DJ Ron: How did you get started as a producer?
Chris Brophy: I learned to play the piano when I was aged nine because my dad used to have a piano in the house and played it himself. In the mid to late 80s, I developed a fascination with samplers, having seen the Pet Shop Boys perform with them on Top of The Pops in the UK. I loved the way you could sample your voice and play it on a keyboard, so I wanted one right away, but first I thought it would be best I invested (with my family’s support and encouragement) in a course at the famous School of Sound Recording in Manchester where I live. From there I just started working on my own dance single and that led to various remix work for British labels.
RS: In addition to studio work, you also work on camera as a TV and radio presenter. Normally, studio guys are seen as behind the scenes people. How do you balance the two?
Chris: Actually, I have no TV work at all (other than appearing in Georgie Porgie’s forthcoming video for ‘Be Happy’). Radio I do a lot of, usually on CMP Radio, a station broadcast on the web and on FM locally. I’m actually starting to get more known for being not just one of those behind the scenes type of guys like a producer but an artist now also.
I just adore TV and radio. I’m fascinated with how TV shows are put together, from the technology involved to how well the crew work as a team. Working on CMP has improved my confidence a lot and I sometimes have the webcam going also so people can see me at work. I just adore entertaining and would love to do more TV work.
RS: How do you think not being a club DJ affects you as a musician producing dance music?
Chris: Not only do I not DJ in the clubs any longer but I don’t even go there as a clubber. I’m lucky in that I get to hear a lot of great music through the radio stations I work for and the DJs that I know around the world. In fact, the last club I attended was at last year's WMC in Miami. I read a lot of magazines and listen to a lot of dance radio, sometimes broadcasting live events. Why go to the club when the club can come to you? Ah, one good reason, I don’t usually get pretty ladies hanging around my studio (starts crying!) Seriously though, I don’t think it affects my ability to produce up-to-date dance music. I follow what’s hip and happening around the world pretty well I think (usually the American dance scene!).
RS: How does a British guy become so entangled in the US club scene?
Chris: After a bad split with a band I was in, in 2000, I was noticed on the internet after advertising myself as a “remixer looking for exciting dance projects." What was about to happen next freaked me out. A dance label in NY called Cetacean got in touch and asked me to send in a demo. Within a few weeks I was hired to remix for their artist Dare 2 B Different. From this day on I’ve been kept in work thanks to Cetacean and my wonderful friend Mr. Harry Frank Towers, and thanks to them I’ve been fortunate enough to reach out to an ever bigger audience by working for more great labels. 80% of my contacts are based in the USA and I am proud to call them my friends also. You guys mean a lot to me. You’ve given me the opportunity to be able to do what I love doing in a country I adore. Cetacean made it possible for me to achieve most of my ambitions.
