RS: You take a very multimedia approach to your music. How did the DVD behind-the-scenes project come about?
Chris: Yes I love promoting my music career in any way I can. I spend a lot of time keeping fans of Infect’ive upto date with what’s happening via my website http://www.chrisbrophy.co.uk/ which was just recently re-launched with a whole new look. It wasn’t a DVD we did actually, it was a promotional music video used to launch my site two years ago. I was working at Aloha Studios in California on Pepper’s song and the studio owner George decided to drive us both to Los Angeles in order to buy a new mixing console which was used at the 2002 Grammy Awards. The studio next to us at Aloha is the home of Mooncricket Films who came with us in order to meet up with some contacts and make a music video of me in Beverly Hills & Hollywood. It was the most memorable day and the video turned out great. You can watch it on the new chrisbrophy.co.uk site.
RS: In the studio, what software do you use? PC / Mac – Logic / Cubase / Protools etc?
Chris: I use a Commodore 64 running Pro 24! Just kidding, but I did use that at school seventeen years ago. Nowadays, I use Reason 2.5 on the PC. My friend Matt back home told me about this cool new software program which was a “virtual studio” and was unlike any other sequencing / music production software on the market. At the time I was an “outboard” kinda guy, seeing that I grew up using analogue mixing consoles and so forth, so the idea of doing everything on one PC didn’t appeal to me at all, even if I did have an interest in sampling, etc. I got the demo of Reason and was so blown away by what it could do and how simple it was to create professional quality music that I had to go and buy it. I do own Cubase but I never really have the need to use it because all vocal work in my remixes tend to be done in the U.S first and then sent over for me to embed into my backing track.
RS: Are you doing everything in the computer or do you use a lot of outboard gear?
Chris: Since I’ve been using Reason there has been no need for any outboard gear in my studio at home, other than a lovely crisp pair of Event 20/20’s courtesy of New York producer Giuseppe D. Thanks Pepe! All that fancy outboard stuff looks great as impressive if you’ve got people in and out of your studio all the time, but to be honest I just don’t have a lot of traffic passing through my studio and don’t have the need for it.
RS: What record or artist has been most inspirational to you?
Chris: Manchester’s very own 808 State inspired me to get into dance music when I heard “Pacific” in 1989. I loved what they did with that track. So simple, yet effective! I was their biggest fan buying all the singles / albums and seeing them live whenever I could. I was ecstatic when I got the opportunity to DJ on the same radio station as them in the mid 90’s, ‘Kiss 102’. From around 1996 I started following what Full Intention were doing and since that day have bought pretty much everything they’ve produced. I love their beats, their sounds, and the way in which they build and drop their tracks like every floor-filling dance tune should.
