“There will always be a market for vinyl. [People] have been talking about the death of vinyl since the 80s when CDs came out.”   –DJ Heather.

What is it about Chicago that seems to inspire a musical blurring of genre boundary lines? How does one city inspire such eclecticism and give the world such House masters as Mark Farina, Derrick Carter, DJ Sneak and Frankie Knuckles, to name but a few. Indeed, Chicago continues to be a beacon for eclectic, funky House just as San Francisco has been a spiritual home for Deep, soulful House.

While DJ Heather and many of her fellow Chicagoan DJs and Producers see the future of Dance music as being a melting pot of sounds and styles, it would be a mistake to call this a new trend or idea. “There’s a new interest now in being eclectic,” Heather says, “which I think is funny because we all are, really. People are more proud [of being eclectic] and saying ‘Yeah, I like rock and I’m black’ or ‘I’m not just a white chick, I really like Hip Hop.’ It’s a new-yet-not-new thing for people to feel comfortable like that. When I was growing up you listened to everything - NWA, Clash, Black Flag, they were all in the same category of listening to music.”

Heather grew up influenced by her baby-boomer parents and their collection of Rock, Funk, Soul and Disco records from artists such as The Beatles, Santana, The Jacksons and Joan Armatrading. “As a kid you get interested in what’s going on around you and that was a foundation for just a general interest in music,” she remembers. “I guess being an only child you look inward to find something that you’re really interested in; being able to put on a record and escape and explore with that record.”

“Then I just kind of went from there to listening to local radio. I listened all the time- they would play stuff that I wouldn’t hear anywhere else. I was always surprised to find someone like-minded like me, I would never expect it.”

As Heather continued to form her own musical identity, she wandered down the seemingly inevitable road of the mixtape. While waitressing in a restaurant, someone heard one of these tapes and suggested she might enjoy DJing. “It was a low-key place to share you favorites with people. It was a few bucks and chance to get some free drinks and have some friends come by,” Heather recalls.

These beginning DJ experiences, which came in between jobs at record stores and record labels, surely served to fine-tune Heather’s ear to be prepared for any situation behind the decks. “You have to be prepared and know the tools you have to play with,” Heather explains of her DJing philosophy. “You also have to know the environment and the time of night you’re playing. There are so many elements involved that you have to try to cater to and there’s a lot of guess work and mind-reading. You’re there to do your thing but you can’t alienate people by being too much of an artist and saying ‘You have to listen to it this way’ or ‘you have to listen to me because I’m in control.’ You have to realize that it’s a party. So people who are into DJing are there as well as people just like to go out and have a good time.”

“Sometimes you think you know what to expect and you can be thrown for a loop,” she continues. “The idea of being ready for anything is part of my philosophy that comes from playing in situations where it’s not peak time, or even playing from opening to closing and being responsible for music from 10pm until 4AM.”

Heather has recently begun her foray into studio work, collaborating with and bringing her smooth, laid-back vocal delivery to productions with 2nd Shift, Fred Everything and fellow-Chicagoan Johnny Fiasco. 2005 also saw her launch her own record label, Black Cherry Recordings which released “Picture of You,” a collaboration with the East Coast Boogiemen.

“Collaborations are really fun for me because it’s a way to actually see how people work in their own environment,” Heather says. “Being a real stickler for my material, I don’t always feel comfortable about it, so it’s a way to finish a project by going from point A to B. It’s a confidence builder.”

“I’ve been surprised by some of the artists that have approached me; the outcome can be different than what I’ve expected which is cool,” Heather explains of the sometimes-unexpected connections that are discovered through collaborations with people from Chicago to California to Belgium. “With house music, people don’t necessarily like one particular form of it; you have deep, tech-y or vocal. There’s so many different colors to it and so many different possibilities to make different sounds within the 4/4 structure. But it’s all like-minded individuals who are trying to do the same thing- make music and have fun.” Heather does not see many differences dividing her DJ work from her studio efforts. She is, in fact, building her production career in similar ways as her DJ career. “When you’re mixing records in a live element, you’re hopefully creating a signature beat or sound; the way you take out a record or bring one in using equalization, highlighting certain portions of the record with effects,” she says of her DJ work. “Hopefully from me you’ll hear not just Techy or Jackin’ tracks, hopefully

This philosophy suggests that Heather views DJing as a kind of live production. Her knowledge of on-the-spot sound engineering will surely continue to serve her will in a studio setting. “Some rooms sound better [than others], or the size accounts for what you’re able to do,” she says. “The size of the venue can dictate the sound – with a 2000 capacity room, you’ll be broader with your strokes so people can understand what you’re trying to do. You’re literally trying to reach out to more people. Sometimes with a smaller room it lends itself to more intricate mixes or intricate sounds since it can be appreciated more. There’s more intimacy and closeness in that space.”

While many EDM artists have to DJ to promote their productions, and continue producing to stay vital as a DJ, Heather has for the most part been an exception to that rule, being known largely for her relentless DJing. “I don’t really have a stamp of my own production sound,” she recognizes. “That’s the bridge I’m trying to cross right now.”

It’s no secret the challenge that many House producers are facing these days. With shelf life for new releases becoming shorter, Heather notes that producers and labels are holding back more new releases, waiting for the right time to surround a track with the right amount of buzz and hype in hopes of avoiding new tracks being leaked prior to release.

"It helps and hurts at the same time," she says of the burgeoning role technology and digital media plays. "MP3s can turn into CDs or they can just stay as MP3s getting played immediately. But there will always be a market for vinyl. They’ve been talking about the death of vinyl since the 80s when CDs came out. With underground house music if it’s a completely amazing hot record, even if it’s been available as an MP3, if you have 2000 copies pressed, 2000 copies will sell, Once it's gone, people aren’t really going back to particular records anymore, you need to move on.”

The attitude of instant gratification and always looking for the next thing is something that has become prevalent across all genres of music. Heather also notes that, in some ways, it has sped up the progression of House and Dance music. She points to the fact that House is not the in the forefront of the music scene as it was in the late 90s.

“The main focus for clubs back in the 90s was the House parties and Trance parties on Fridays and Saturdays. In the last 3 or 4 years it’s been the reverse. All of a sudden Hip Hop is popular culture. I used to play Hip-Hop as an off night on Wednesdays with 500 people. But now these club owners who opened clubs based on their interest in House and Club music now have to cater that [Hip Hop] crowd in order to keep their doors open and continue to showcase the House music they love.”

Like many other fans and participants, Heather’s position is not one-sided. “It’s a perpetual change, which is good,” she concedes. “If House music wasn’t in this state of affairs, we wouldn’t still be talking about and people wouldn’t be making music. Right now it’s still going strong, but it’s also trying to find its voice.”

Interview and words by Alex R. Mayer

Many thanks to DJ Heather for taking the time speak with us, and to Shannon Bryan at APT Entertainment for arranging the interview. More information on DJ Heather can be found at http://www.ilovedjheather.com