Afro Acid
DJ Pierre has been taking the roof off the Discoteca at We Love… for the past 2 years. His high energy blend of afro acid, electro and techno has been honed over an expansive career, at the origins of which the creation of acid house can be accredited. A serendipitous mishap with a roland 303 led to Acid Trax, which led to acid house, which led to We Love , which led us to this interview; and for that Pierre, we thank you.
Is there one book that you have read that has been life-changing for you?
I’ve read many many books. Mostly science fiction (I don’t dress up or anything or go to conventions but I admit that I’m a Trekkie) or I read books about interesting movies or important people. But I’d have to say that the most important book and the book that has had the biggest impact on my life is the Bible. I believe in GOD, I’m a Christian and a true follower.
Did your parents encourage you to work in music?
My parents always encouraged me in most anything I wanted to do. They actually were the ones who led me to discover my love of music. My mom always played music like Joe Tex “Do The Huckle Buck” which was one of my favorite songs as a 4 year old. I used to dance and jump around like crazy! My dad would play Count Bassie or John Coltrain while I would beat on boxes and pots and pans. They even bought me my 1st decks, amp, and speakers! Only problem was that when I had got my 1st gig and I was trying to take them out of the house to setup for the gig my father said “Boy where are you going with those turn tables!” “I said I need them for my gig.” He then said “Well you can only take one. The other one stays here! We may need it” Then I went to get my amp and speakers and my father said “Pierre, put that stuff back. The only thing that you can take out of this house is the one turn table that’s yours and your mixer!” So actually come to think of it, my parents bought themselves a DJ setup. All I got was one turn table and a mixer!
How did you begin to work professionally in music?
Well my 1st paid gigs were these pool parties and Barn parties that I did in my teens. Yes I did say “Barn” parties. It was the big barn on this farm that we used to throw parties in and we called the venue “Da Barn”. It seemed normal then but as I look back on it it seems really “Country” as we say in America. But what I truly would consider my 1st professional gig would have to be the gig that Lil Louis booked me for at the Bismark Pavilion downtown Chicago. I played for 6,000 people and up to that point the biggest crowd I played for was to about 200 people. I was supposed to play for 2 hours but ended up playing for 6! I never played for more than an hour before that!! I was playing the B sides of all my records, I was playing joints off of cassette tapes as I had a pitch control cassette deck that I had borrowed to play my new tracks and those hard to find disco classics with hott edit mixes on them that I did. I can tell you one thing about that night, the people were going crazy and they had to pull me off the decks because I couldn’t get enough!
How do you apply your past experiences to what you do today?
My family was a music family. My father played the clarinet, my sister and brother played the trombone, and me and my oldest brother also played the clarinet. The star of the family was my name sake, his name was also Nathaniel (that’s my 1st name) but he was called Nat. He played with jazz great Duke Ellington on one of his albums. So doing music was quite normal in my family. I think I ended up being a dj because as a young kid I stumble upon pause button editing while recording music off of the radio. For those that don’t know pause button editing is when you use the pause button on a cassette recorder to to edit parts on a track to chance how the progression of the music went. I would mostly extend breaks, change where the chorus would come in or create an instrumental part where none existed. I got so good that I was able to take the instrumental and add certain verse parts or just a word in here and there, in and out and it would sound like it was mixed that way originally! So I would say that this was the main experience that planted the seed that led me to djing. As far as producing, that was all Spanky from the group Phuture’s idea! Before he came to me with the whole dream of making music the thought never crossed my mind! So I thank him for that.
Where is your current studio and what is it like?
For many years I had my studio outside of my home, but now since I’ve just moved to Atlanta I’m trying it in my home until I find a suitable place elsewhere. So far I have to admit that I do like having my studio just a few steps away! I mostly do all my programing on Reason and all my recording on another propellerhead program called Record. I also have my DJ setup in the studio as well so I can do my weekly sets for my radio show Afro Acid Live on www.pushfm.com; So besides my digital mixing board and focusrite mic pre there is nothing really more to my studio. I do have a special weapon that I use to create my music with.You know what it is? My mind.
'IT'S GONNA BE BOMBS GOING OFF, -BOOM-BOOM- MISSLES FLYING!'
How much have you had to consider marketing issues since embarking on your career and how has that affected your creativity?
