RS: Nice. When I hear soulful house, I always imagine the guy up there on the turntables, maybe a CD once in a while, and then I read in your bio that you're full-on laptop now.
Kerri Chandler: Well, that's not true really, I use a bit of everything. If it plays- I'm playing it, that's how I look at it. It can be anything from a reel to reel to a CD to a final scratch to vinyl, I could even use a cassette tape if you had a cassette deck. I've never limited myself to just playing one kind of format, and I'm a serious junkie when it comes to collecting turntables, altogether I have about thirty-six. In my house, I must have about forty thousand records here. The only reason I even take the computer with me is so I can have access to a lot of tracks that I don't normally have, and even then I don't play it direct from the computer, I use Final Scratch and stuff and then when I'm not using that I just use the records. I am also using the Pioneer DVDJ video turntables. I do video programming to go along with the music.
RS: So you're incorporating the DVD in addition to everything else you're doing?
Kerri Chandler: Yes, that's one part of it. I can actually play in the middle of a club with a virtual set up. There's a screen on the wall and I can actually walk out in the middle of the room and control everything from there. I bring a pair of cordless headphones with me, and there's a couple of instruments I use from the middle of the room and I can DJ with that.
You can see the turntables on the screens and I control all that stuff from there. Then there's another system that I use that I just built, it's a laser system and I can actually remix everything from lasers as I'm DJing out. There are eight beams that are put up and I'll sample stuff as the records are going live and I'll go back and I'll stand in front of the lasers and I'll remix it from there.
RS: How do the soulful house crowds react to you doing this kind of stuff?
Kerri Chandler: They have no idea what the hell it even is, half of this stuff, and they stand there with like their mouth open. It freaks them out for a minute because they don't know what they're looking at. Then once they understand it, they're wondering how I am doing it. A lot of people don't even believe it's even happening, like I've recorded it or something, but no, this is live.
I'll tell them go ahead, put your hand on one of the beams and sounds that comes up like drum sounds and remix parts and stuff. I actually did another version of my laser system where I have beam splitters and they go out to the back of the room and I'll ask if there is anybody who knows how to play percussion. Somebody will step up and break the beams and play percussion with the laser beams.
RS: Have you made any videos of your live performances?
Kerri Chandler: Go to YouTube.com and type my name in and there are a few videos up there.
RS: With Dreamgirls being so big again, have you brought back your Donna Giles remix?
Kerri Chandler: That's really funny. I didn't even think of that, that's a really good one. It didn't even occur to me.
RS: Is Bigga Sounds your own label?
Kerri Chandler: No, this is where the fun part comes in, that's actually Monique's new label. She just started it and "In the Morning" was the first release. That's what makes it really funny because we were joking around about it. I was sending parts to her, and she just sent it back to me and I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it yet - shop it or put it out or anything. She was thinking about starting a label, so I said why not, take it if you want it and you can do it. I'll do some more mixes on it and then it took off and I was really happy for her.
RS: You've worked with some of the best voices in house music - Zhana, Crystal Waters, Ultra Naté, Martha Wash, Robin S, is there anyone out there that you'd like to work with that you haven't yet?
Kerri Chandler: You know what the funny thing is, the one person that I really wanted to work with was Monique. If anything, I'd like to go around and work with everyone all over again.
RS: What would you like to say to all your fans out there?
Kerri Chandler: Oh God, thanks for keeping me around all these years. I can't imagine what I'd be doing if I wasn't doing house. I really appreciate everyone keeping me in their hearts and minds and on the dance floor. I just want to say thank you and happy New Year.
