Taste Test: Troy Pierce

Taste Test: Troy Pierce

14 November, 2011 | 6.16AM

• Written by: Beatportal
• Filed under: Music News: items & things, taste test, troy pierce

We were thrilled when the enigmatic Troy Pierce agreed to take our Taste Test questionnaire. The longtime Minus signee, who recently broke out with his colleagues Magda and Marc Houle to relaunch Items & Things, has long been minimal’s international man of mystery—a black-clad cipher capable of inflecting serious chills on the dance floor.

Read on to find out which metal album was his first record purchase, which diminutive Minneapolis R&B musician is a long-time obsession, and which member of Duran Duran was his favorite… And don’t miss Pierce’s new ”VoodooVoodoo” EP for Items & Things, featuring three blinding original tracks plus remixes from Dead Seal, Danny Benedettini, and Les Freres Royales.

What was the first record you remember having as a child?

AC/DC – Back in Black. I remember wanting Kiss’ Double Platinum really bad, but I think my dad wouldn’t let me buy it. I also remember playing Blondie’s “The Tide Is High” a lot, but that was my mom’s.

What was the first record you bought with your own money?

No clue, Megadeath maybe…

Which style or genre of music was your first great love?

Prince, but as an artist and a genre. So… Shelia E, Vanity 6, Morris Day and the Time, the Modernaires, Andre Cymone and of course the Revolution.

What was the first concert/rave/club night that you ever attended, and what did you think at the time?

Concert: Journey, with my mom. I thought it was great.
Club night: Some crappy goth night in Dayton Ohio, I thought it was awful.
Rave: Warehouse/loft party in Cincinnati, Ohio with a then unknown (to me) Richie Rich (aka Richie Hawtin).

How have your musical tastes changed since you were a teenager?

My musical tastes have matured: I am more open to experimental sounds and less tolerant of mediocre ones. I actually listen more closely than I did when I was younger, but I think that’s a product of producing music and knowing more about production and sound design.

What was the last record (or MP3) you bought?

Alvo Noto – “Uni Rec” [Raster Noton].

How many tracks/records do you typically acquire every week—both promos & purchases?

Promos, too many to count, although the amount that gets to stay on my hard drive is very limited. Purchases, it really depends on how much down time I have to listen to stuff. Some weeks are more successful than others.

What format do you DJ with?

I use Traktor along with Ableton and Maschine.

What’s the last DJ set that really impressed you?

Chloe at the Wet Yourself party during Sonar. Mature and sophisticated dance music for adults. It was great.

What’s the last gig/party you attended where you weren’t also performing?

I don’t recall—I try not to loiter at the office.

Name your three favorite tracks at the moment:

HTRK – “Slo Glo”

Maetrik – almost every track he sends me!

Tomas More – “Scopic Drive (Roman Fluegel Remix)” [Correspondant]

Which track (by another musician) do you wish that you had made?

Alex Cortex, “Tubed” [Source] – the entire EP.

What’s your favorite record from this year that isn’t electronic dance music?

HTRK – Work (Work,Work) [Ghostly International].

Current reading or last good book read?

The 4-Hour Body. As the tagline boasts, an uncommon guide to rapid fat loss, incredible sex & becoming superhuman. Full of extremely interesting strategies on a multitude of topics including: how to prevent fat gain while binging (one of my faves) and how to produce 15-minute female orgasms.

Just Kids, by Patty Smith, about her and Robert Mapplethorpe. A heartbreaking love story.

Favorite smartphone app:

Tripit—useful!

Favorite video game:

Making music. I don’t play video games.

Favorite piece of gear:

I just got the Dave Smith/Roger Linn Tempest. It’s my favorite, because it’s the newest, and it gets the most attention at the moment because I haven’t mastered it yet.

Preferred headphones:

I just got these AIAIAI TMA-1 headphones. They are nice, simple, sound decent, look good…

Favorite clothing designer:

Secret.

Favorite city/country/club to perform in?

That’s so hard to just pick one. D-edge in Sao Paulo I really like, also Womb in Tokyo is amazing. I really like the City Fox parties in Zurich/Basel also.

Which actor would you want to play you in the biopic of your life?

Christian Bale (circa American Psycho) or Stephen Moyer (Bill from True Blood).

And if you were an actor, which musician would you want to play?

Nick Rhodes—circa “Girls on Film”!

Strangest thing you’ve ever eaten while on tour:

Baby soft shell turtle – In Osaka with my mom, we made a deal that we would eat anything that was put in front of us and ask what it was after we finished…

Strangest thing a fan has ever given you:

Words: “You are a God.”
Really? I play dance music… very strange. What do you say—"Thanks?" “Bless you?”

Frequent flyer survival tip:

Beat jetlag. No matter what, stay on the schedule of the time zone you are in. So do not take a nap at 4 in the afternoon your first day in Japan. I made that mistake once, and for the rest of the trip was up at 2am and tired at 5pm. Total nightmare. O.D. on coffee, get trashed… do whatever it takes to make it to your normal bedtime.

Also, Guadalajara airport has two great points of interest…
1. Two really good taco places
2. The best duty free selection of tequila I have ever seen.

Weirdest rumor you’ve ever heard about yourself:

I don’t read the tabloids.

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