Chez Damier speaks on the early UK scene

The veteran producer sits down to discuss on camera his first experiences of London clubbing ("we did about six clubs in one night") and why he doesn't know what techno is.



Simmer present Chez Damier from Simmer London on Vimeo.

Q & A with Kai Alce of NDATL Muzik

BY 

BIANCA VON BAUM

“Deep House” is a widely used, even abused term – and needless to say it usually means different things to different people. For some, the pounding New Jersey warehouse four-to-floor with fat basslines, while for others it might signify the raw, minimalist grooves found on Hamburg’s Laid imprint. For NDATL Muzik boss, Kai Alce Deep House is neither here nor there – it’s all one and the same as long as it is seeped in soul, layered with raw textures and doesn’t steer too far from it’s vintage, Motor City roots.

So the story goes: Alce was born in NY where he lived to watch the Hip-Hop movement boom, then spent most of his adolescent years growing up in Detroit, experiencing the early days of the now-esteemed Music Institute parties, the breeding grounds where legends such as Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson first got their shine in the spotlight. And so it all makes sense then, that NDATL – along with Alce’s independent productions –  have kept this old school aesthetic fresh all these years.

After a hearty re-stock of NDATL Muzik titles late last year, we published a primer on the respected label, it’s reflective Music Institute 20th Anniversary series, and the man behind it all. Now four years since it’s inception, NDATL is still going strong offering release after release of exceptional deep House by the genre’s royal family, artists like Alton Miller, Omar S, and Abacus, to name a few. With the new year in full force, Alce is continuing his creative vision on a strong streak with releases lined up by deep House maestro, Patrice Scott, and collaborations with vocalists such as Robert Owens and Azulu Phantom.

Ahead of Alce’s guest appearance at the anticipated Discovery party this weekend along with cohort, Chez Damier, we reached out to the man of the moment for a litte tete-a-tete. Here, Alce reminisces about long (but not forgotten) record shops, his connection to Spain’s vibrant underground, and his inspirations beyond the music he helped define.

halcyon: First off, since this interview is around your February gig here, let’s start off by talking a little bit about New York. We know you were born here; does this city still hold a special place in your heart? Are there any particular parties/venues/record shops in NYC that have really stood out for you over the years?

Kai Alce: New York is, always has been & always will be a part of me & what I do. Being born there and [during my] first crucial part of growing up having been exposed to all the different cultures while being Haitian was worldly in itself. Venues: MARS, Red Zone, Nell’s, Sound Factory & SF Bar, Shelter. Records: Dance Tracks, Vinyl Mania, Rock & Soul, Downtown Records. Parties: Wild Pitch!
h: Respectable places, to say the least. Talk just a little bit about Detroit when you first got there and the Institute. We know you were working at the club at a very tender age, but were you DJing/ making music then? Or did that come after?

KA: No, just mastering my craft of DJing although I did some mixes of tracks back then that might have been up on the mixing board while hangin out at KMS Studios so I have some personal mixes of Inner City, Chez Damier & Derrick Carter & other various KMS productions.
h: What is the House scene like in ATL these days? What are the parties/venues that are really happening down there right now?

KA: Right now the coolest venue for me is The Sound Table which I currently have a monthly there called “DISTINCTIVE” some other  parties are Spreadlove, Tambor, Afrique Electrique which help to keep the ATL nightlife satisfied.

h: We want to know more about what’s going on with NDATL. We know you have Patrice Scott and Robert Owens coming up, that’s very exciting. Can you tell us more about those releases? What other releases coming up are you excited about?

KA: Well I’m extremely excited about the Robert Owens release. To able to remix a work by not only Robert but a creation by him and Larry Heard was an honor. I’m also excited to release new EPs by Brett Dancer, Founder of the classic label TrackMode, (who also coincidentally released my first 12″) and Damon Lamar of Tetrode fame. Another track with vocalist Azulu Phantom.
h: Right, that brings us to our next question – we’ve noticed the collaboration between you and another of our favorite Deep House labels, Deep Explorer, both with Alpha Revisited and the new release coming up with Azulu Phantom. How did you get hooked up with Dubbyman and the Spaniards? What’s your take on the Deep movement that’s been happening in Madrid for some time now?

