RS: Where did that track "Head" come from?
Barry: "Head" was a follow-up to "Dive in the Pool," because it's the same concept of taking what a DJ would say if he could get on the microphone, if he had the nerve (which we all know club dj's HATE getting on the microphone)! "Dive In The Pool" was just a new way to say "y'all want this party started right!?!?" Are you going to "dive in deep end" or not at all. It's totally become Pepper's theme song and I'm very happy for her. "Head" is the DJ starting a set at late night club saying this is me, my sound and this is what I do. "Welcome to my musical journey"and the "musical trip that we're about to go on", "here we go", it's that simple.
RS: Going back to "Dive In The Pool," when you recorded that track did you imagine it would become as big as it did?
Barry: No, of course not. You do what you do and you "feel it" and get excited. You can't expect anything to "take on a life of its own" like it sometimes later on does (if you should be so lucky). If you do, it seems those are the ones that flop, when you try to calculate things too much.
RS: Can you give us an example of something you calculated was going to be big and just didn't?
Barry: Oh, a lot of the follow-up Kon Kan stuff, whatever I was thinking then I can't quite remember. I think "I Got My Pride" should have been a lot bigger and songs like "Sinful Wishes" were very close. It has all the buzz in certain regions and then in other regions nothing. That's just way it works, you never know what is going to work. Even with "Dive," it's an American and a gay party anthem but it never crossed outside of that. I'm grateful and happy, very proud of the success. But it's not as big as say for example "It's Not Right, But It's Ok" or "Get Ready for This" or that "Heaven" cover by DJ Sammy.
RS: Yes.
Barry: Barry: Yes, it's not as big as even DJ Miko "What's Up" or Snap "Rhythm is a Dancer," not at that kind of level. It still wasn't like a top five, top ten around the world. To me it's successful in as far as it got, and I'm very happy and very proud. When I say this, everyone takes it like I wasn't grateful, but that's another thing that often goes through your head - how big is big and how successful is successful.
RS: Going back to "Head," there wasn't a label attached to it. What was the logic behind not taking it to a label and just doing it yourself?
Barry: I like to try to do things now and then that haven't been done before, kind of like ear-bending, I want to hear records I haven't heard before. So I wanted to be the first unsigned record to go number one on the Billboard chart.
RS: I remember "Music" kept Dive out, that must have been painful.
Barry: Huh, whatever. Dive stayed so high so long that it was great and if you can't pass Madonna's "Music" that's fine. Are you kidding? That's good company not to be able to bump.
RS: Going back to the no label, as an artist making that song, Head, do you think you were more successfully financially doing it yourself versus having it signed to a label?
Barry: I think it makes no difference, it was basically the same. The bottom-line is "Head" paid for itself, after all the promotion production and remixes. It was a lesson learned and also a positive experiment.
RS: Going back to the label thing again, how are things different from back to your major label days when you were singed to, I think, Atlantic for Kon Kan, versus the indie labels you're more involved with these days?
Barry: Well I don't really know, I haven't really paid a lot of
attention to indie labels the past year, I haven't paid a lot of
attention to any labels actually. I've been basically taking a hiatus
off of production and remixes. It doesn't matter whether it's a major
label or not, it's always a struggle and it's a freak occurrence for
everybody when a "hit" happens. The difference is, when you've got a
major label, everybody's expectations are a lot higher. You get a lot
of people that are full of hot air and overly excited. It's a big
corporation and big "machinery"....so whether you have an indie or a
major behind you, it really doesn't matter, there are so many stars
that need to align and it's still a freak occurrence when they DO
align. There's a lot of one-hit wonders out there because the stars
aligned just once for that Artist, Producer or Songwriter. Nothing has
changed though in regards to this - An indy can have a hit at a certain
level, but will NEED the corporation and big machinery to take it to
the next level..."big time".
