Stacy Kidd Interview
'House 4 Life'

by Boogie McClarin | Published December 2006 | Features Archives

YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW his name, but you've definitely danced to his songs. Now, after a decade of production and a list of tracks long as my arm, there is a distinctive Stacy Kidd sound: soulful, balanced, a pounding vital beat that's sure to get you moving.

A lot of older hedz know him from his productions, and the new kids in the clubs were exposed to House at the raves of the mid- to late-'90s. Stacy was one of those House DJs that worked the late rave scene and exposed kids under 21 to soulful Chicago House, keeping the sound alive.

He's traveled to almost every state in the country and around the world exposing people of all cultures to House music. Now he's finally getting his due. Like his primary musical influence Paul Johnson, Stacy could fill two iPods with all of the unreleased EPs, remixes, dubs, and other tracks he's created over the years. Rather than keeping it privy to industry insiders, he's embarked on an ambitious project to release his entire catalog of music on traxsource.com.

Set to play in Orlando, Florida for New Years and with a tour of Europe and Australia ready to get underway, Stacy took time away from the studio to share with us the reasons why you need to know his name.

STACY KIDD: Well, when it comes to tracks, my sound has always been the same - I try to really make things soulful. Paul taught me to be versatile. He taught me to get into different styles but to always keep it at a certain level. No matter if it's your disco house, your funky filter house or whatever. I know some cats who were doing what they were doing to get where there were and then flipped the switch and their sound isn't the same anymore, so they lost their following. Me, I've always had the same sound and so I've been able to keep my good following.

5: One of the things that I love about your tracks, like "Jazzy Days", is that they are balanced, never too loungey or phony and always with a certain kind of kick that moves me to dance. Without labeling your music or putting a specific label on the variety of House you make, which can be stifling and misleading, how do you know a track is ready for the world to hear? What do you listen for in a track that let's you know it is done but not overdone?

STACY: You never really know because, to this day, there are tracks that I did three or four years ago and I still think of different things I wanted to put in but I just never did. With me, I started out making funky instrumental tracks and now I hear vocals, so I might go in the studio and do a remake of it...

5: Do you use live instruments to achieve that funky sound? If so, do you play the instruments?

STACY: Yeah, definitely, from the jazz piano to organ to guitar players. But usually I contract that out. Although on the last couple of tracks I did play a little harmonica and some of the keys.

5: So at least part of your skill is knowing how to use talent. What inspires you? For instance the track "Gotta Have House" samples a sacred anthem "Move Your Body" without losing any of the original soul and texture. Did you start out intending to bring a new flavor to a classic?

STACY: Actually I stumbled upon this loop, which most people think is one loop but it's two that I chopped up and put back together and all I could think was "gotta have house". Next thing you know, I threw that vocal in there and it was just hot!

5: Hot indeed - you know hot doesn't just describe you. It's also the track that got you named DJ Magazines one to watch. Did your career change after that sort of recognition?

STACY: It was cool. At the time I had three hot joints out - one with Tony Humphries, I had one on the Riviera label that was hitting the charts real big in France and the UK and I had the "Jammin'" track that Mark Farina had on his CD so it kind hooked me up and made people kind of look at me, since each one of those had it's own feel. But they were all soulful.

5: In addition to your production work, you have also been touring for over 10 years, going to almost every state and as far as Johannesburg, South Africa. You have toured both independently and more recently as part of the Chicago Sound Source artist roster. Has your sound changed at all from seeing so many different places? Do you notice anything different about touring with representation versus touring as an independent artist?

STACY: Touring never changed me because people don't realize that when a promoter books you, you get hired for your sound. I've seen people try to change their whole set for the crowd and it never works.

The thing with Dave and Adam [David Sabat and Adam Rivera of Chicago Sound Source], they really know where they want to see things go with the company. Most people don't know that I was the one that contacted Dave! A lot of people were like, "It's great they got you," but I contacted them.

I don't work with a lot of people - I've gotten burned before so I was always doing production, traveling, you know, by myself, without an agent or nothing. Just doing it. I would go out and a lot of times promoters would ask me if I could bring someone. Yeah, I knew a lot of people, but not on a level where I could bring them in, not like that. Now that I have a [music] family where everyone is dope, I can easily throw some names fast and bring them with. I'm real family oriented. I love having a family, being supported and supporting others.

5: But Chicago Sound Source is not your only musical family because in addition to your own company Underground Elements, you are also a part of the Masters At Work family. How did that happen?

Page 1 | 2 | Next Page »

5 Magazine is supported in large part by the patronage of our readers. If you like what you see, consider subscribing to the 5 Magazine Digital Edition and receive the complete contents at the beginning of every month as well as access to members only stories for only $1.50 per month!