KA: Yes, I released a 12″ with them a few years back and they wanted me to be a part their 25th release so I just thought of doing a cross label release which the orignal should be coming out soon on Deep Explorer while the NDATL release will come out later this year with remixes from Above Smoke and… they play deep house in Spain?? :)

h: Looking forward to those releases. Now, speaking of producing, indulge us with a little studio nerd talk for a moment. When you go into the studio, do you have an idea in mind or do you just go in and do what happens? Do you have a favorite piece of gear? Is there any software you’re excited about, or are you more of a hardware guy?

KA: If it’s a remix, yes sometimes I do. But when just creating, no I just turn ‘em on, drop a beat and see what happens. Favorite piece, the MPC then my Logic, newbie to the Mashine and [I have] my little hardware goodies to keep it analog.
h: Speaking of technology, what is your take on the Internet and what it’s done to/ for the music business and the state of vinyl? You don’t seem to be slowing down with pressing vinyl at all. What is your strategy in keeping the beloved format relevant?

KA: I mean what we do without the internet!? We’d be f@#$%d! But at the same time its really f*&^%ing us ‘cuz you can no longer control what you sell whether its music or media. From authors, to publishers, to newspapers to musicians to producers it has totally taken whatever control they once had on how to distribute their content and still make the same money. Just to put out things that are worth buying, the day of the average 4 tracker on vinyl is no longer enough. You gotta try your best to stand out not only amongst what’s out there on vinyl but also what’s out there in the digital world. And for those labels that do put out vinyl & digital try and keep something specific to each. So if the 12″ has the extended version then digital version contains an edited version but then an instrumental or dub whatever, but I don’t want to pay a hefty price for the vinyl & then it’s all available digital, [sadly].
h: Good answer, we  could go on and on ourselves about this. However, due to time constraints, let’s move on and talk about this Saturday’s party. You’re playing with Chez Damier at the Discovery party. It seems a very natural fit for you two to play together, given the history and your respective styles. Do you play together often, and if so, are there any memorable gigs together you’d like to share?

KA: We don’t play together too often but enough. One memorable time we were playing together was actually in New York at PS1 about 3 years ago. It was a great all day event.

h: What one thing, not related to House Music, brings you great happiness in life?

KA: My family and friends.

h: Obligatory top 5 records that never leave your bag.

KA: That’s tough here are a few that come to mind:

Bang The Party – Bang Bang You’re Mine
Larry Heard – Missing You
Gregory Porter – 1960 What?
Lil Louis – How I Feel
Blaze – Journey

Originally posted: https://halcyonline.com/2012/qa-kai-alce-of-ndatl-muzik/

This Weekends Activities

Simmer present Chez Damier (3hr Set) @ Basing House, Friday 27th.


Line Up


Chez Damier (Balance / Prescription)
Richard Adam b2b Josh Silver


Time: 10.00pm - 4.00am
Venue: Basing House/ 25 Kingsland Road, Shoreditch, E28AA
Cost: £5 Earlybird / £8 / £10 / £12 OTD






Nyumba Deep with Rancido(Nl) @ Plan B (Basement), Friday 27th.

Line Up

Rancido (Deep Journey, Offering & Nulu)
Leon Paul (Nyumba Deep)

DJ Tipz (Atjazz Recordings)
Aluku Rebels (QH Radio )
Jon Stuart (Nyumba Deep)

Time: 21:00pm - 04:00am

Venue: Plan B (Basement)  / 418 Brixton Road, London, SW9 7AY

Cost: £10 on the door or £8 Concession

Trouble Vision.2: Âme, Deetron (Balance Release Party) & More @ Corsica Studios, Saturday 28th

