Name DJ Pierre
Occupation DJ. producer. originator
Ah, sounds like another Gallic producer putting out slinky disco. Nah. Nathaniel Pierre-Jones hails from the true heartland of house. South Chicago. and has been inextricable from the histOry of credible and funky electronic music since the late 805. He. along with pals Spanky and Ron Hardy. constituted Phuture Trax. whose 12 inch “Acid Trax' did nothing less than change culture. Their employment of the Roland TB-303. the song's production (and indeed name). shaped a musical movement that became the mainstream all over Europe. So, since he helped create one classic track, is it his albatross? Not really. Pierre is philosophical about the interest that his early music still garners: ‘I have a great life because of those tracks. It was such an amazing thing that happened. PeOple ask how it happened. but that's just human nature. just tiying to get a grip on it. Acid was a new sound. and something that people found hard to understand. It doesn't even have an instrument to support it. so people wonder where it comes from, they want to know how it came about. They want a scientific explanation. '
So much for philosophy. What are his thoughts on the state of house music right now? Funny you should ask. because Pierre doesn't baulk at describing the state of the game he’s in: ‘House music needs more character. The lyrics are always just about dancing and love. Magazines need to start doing articles on the lives creating this music. All the other music cultures have the background. but there‘s no identity in house.’
Hmrnm . . . strong words! Yes. and Pierre conflates maturity with a degree of commercial success: ‘You can‘t be underground forever.’ (Johnny Regan)
I DJ Pierre plays as part of Triptych at Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Sat 29 Apr
32 THE LIST 27 Apr—1 1 May 2006
TRIPTYCH ANDREA PARKER Kinky Afro at the Sub Club, Glasgow, Fri 28 Apr
In keeping With Triptych's fondness for exotica. their incliiSion of Andrea Parker on this year‘s bill has seen them recruit a guest DJ whose eclectic patchwork of a CV makes for inspiring reading. In fact. she's worked with so many luminaries across a range of genres and media that it might be hard to do her justice here. But we'll give it a go.
Born in Kent and later decamping to London. Parker followed up that typical schoolgirl apprenticeship of learning the cello by teaching herself to sing and produce music electronically. The first frUits of this new hobby found their way into the public's hands as the collaborative experimental releases ‘lnky Blacknuss' and ‘Two SandWiches Short of a Lunchbox“. released on the then-in-vogue techno label R88. She was working in a record shop at the time. but it's likely that went out the Window when she was Signed up to lvlo'Wax not long afterwards. Two Singles were released (the acclaimed ‘Melodious Thunk' and the Wil Malone arranged ‘Rocking Chair'i before the debut album Kiss My Arp, its very name a heaw hint towards Parker‘s fascmation With Vintage analogue Synths.
This combination of claSSic kit and fOund sounds (like her own sneezes and the rumble of her car's tyresi led Parker towards acceptance both by mainstream techno and avant garde musiCians. She has DJed in support of Radiohead. experimented live on stage With Philip Glass, and remixed both Rinchi Sakamoto and Depeche Mode. A collaboration for her own Touchin' Bass label, however. with the altogether less subtle DJ Assault proves she Will be offering something for everyone. (David Pollock)
CARL CRAIG Venue, Edinburgh, Fri 28 Apr: Sub Club. Glasgow. Sat 29 Apr
Part of the second wave of Detroit techno pioneers alongside the likes of Jeff Mills and Richie Hawtin (the latter earns the description through style and chronology. rather than geography), Carl Craig is undoubtedly one of those who might fall into the canon of legends appearing at this year‘s Triptych. Originators such as Derrick May and Juan Atkins might have been there first, forming the genre in the late 805, but Craig and co helped push the boundaries further and further towards the public consciousness.
Having once been a member of May‘s fondly-remembered Rhythim is Rhythim collective, reference is often made to the texture that Craig brings to his output through jazz and world influences. His music ‘retains that certain Craig-ness,‘ remarks Discogs.com succinctly, which ‘separates it from that of the typical Johnny-come-lately dance music producer.‘
Among a barrage of aliases. which includes BFC and Paperclip People. his lnnerzone Orchestra project blurred the boundaries between jazz and techno yet further. with Craig taking a seven-piece band out on the road. This ironically included Francisco Mora, himself a former member of Sun Ra's Arkestra, who are. of course, also playing Triptych. Prior to this live extravaganza, Craig’s ‘92 release of ‘Bug In a Bassbin‘ under the same alias helped test the envelope of the developing drum & bass movement.
Yet such influences, while crucial to Craig's style and, indeed, the development of electronic music, should not overshadow the fact that he remains very much a techno artist, and a dancefloor filler at heart. His impudently-named Planet E label still releases work by Craig and fellow old-school cohorts Kevin Saunderson and Moodymann, while his remix work extends to such diverse artists as Tori Amos and Throbbing Gristle. The presence of his name on the Triptych bill shows he‘s rightly remembered as a true innovator some years down the line. (David Pollock)