"The World As I See It" is an apt name for the new album from deep house producer Dennis Ferrer. With several hit underground club singles like "Son of Raw," "Underground is My Home," and "Church Lady," the album represents Dennis' singular vision and sound with a variety of musical influences – deep house, techno, and afro-rhythms. If you are a fan of his remixes of Fish Go Deep "Cure and the Cause," Martin Solveig "Jealousy," Glen Lewis "Life Everlasting," and Blaze featuring Barbara Tucker "Most Precious Love," you will definitely want to check out this incredible new CD.
DJ Ron:Slomowicz: I love your album and one thing I really like is that it's
all you. You wrote and produced most of it. What's your songwriting
style and how do you work on tracks?
Dennis Ferrer: There's really not a set method that I employ.
Normally it's either some beats I was working on or a general idea of
some keys and It just kind of comes together. Most of the time, I wake
up in the morning, tinkle, play around for a minute and then, all of a
sudden, boom, it's there.
RS:: So let's say for example your big hit "Church Lady." Was the
idea in your head to write about a church lady?
Dennis Ferrer: I didn't go about it thinking, let me write this
record about a church girl.. What really happened was I sat down and
started making some beats and the track started coming together. I
thought 'wouldn't it be cool if we could do some kind of tribute to
Nina Simone.' Nina Simone did a lot of bluesy stuff and told a lot of
stories like when she did "See Line Woman." I like stories in songs
instead of the straight up "I love you" songs. I started thinking
and singing like her because you've got to get in that kind of mood
and put your head where you think your direction is going. So I just
started humming this Nina Simone thing and 'church lady…' just came
together. It just comes together like that, you take an idea and you
just run with it.
RS:: Do you approach remixes the same way you approach the
original tracks on your album?
Dennis Ferrer: Yes. I think what a lot of people forget when they
remix a record is that it's not your record, but the whole idea of
that record is that you have to make whoever you're remixing sound
good. A remix isn't about the individual, its about the artist, so
you need to find a way to make it yours but not blow them out. The
approach I take... number one is that I'm going to make sure whoever
else is remixing this record looks bad. OK? Number two is that I'm
going to make it my own record and I'm going to act like it was mine
but I'm going to keep the focus on the artist.
RS:: Like for example, your mix of Fish Go Deep got a lot of
attention for you, especially among the US house guys. They heard
that and they were like 'oh my God, the record's amazing.'
Dennis Ferrer: Oh man. It's kind of weird because that tune has
really brought a lot of people together and the average Joes and Jills
got into it. You've got to remember there was the "Son of Raw,"
"Sandcastles," "The Breeze," and a long line of these records and it
was just that it was the right place at the right time. It's very
difficult to explain, but it just took off. I don't know but I was
kind of shocked.
RS:: Last year when I was at the Amsterdam Dance Event
interviewing Martin Solveig, he just kept singing your praises like
you were the next God or something.
Dennis Ferrer: Me and Martin go back. We all came from that same
school with Martin Solveig, Gregory, John Cutler - we were kind of
like the generation X of house. It's really good to see all of us
doing our thing and doing it well.
RS:: You also remixed "Most Precious Love," which some people say
is like a modern day classic.
Dennis Ferrer: It's weird because I don't go in to the studio saying
I'm going to make a hit. My biggest thing was I always wanted to make
records for girls. There's a time to make records for your friends or
for the heads, and there's a time to make records for girls. If I can
get the girls on the dance floor then, the guys are just going to
follow any damn way. So that's my direction. Does this sound good
and would the girls sing along? Then yes, boom, done, wrap, it's a
big record.