Line Up

Room 1
Âme [3 hour DJ set / Innervisions]
Deetron [Balance Launch Party / 3 hour DJ set]
Park Ranger [Trouble Vision]

Room 2 - hosted by tief
Session Victim [Retreat / Delusions Of Grandeur]
Nicholas [live / Quintessentials]
Casino Times [Anchor Factory]
Hesseltime [Tief]

Time: 23:00 - 07:00

Venue: Corsica Studios/ 5 Elephant Road. London SE17 1LB

Cost: £8-15

Move D & Floating Points @ Plastic People, Saturday 28th

Line Up

Move D
Floating Points

Time: 23:00 - 07:00

Venue: Plastic People/ 147-149 Curtain Road, EC2A 3QE

Cost: £8

This Weekends Activites

Chez Damier & Chris Duckenfield- 'The Idiots Are Winning' 1st Birthday @ Life, Friday 4th.

Line Up


Chez Damier, (Prescription / KMS / The Music Institute)
Chris Duckenfield, (Swag / Popular Peoples Front)
Louis Finch & Jake Manders (The Idiots Are Winning) 






Tiime: 10pm - 5am
Venue: Life/ 2-4 Old Street, EC1V 9AA
Cost: Tickets are £7 plus BF / Door tax is £7 before 12, £10 thereafter




Dirtybird, Swayzak Live and Kyle Hall @ fabric, Saturday 5th.

Line Up


Room One:
Dirtybird 
Claude Von Stroke 
Justin Martin 
Eats Everything 

Room Two:
Terry Francis 
Karotte 
Swayzak LIVE 

Room Three:
Craig Richards
Kyle Hall




Time: 11.00pm - 8.00am
Venue:  fabric/ 77a Charterhouse St, Clerkenwell, EC1M 3HN
Cost: £18/ £10 Students/fabricfirst

This Weekends Activities

Funky Zeit @ Secret Location, Friday 3rd June.

Line Up

Chez Damier

John Swing

Oli Low

Time: 11:00pm - 5:00am

Venue: TBA East London

Cost: £10/£15

Social Underground @ Basing House, Saturday 4th June.

Line Up

DJ ROMAIN (Nu Faze Records) NYC

SOULED (Fresh Minute Music)

SOL BROWN (Social Underground)

VINCENZO SIRACUSA (Drop)

Time: 10:00pm - 4:00am

Venue: Basing House, 25-27 Kingsland Road, Shoreditch, London, E2 8AA

Cost: £5 / £10

Tribe With Black Coffee @ The Abbey, Saturday 4th June.

Line Up

BLACK COFFEE
ZEPHERIN SAINT
Matt L-S
Kristel Morin

Time: 10:00pm - 6:00am

Venue: The Abbey, 30-33 The Minories, EC3N 1DD

Cost: £10 / £20 OTD

Chez Damier Interview

1.
From 1997 till 2004 you kept off the radar in terms of production and DJing, as your personal affairs had taken first priority. How did you keep yourself busy? Were you still actively tracking the industry’s trends?

First of all I have always had a corporate background so my life has always been split between what I called the real word and the artistic world, one having rules already in place and the other you get to make rules. Once I am into one or the other world then that is the only world that exist for me, so to answer if I kept my eye on the dance industry and trends doing this time the answer is no.

2. You’re responsible for some of the most classiest and sensual house music. The body of your work is an amalgamation of influences coming out from Detroit, New York and Chicago, yet you stay true to your own sound. Who were your mentors when you first got started? Did you start DJing before producing?

I humbly thank you for them powerful words, concerning which preceded the other I guess the both really started at the same time after growing up in Chicago apart from the House Most of my inspiration to play and music came from Frankie Knuckles, and the inspiration to pursue it came from Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, and Derrick may, and the motivation to give it my all came from, Dave Morales, Timmy Registford, Tony Humphries, Paul Simpson and Boyd Jarvis

3. IIt was easy to assume that you ran the Chez Music imprint, a common misconception perhaps? But after working on KMS with Kevin Saunderson, and Prescription with Ron Trent, you do in fact run Balance Alliance. Can you tell us a bit about your upcoming Chez Damier projects?

