Ten years ago, Adam Freemer started his journey as a House DJ. He got his first major push when Danny Tenaglia asked Adam to cover for him at the "Be Yourself" parties once held weekly at Arc in New York. Adam then went on to play at such historical spots like Limelight, Filter 14, Twilo, and Soundfactory, prior to their closings. Five years later, Adam started to dive into the production side of things. In 2002 Twisted Records signed his first official release "H2O"/"The 13th Tribe" featuring house music's bad boy Alan T. Alan provided the vocal stabs to Adam's club-stomping anthem. To follow that up, Adam remixed Tom "Superchumbo" Stephan's hit "Irresistible" which was boosted to #1 on the Billboard dance chart in part due to Adam's work on the remix. Now, three years later, Adam has been going nonstop. With a solid list of original tracks and remixes, Adam has concentrating on his upcoming productions while still traveling around the globe. He takes some time away from the studio to share with us what he has been up to.
Jon Viera: Let's start from the beginning. How long ago did you start your journey as a
DJ?
Adam Freemer: I started playing around 1994 or so. My first "official" gig was in 1996. I
had been a dance music
collector / fan probably since I was 15 or so, buying CDs, tapes, etc., in the late 80s and early 90s.
I really was all about CDs as I never planned on DJing when I started collecting music. However, my
first record was Lil' Louis' "French Kiss" which I bought at Tower Records in Philadelphia, back when
they actually had records! I really wanted the song and they didn't have it on CD or cassette, haa! Go
figure.
Jon Viera: What producers are doing it for you know?
Adam Freemer: I think for me I'm kind of at a crossroads now. I still love tribal house,
but most of it has gotten too repetitive for me. I'd say I like tribal that is fresh or something new,
but I also like a lot of the new electro/techno-oriented house. I like to play both and go back and
forth, mixing it up. I don't get too much into breaks or the bleepy stuff though.
Jon Viera: What's in Adam Freemer's studio?
Adam Freemer: I'm excited to say I just got a new G5 dual machine and I LOVE IT. I'm
looking forward to the Intel machines, but this thing is so powerful, I don't know what to do! I just
started using Protools 7 and it's definitely the best Protools to date. Besides that, I have a Waldorf
XTK, Novation Supernova, Korg Electribe and a bunch of soft synths and plug-ins. I use mainly McDsp
and Waves for the majority of my plug-in duties. I have a Mackie board for my studio gear and custom
built monitors for production to round things off.
Jon Viera: Could you share any words for the upcoming producers out there?
Adam Freemer: Learn your roots. Spend a few years minimum learning how to produce before
you put anything out. The market is flooded as it is. Don't make tracks purely in Reason or Acid.
Learn how to use a DAW (Logic, Protools, Performer, etc).
Jon Viera: I know you have a killer DJ booth at home. What's it stocked with?
Adam Freemer: I have an original Urei 1620 mixer that I modified myself to have single
tone controls instead of the separate left and right bass/treble. I also changed all the connectors on
it and updated the LED to be blue; I'm a geek like that! I'd like to throw out a special thanks to
Mario G for helping me with my mods. He's one of the best in the business for refurbishing and
modifying classic dj mixers. I also have a pair of 1200's and CD players as well.
Jon Viera: What's that one piece of essential gear you need?
Adam Freemer: Good monitors. Not self-powered, just strong, clean, loud monitors. If
there's one piece I like, it's my cycloops. It's just something I feel comfortable always having ready
if I need it.
