|
 Chris Fortier has been around the scene since the early 90's and he has come a long way since his surfing days. He speaks to ivibes.nu about Fade, Balance 007 and other odds and ends.
Chris Fortier has come a long way since his surfing days in Florida, then his early deejay days in Florida, to starting the Balance Promotion Agency with Jimmy Van M, to his popularity exploding then to his Fade Label with Neil Kolo and then to where he is now. Fortier has come a long way and he is one of the American scene's elder statesmen, not to say that he is old but he's certainly been around and knows the scene very well. I:Vibes.nu talks to him about everything.
i:Vibes: Did you ever think you would end up running your own label, touring as a deejay and running your own promotion agency? and how do you find time for that and things like family?
A: I never set out to become a dj or anything like that. being a dj as a job wasnt a choice or a aspiration back then as it is today. i dont think
many people could fathom what would become of dj and club culture. i was a student in school and collected records and made tapes for myself and friends. there werent too many djs around at that time as well so my tapes would do the rounds and be traded. that created a bit of a profile for me and one thing just led to another until a new club opening called me to be their resident. I didnt seek out being a dj or anything, i was (and still am) a music fan. all the things that spawned from my love of music were just
natural developments or visionary opportunities i recognized were there as things progressed. everything has been created and nurtured from the passion for the music and the obsession for things new and also helping create something long lasting. as for family, being involved with so many different things does pose a problem in that regard. but i think i manage my time well and put my full effort into everything, including the most important things of family. that and that i have an incredibly supportive and understanding wife.
i:Vibes: What would you be doing today if you were not deejaying?
A: probably surfing everyday and working in the surf industry. that was, what I thought was my original path. I was a competitive surfer growing up and was surfing in various places around the world. I had thought I would be
doing that in some professional capacity and also starting my own clothing company from that. but I discovered house music and djing and as I was leaving high school, the 2 passions were fighting it out for my attention. Music won, for now that is I guess.
i:Vibes: Do you find it hard to cope at times because people like to worship deejays?
A: there are sometimes when it can be too much, especially if you are out at night, and not djing. just trying to enjoy yourself in a club or bar and people start coming up for photos and things, but it is ok. as I said, I am
not a football star or whatever, so I can be fine usually walking down the street without any problems at all. it is just in clubs where it happens. it comes with the territory and i am always thankful for people who like my music.
i:Vibes: Do you find yourself looking for lesser known talent and lesser known records, you seem to enjoy finding it? Do you think you will ever stop?
A: searching out new and fresh music no matter if the artists are established or brand new has always been a focus. i dont see that ever going
away. young artists and new talent are generally ones who are pushing the envolope and cross barriers first. i enjoy the hunt for great music as much as playing it.
i:Vibes: Since you are constanly pushing new artists with Fade. Who's the next big artist in your opinion and why?
A: think this guy called royal sapien is very talented and has a wide scope of influences, so i think he will someone to watch. also derek howell
is continuing to develop more and more. he isnt just some prog. kid. he is exploding with some new fresh sounds right now. well beyond the realm of what people know him for today.
i:Vibes: What's next for Fade and where do you and Neil want to take the label in the next 2-3 years
A: Neil doesnt have much to do with the label. he has always been a producer first, and also has his studio engineer work too. he does alot of
big time remixes for big artists now. We worked together as the recording artist, fade. the stuff he is doing on remixes would be like the stuff we used to do together, but he is doing it on his own now. He will have a solo album out next year as well. i handle the label and all its inner workings. I actually dont know where things will be in the next couple years. Just keep pushing forward to find fresh and exciting fusions of sound. I do know that I am trying to develop artists further now. Develop them into album artists and not just singles artist. That could be the future i guess?
i:Vibes: What was the process like for compiling and eventually putting together Balance 007? How long did it take, what were the ups and downs? Are you satisfied with it or do you feel there is more you can do?
A: I started pulling and hunting for music about this time last year. I basically searched my entire record collection hoping to find some special
and unique forgotten tunes. Put them to a pile along with all the new music I had been getting and playing out. really started digging deep into certain labels and artists, experimenting some with things. Essentially amassing a provisional stack of music of about 500 tracks. then just started eliminating things that wouldnt work. Once I got down to a manageable couple hundred, I started working out certain mixes and just kept working the pile down further and further. In that time, I kept up my record buying and hunting as well just in case I would discover something new, which I am sure I did. I just kept looking for the most perfect records that worked the best together. It was incredibly time consuming and difficult at times to stay focused when having to be so meticulous with the tracks. All the mixing itself took about 6-7 weeks. It was painstakingly difficult with some tracks. Trying to make them work. It took alot of sculpting to get the tracks into shape. I am incredibly proud and pleased with the final outcome. This is the best i could have possibly done. There was so much effort put
into every second and I really dont think I could have done anything different or better myself.
i:Vibes: Describe Balance 007 in less than 10 words
A: boundary-less, fresh, funky, exhilarating, satisfying, fun, me
i:Vibes: As someone who has been around the scene for a long time, do you think the scene is headed in a good or bad direction?
A: I think we are moving into a positive direction for sure. The music is spreading and getting to so many new places. That is great to see and
also great to be a part of. It is called growth. There will be somethings that dont go as well as others or as people would like, but you have to put the work in. Special things dont just happen for no reason. They are the byproduct of work and passion.
i:Vibes: So whats next for Chris Fortier?
A: My main focus for the rest of the year is still the tour for the album. That has been my focus all year and that will continue until january next
year. I am back in the studio alot though in between gigs, so there will be alot new tracks and remixes coming. I have a new ep called "downlow'd" coming out in august, so look for that soon too. and hopefully I will see as many new faces in the coming months on the road too.
i:Vibes.nu would like to thank Chris Fortier for taking time out of his busy schedule to do the interview. Balance 007 is out on Stomp now (3CDs!!!!).
|
![[i:Vibes]](i_pic/ivibes_new.jpg)
Frontpage
News
Reviews
Interviews
Party Reports
Artist Profiles
Label profiles
Diaries
What is...
Tutorials
Links
Radio-info
Forum
Chat
User Stats
Crew-info
i:Vibes Info
Related Links
Tell a friend
