’s just all a bit to much. Imagine if you went out for a bite to eat and there were 10 pizza shops in a row and that all you could pick from. It would be crazy and that what to me this all seems like, everybody can’t be the superstar DJ, somebody has to be the A&R guy, somebody needs to be the graphics person. You have all these people all trying the be the same thing and do the same exact thing and no one is looking at the fact that the market can only take so much. I am all for kids getting into it and growing the culture but buy a drum machine, go the record store and hangout even if you don’t buy anything just go meet your mates and listen to some records and encourage the shops owners to stay open. If you don’t you are missing out on life. You can’t download culture, you need to go somewhere touch stuff in your hands and socialize to really be living. So I would say my dream right now is for this thing we do to mean something in another 20 years and not be reduced to code and small 2×2″ album cover scans. I think everyone that does House Music owes the culture enough that they should press as many records as they can even if it’s 100 copies and stop acting like sheep and lining up and taking your turn to walk off the cliff. Stop falling for this brainwashing of “vinyl is dead”. If it were not for vinyl this magazine or any of this we are talking about would not even exist, FACT.
How Do You Escape?
I take a bath and read Deepak Chopra, Wallpaper* or Surface Magazine.
What Is Your Favourite Possession?
My unreleased master tapes.
What Is Your Life Philosophy?
Everything happens for a reason and is as it should be. As Humans we spend so much time trying to do and make things happen when the Universe is moving no matter what we do, so people should take some time and just be and see where that takes them. I did learn some stuff from reading “The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success”, by Deepak Chopra and I totally agree with his way of thinking 100%, I have applied those 7 Laws to everything at some point and it has never let me down. One thing you could try is defenselessness, don’t feel a need to prove your point to someone today no matter if you feel you are right about something, just see how that works and you will be looking for that book, believe me.
What’s In Your Pockets?
An old leather card holder with my id, 4 debit cards, a starbucks coffee gift card with less than $2, a Best Buy gift card, a cafe Borders Books Buy 10 get next ones free card, a business card from Chicago DJ Brian G after I gave him a stack of limited edition 12″ vinyl that you can only get from QucciRecords.com, Dede Sampaio business card, UPS Store business card and a Virgin Mary blessing that a random women gave me one day.
If You Were An Animal, What Animal and Why?
Lion, King of the Jungle.
You Are Having A Party, Whom Dead Or Alive Is On The Guest List?
Armando, Ron Hardy, Larry LeVan, Tupac, Biggie, The whole cast of Seinfeld, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5, The James Bond Girls, The Russ Meyers Girls, All the Playboy Playmates, The Clockwork Orange dudes in the black and white, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, 70s Punkers, 80s New Wavers, David Byrne after the “Once in a Life Time” Video Shoot, MC Hammer with his whole Band, Art of Noise, Kraftwerk, Bob Marley and everyone who heard about the party and wanted to come would be invited.
Tell Us Something That We Don’t Know About ‘Jordan Fields’
I do things to try to help people as much as possible, even if I get nothing out of it. I think about random people in the Industry and wonder how they are doing and hope things are working out for them. I really do love House Music but I am actually into other things in life than just music and I don’t wake up everyday and have a Soundtrack following me through life like a movie score. I am very much into Mod Design, Art, Fashion, Film and Wine. I want to open an Art Gallery and Resturant. I am actually addicted to pressing records and right now I am going through serious withdrawal, literally.
Jordan Fields presents 2084 – ALBUM OUT NOW!
