Cevin Fisher Interview

Cevin Fisher Interview

21 October, 2008 | 1.25PM

• Written by: housemeister
• Filed under: Music News: cevin fisher

After causing quite a stir with the re-release of ‘You Got Me Burning Up’ featuring Loleatta Holloway, we caught up with renowned house producer Cevin Fisher.

The newly released version features a stack of new mixes by Prok & Fitch, DJ Chus & D-Formation, Raul Rincon, Rubberman, Sharp & Smooth, Scott Lummes, Tim Davison, Triple D, and Nyan Narine.

You’ve been in the music business for many years, with roots in legendary clubs like Zanzibar and producing under names such as Sunday School (1995) on Strictly Rhythm and for labels like Maxi Records. How would you compare the business now to when your first record was signed?

First off, you didn’t have too many people making records at home, and one-man bands we’re very rare.

There was also record shops in NYC like Eightball, Satellite, and Vinylmania, where you could mingle with all of the DJs and talk about the latest hot tracks.

There was also a lot more remix work out there at the indie level and the major labels.

During that time you had worked at Arthur Bakers’s Shakedown Studios. What was it like working under such a master of the craft?

I learned a lot working with Baker.

We did a lot together, I was in one of his bands called the Criminal Element Orchestra, and we were badass.

We shot some videos in NY and LA, and I got a chance to work with Arthur on some serious projects like Quincy Jones and Chaka Khan.

I used to watch how he would put samples together and arrange his productions and I was always impressed.

It was Danny Tenaglia who convinced you to start producing original records. What held you back from doing this before?

Thank God for Danny T.

Before we had that magical conversation, I was always worried about the sound.

I knew I had some great ideas, but what held me back was trying to find the confidence to submit masters out of my studio. 

I was so used to working with engineers who really knew how to mix, so it took me a while to believe that my mixes out of my home studio could work in the clubs and get played.

You went on to produce tracks like ‘The Freaks Come Out’ (1998) which catapulted your career forward.

Yeah, ‘The Freaks...’ was done at my little studio in the New Yorker Hotel. It was a tiny little one-room studio. 

Thanks to the guys at Subversive for doing such a great mastering job on that one. 

We’ve heard there are some new mixes of ‘The Freaks Come Out’ coming out soon. What can you tell us about these and the remixers involved?

We should be dropping some new mixes in early 2009. I have a couple of the remixes in now.

Theres a DC & JB mix which is slamming - I’ve been playing it out and I’m really happy with the remix .

There’s also a Darren Flecta Master Mix, which is on fire as well.

The remixes will be coming out on Subversive Records in the UK .

We’re still making decisions on a few more remixers, so I’ll keep you posted.

Regarding Loleatta Halloway’s ‘Love Sensation’, what was your inspiration to remix and flip such a classic artist and record like this into your own?

Loleatta Halloway was the inspiration without a doubt, I played the original when it came out, it’s a classic.

I heard every DJ in NYC play Loleatta in the clubs and on the radio.

She has an amazing voice—I met her once at Arthur Baker’s studio, and she can sing.

I used to play her acappella over tracks, but only if it was in the right key ...You cant f--- with Loleatta.

We have a current Beatport chart from you below, but what were some of your biggest records this year?

JR Disco ‘Music Was My First Love’, ‘What a Wonderful World’, ‘Happy People’, ‘Only You’, and ‘You Got Me Burning Up’ are a few.

What can we expect from Cevin Fisher in 2009?

I’ll be putting together a mix CD, DJ-ing at my residency at Pacha, NYC, touring, globe-trotting, world domination.

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