Well I’ve always been good at marketing and selling myself. Even starting out I convinced the small town I lived in to throw parties through out the year so that I would have gigs. I was good at coming up with interesting names and group concepts to help sell records or create interest in my projects. In 1987 I wrote a track called Fantasy Girl with “Felix The House Cat” (His 1st track) and I made up the group name Pierre’s Phantasy Club. So what I did to promote the release was take auditions for Phantasy girls. My plan was to have these girls walk in with me to all my gigs looking sexy in clothing that read “Phantasy Girls”. It worked out beautifully! The Phantasy girls even did special appearances at other events that I wasn’t even booked at!!! All the girls and Chicago wanted to be a Phantasy girl and soon you would spot girls all around the city with their own custom made Phantasy Girl fitted T shirts!
Now that’s how far I went to promote a record, so let me tell you how I sell a record. In 1993 I came up with the idea for my track ATOM BOMB: (DJ Pierre’s Doomsday Project) I was really into comic books and at the time and I heard about this DC comics character called “Doomsday” who killed Super Man. When I finished reading the 10 or 15 comics that it took to finally get to the end I was like “Yo this Doomsday cat ain’t no joke!” i kept thinking about how fierce he was, then out of nowhere “DJ Pierre’s Doomsday Project” popped in my head! I was like Yo, datz gonna be crazy! So I went to London to Guerilla Records without even making the track yet and met with the owner/a&r and told him “DJ PIERRE’S DOOMSDAY PROJECT!” His eyes went wide, then I said “IT’S GONNA BE BOMBS GOING OFF, -BOOM-BOOM- MISSLES FLYING! -EEEERRRRRRRR- AND SIRENS BLAZING! – WHUP WHUP WHUP ” Then I said “ATOM BOMB!” “DJ PIERRE’S DOOMSDAY PROJECT!!!!” By this time he was up out of his seat saying “I want it! I want it!, When can I have it!” I said “Put me in the studio and I’ll make it!” Also that will be $5,000 please…”Cash!” Then I looked over at Felix Da Housecat and and Roy Davis Jr (I took them to Europe with me) and I give them a wink and a smile. Outside the building I said “Now that’s how it’s done.” Needless to say, the track was one of the biggest on his label and of that year in the scene. So marketing yourself is also selling yourself and your ideas. On the same trip I was doing a cover for Echo magazine and I said to them, “Yo these two Cat’s with me are my proteges. You better snap them now so that you can be known as the 1st to have them in print because they are about to blow up!” They put them in the mag as well with pics and an interview!! Felix and Roy’s 1st feature is a wrap!!
Fast forward to 2010!! Right now I’m doing the Afro Acid thing. My logo is the yellow Acid smiley with an afro on top, with an afro pick in the hair that has a peace sign. I said to myself, I’m going to market this thing everywhere I go. So what did I do, I took my braids out and started wearing an afro. People was like “wassup with the afro?” I just say “Afro Acid baby!” Now when I through Afro Acid events on some of them the staff will buy wigs and wear afros! Now people are loving my afro! It’s become my new image. In this game to stay relevant and on top you have to keep recreating yourself and never stop marketing yourself and continue updating your style.
How would you describe your work?
My work is like a blueprint of my mind. It’s beautiful, strong, spiritual, and emotional. Sometimes up lifting and sometime deep & focused. But one thing about my music that is consistent, my music is full of life. My muzik is my life. For me, muzik is Life.
Who were your teachers?
GOD. JESUS, My parents, my brother Billy, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Ron Hardy, Marshall Jefferson, Lil Louis, Spanky, The Hot Mix 5, Jazz, R & B, Funk, Soul, Pop, Reggae, Rap/ Hip-Hop, Rock, House, Disco, Euro electronic music of the 80′s, 80′s Electro, & The World!
Your home is burgled but fortunately the culprits are caught and your possessions returned to you. What would you deem a suitable punishment for the burglars?
I’m sorry but I don’t have a cheeky answer for this question. Anyone breaking in someone’s home has got to go down hard! I would take it personally if it where to happen to me. They would have to get some jail time. Whatever the courts decide.
You have to make one species of animal extinct. Excluding insects, which species would you make extinct?
ROACHES!! I didn’t grow up with them but I’ve been to people’s houses who had em! They serve no good purpose.
If you could spend one week in any period of history, which period would you choose?
The 60′s. It would be scary because of all of the in your face racism, but I would have loved to be a part of the civil rights fight that led to change. The change that has led to the USA having it’s 1st black President in Barack Obama. Yea I would have loved to have been a part of that….but you know what, it’s still cool to be alive today to see a part of Dr Martin Luther King’s dream come true as well.