There are so many projects to hope for, completing a album, doing Live shows, and helping to develop new talent, these are on my desk at the moment, but with Chez things changes quite a bit, so who really knows until it happens.

4. You, Chris Carrier and Jeff K collaborated on a project called The Gathering and wound up with a little gem entitled, “In My System”. This was probably one of the biggest records to be released in 2010. How did this collective come about? Did you anticipate this record to be as widely received as it did?

I was spending a a month in Paris and Jef a longtime friend wanted to do a project and so he introduced me to Chris and we all agreed on doing this project, I stared the track , just tracks at the time and left it with Jef and Chris to work on when it was time for all of us to do the session we wanted to write a hook to it and that was it. I have been producing music for 22 years so you never anticipate what a record will do, so this was just a collected project that we were doing, I am always happy when the world agree with something I have done or been a part of, so to really be honest I do what I do, feel what I feel and if people like it, then it’s a good reward in the end, but this is and have never been why I do music. Chris and I have stared on the follow up , we are expecting nothing.

Chez Damier looks into 2011

While Chez Damier was preparing to head in to the studio in Paris as part of his European tour, Giles Smith caught up with the man himself to talk about the follow up to “The Gathering”, his early days going out in New York and the influence that The Sound Factory had on him and his partner Ron Trent’s music, as well as Chez sharing some of his soul food tips! Read this exclusive interview as he reveals details about his 2011 plans for the very first time. Chez will be in London at the end of this month as he headlines the secretsundaze NYE bash at The Red Gallery in Shoreditch.



1. How has the last year been for you touring again? How have things changed and can you tell us about any highlights or funny stories?

I have to honestly say that I have been so touched by all the gigs I have done over the last year. There’s just been a really positive reaction to me being back on the road and that’s quite overwhelming. There was this one particularly special story for me in Milan where a disabled guy with only one leg in a wheelchair forced his way to the front on a very busy dancefloor. He was basically going crazy in his chair and as odd as it may seem this bought a tear to my eye as he grabbed my attention and was totally losing it!

2. Did you know that there is now an act called Morning Factory? How do you feel about that?

No I didn't know that. I think it's inspiring that someone has named themselves after something we made so long ago.

3. Can you tell us the story about Morning Factory and where the name came from?

The name came about as Ron and I had been on a club pilgrimage to The Sound Factory in New York where Junior Vasquez would spin. We were just partying and looking for inspiration. It was the first time I had taken Ron. It had been an amazing morning. We flew back to Detroit the next day. We were living together at that time and had the studio at home and we were so inspired by what we had heard we started to work on this track. We got stuck in a hypnotic loop and the track was designed to be something we ideally wanted to hear Junior play late in the morning of a great set. After finishing the track we kinda had a feeling that we were onto something special but it was confirmed right before our eyes when we gave it to a DJ called Troy Parish, who while playing live in a club, remixed it on the spot, looping it and mixing tracks over it and we saw the crowd go completely crazy.

4. What have you got coming up in 2011?

I am really excited to release my first LP on the Mojuba imprint. Mojuba are releasing all my original productions and some re-releases whereas Balance is a conduit for other artists that I like and want to support.




5. You are currently in Paris to play and are also making some studio time to continue where you left off with The Gathering, “In My System”, the track you co-wrote and did vocals for with Jeff K and Chris Carrier. Can you tell us about this?

Well we didn’t want to repeat “In My System” and this one definitely has a more 80’s electro feel. We are also working with another female vocalist on this.

6. You compared cooking to making music if I am not mistaken. Can you tell us you're favourite recipe?

In most soul cooking we don't measure by measurement we measure by eyesight and feel baby! So much of good cooking is done on feeling not exact measurements and yes this is exactly my approach to making music too. Being in the hotel now I can’t describe to you how I would concoct up a delight but if you were at my house I would show you how to make my meaty mushroom lasagna!