D. Ramirez is a pillar of the dance music community, and I had a chance to catch up with him for an exclusive interview. Enjoy!
 
Q: I read your bio in a few places online, but I didn’t gather much about the earliest stages of your dance music career. Can you tell me how it all got started and which artists influenced you in the beginning?
 
A: I’ve always been into electronic music. My influences were bands like Kraftwek, Depeche Mode, Yazoo, The Human League, etc. Their sounds inspired me to start making my own music and collecting synthesizers. I’ve been making music for 26 years now, and my first proper release came out in 1991. It was a track called “Candlelight” that I produced under the name Cordial. Back then, I had no money so a friend of mine decided to loan me enough cash to press up 500 white labels. I had to go to the pressing plant myself to pick them up, and I had to distribute them myself out of the back of my car. Also, I was going to a lot of clubs back then, and I would take the vinyl along with me to hand out to the DJs personally. The track started to get loads of play in the clubs, and off the back of that it got signed to a label. After that, I started releasing a track every month under various names until one day I was working with a DJ friend of mine called Neil Hinde, and we ended up sampling an old disco record by Musique called “Keep On Jumping.” The next thing we knew we were on Top of the Pops as The Lisa Marie Experience with the single “Keep on Jumping” at number 5 in the top 40!
 
Q: You’ve produced an abundance of acclaimed music for a wide range of labels. If you could direct a new listener to one piece of your work, what would it be and why?

A: My favorite piece of music that I’ve made is The D. Ramirez remix of Roger Sanchez’s “Lost.” I think the reason I like it so much is because it’s as near to perfection as I have ever been with a production; it’s a track I can listen to and just enjoy without thinking I could have done this better or that better.
 
Q: You’ve made a stylistic shift of late. What pushed you away from the electro house sound, and what pulled you toward the techier end of the spectrum?
 
A: Electro house was new and exciting when it first appeared on the scene a few years ago, and I fully embraced it. Hell, I think I even helped to pioneer it to some extent with my remix of Bodyrox “Yeah Yeah.” The problem was it became too commercial and watered down; everybody started to copy my sound, and there would be tracks in the charts that sounded like a bad version of what I was doing. I knew the electro house scene had died as far as I was concerned. Plus, I was getting more into minimal techno so it seemed a natural progression to start making the music that was influencing me. I’m just not comfortable with commerciality, so I had to do something underground for my own sanity.
 
Q: You also moved into a new studio recently. What motivated the move, and what were your top priorities in setting up the new digs?
 
A: Ahh that’s simple; I got thrown out of my old place because one of the guys wasn’t paying his rent, so I had no choice but to move!
 
Q: Are there any new pieces of gear (or maybe new in your arsenal) that you’re particularly enjoying at the moment?
 
A: I’m a real gear whore, so I’m always getting new stuff. I just installed Logic Pro 9, which is amazing! I also just bought Funkagenda’s Dave Smith Instruments Prophet 8, which is the Analogue synth I’ve been waiting for all my life, so fat and warm…mmm. I just got a load of new software, and my favorite piece without doubt has to be the Empherical Labs Fatso for the UAD2 card. It’s simply the best compressor, warmer, fhattener I’ve ever used!
 
Q: It’s always nice to get the perspective of someone on the outside looking in. What are your thoughts about the US dance music scene these days? How has your North American tour affected your perspective?
 
A: I’ve literally been through the birth and the succession of all the different forms of house music, and I remember back when house first came out. It was pioneered by the US, coming primarily from cities like Detroit and Chicago, but was heavily adopted by the UK, which then morphed into acid house and rave. The UK then seemed to carry the flag for dance, as the US seemed to get more into hip hop and R&B styles. Now, there seems to be a real shift, and when I play in the US, I feel a real excitement for the music again. There’s loads of really cool stuff coming from the US, and there are some really cool producers. I think now it’s shifting, and I feel there are some really exciting things coming in the future; I for one can’t wait!
 
Q: You’re a man who wears the hats of DJ, producer, and remixer. Which is your favorite, and which is the most challenging?
 
A: I can say hands down that I love to be in the studio, not that I don’t like DJ-ing. I just love to mess around with my toys, creating beats and messing with synths. What I like about DJ-ing though is the connection you get with the audience and the fact you can road test your tracks as soon as you’ve finished them. I think that producing and DJ-ing go hand in hand, and you can’t really do one without the other, especially these days. You don’t see many DJ’s who are just DJ’s now; it’s all about being able to do it all.

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