D. Ramirez has achieved five top 20 hits, played on every continent. He was awarded Best Remix and Best Producer in DJ Magazine’s 2007 awards and 2006 saw him knighted as a Player Of The Year in iDJ. His remix of Bodyrox ‘Yeah Yeah’ scored him an Ivor Novello nomination while past exploits such as ‘Columbian Soul’, ‘Time Fades Away’, ‘Pleasure Me’ and ‘La Discotek’ have all achieved coveted Coolcuts and Buzz chart hotspots, championed by some of the biggest DJs in game. Hell, he’s even performed on Top Of Pops. We caught up with him before he plays Kinky Malinki at Proud 2 on March 10th.
There has been quite a gap since you last played for Kinky Malinki, over 10 years in fact, a lot has changed in house music in that time, you’ve even changed your ‘stage name’ and pretty much been responsible for creating a scene (the Bodyrox ‘Yeah Yeah’ remix spawning a million copycats and helping give birth to the Electro scene). What’s been your best and worst bits in the scene overthat time?
Yeah, I used to play for Kinky Malinki quite often when I was in a band called the Lisa Marie Experience. So I used to play there with a completely different style of music, it’s quite interesting that I get back there 10 years later. The best bit was being involved in creating that new sound, with Bodyrox and everything, but the worst bit was being copied really badly, to a point where everyone jumped on this sound, but weren’t quite able to do it well enough in my opinion and I think they ruined the whole Electro House scene. So for me it was a shame that electro house went so cheesy and commercial really. But then it happens with anything, anything good ends up getting killed basically, using dance music particularly as an example, you’ve seen all the different scenes come along, which are amazing and exciting to start with, but then they end up terrible, that’s why things come and then go out of fashion.
You were actually nominated for an Ivor Novello award for ‘Yeah Yeah’, what would you have said in your speech if you won? Would you have gone for the comedy routine or the weepy sincere approach?
Haha, I would have gone for the comedy routine I would think! I remember when I got an award for DJ Mag, for something like best British producer. I was thinking what am I gunna say? What do you do, get up there and start thanking your Mum or something like that?! So I just got up and said “thanks guys, what really I should have got an award for was best hair!”
You tweeted once about seeing Kelly Brook in some airport on your travels and being rather smitten. If you were a single man and you plucked up the courage to lay down your charm offensive, what would your opening line be?
I actually followed Kelly Brook around the airport, I was hiding behind pillars and stuff so I could look at her, I became quite stalkerish, I actually scared myself!! I don’t know what my opening line would have been? Actually you know what, I wouldn’t have got that far as I’d have been to shit scared to go and talk to her!
I think it’s safe to say you’re a bit of music tech nerd. Being so knowledgeable who do you go to for a music tech geek out?
I guess I just generally just hang out with other producers really. There’s people like Steve Mac, who’s a proper tech geek and I’ve just been in the studio with Alex Metric, and he’s another one! And then I’m always looking online looking for stuff, anytime I want to learn something about anything new I go to a site called http://www.macprovideo.com, there’s another like minded geek on there called Steve Hitch, who describes how new things work on there. But yeah it’s proper geeky, its not stuff you can have conversations with normal people about, you have to pick your audience wisely. 🙂
Being a bit of a geek myself, I realise that people aren’t normally a geek on just the one subject, so what else do you have a penchant for?
Haha, brilliant, you know what it has to be: Hair – I was a Vidal Sassoon trained hair dresser for 10 years of my life, so yeah I’m still quite passionate about that
We’ve got to ask, as you say, you have a very well maintained head of hair. Do you use hair straighteners? If so it’s a shame we’ve not got any Kinky Malinki branded mini-straighteners left, they would’ve been perfect for you being on the road.
(More laughing) I do get asked that question quite a lot, but fortunately I don’t need to use them as my hair’s dead straight anyway…not to say that I haven’t used them of course, but I’m not currently packing any at the minute!
You’ve been quoted as saying “I don’t feel comfortable with commerciality…When people start expecting certain things of me I tend to back away”. A refreshing stance in a world where once respected DJ/Producers are now Popstars and rinsing every penny they can whilst leaving their integrity firmly in the past.What is it that you don’t feel comfortable about exactly?
Well, I was having this conversation with a friend of mine and I was saying “people like David Guetta have gone cheesy, they’ve sold out”. But my friend turned around and said “You know what, rather than looking at it like that, why don’t you look at it like; they’re just cashing in”. And I thought, yeah that’s an interesting way of looking at it.
But the thing is about me, it’s just that I hate anything cheesy or anything that becomes naff, or commercialized, like when a scene gets watered down. I like to move things forward rather than taking a step back. It goes back to that first question, when I did that whole Bodyrox thing, it got so copied and so watered down, I just didn’t feel comfortable with it & just didn’t feel comfortable being in that scene any more. Some people said I’d made a bit of a mistake, but you know I just didn’t feel comfortable, I just wanted to move forward and push the boundaries a bit. There is one thing though, I know I will die poor (by not cashing in myself)!
LA is your “favourite pace on Earth”, what is it that attracts and interests you so much? Also am I right in saying that you too, are joining the other ever growing UK expat DJ contingent over there?
Yeah I am looking to move out there at one point, was going in January, but I just couldn’t get my shit together in time basically. I think what I like most about LA is first and foremost is the weather, it’s always nice, it’s never too hot, it’s never cold, it’s a beautiful day everyday. Also although it’s a big city, it doesn’t feel overly crammed, you can get around, you can drive and there’s lots to do and go to see. I think as well, one thing is everyone is there for the same reason, they’re there to make something of themselves, so you’ve got that energy there all the time. It’s not just like a sleepy town, like where I’m from, where everyone’s just living out their lives, people are go getters out there. There are like minded people to hook up with. It’s a fabulous place, great nightlife, really cool people… what’s not to like!!
Kinky Malinki
Saturday 10th March 2012
at Proud2, The 02, London
10pm – 7am
www.kinkymalinki.com
