About me
Background
Red D started listening to new beat and Belgian rave anthems around 1989 and slowly discovered the good stuff. Laurent Garnier's "Shot In The Dark" was the album that truly triggered the quest for knowledge. A quest that has led Red D to Chicago, Detroit, New York and back. An eternal love for the originators of these cities defines the sound of Red D. As the years progress Red D’s record collection and knowledge extend further into both past and future so in any given set you will hear tracks spanning the last 30 years of dance music. It goes without saying that as a dj Red D firmly believes that there are no boundaries in dance music, anything goes. If the time is right to drop a disco classic he’ll drop it, if a slice of Detroit techno fits the evening that’s what you’ll get, and if you like your classics you will rarely be disappointed. To Red D house is not about playing 125 bpm obscure records all night long, it’s about creating mad energy on the dance floor, it’s about making people dance.
Influences
As a dj Red D was and is influenced by people like Ron Hardy, Theo Parrish, and Laurent Garnier when he plays all-nighters at the Parisian hotspot The Rex Club. Heavily featured in Red D’s record collection are Kerri Chandler, Larry Heard, Carl Craig, Blake Baxter, Theo Parrish, Jovonn, Bohannon, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Gangstarr, Moodymann, Mike Dunn, etc.
Residencies and guest spots
Over the years Red D has brought his unique blend of music to various places in Belgium and beyond, with guest spots and regular stints in such Belgian clubs and parties as Decadance, Charlatan, Rendez-Fou, Culture Club, Silo, Café Capital and many others. Guest spots abroad include the infamous Café Vaaghuyzen in Amsterdam, China Lounge in Hamburg, Cabaret Voltaire in Edinburgh and the Construction nights in Birmingham. Red D is holding residencies in Decadance club in Ghent, Charlatan club, Sunnyside Up @ the infamous Silo Club in Leuven, Rendez-Fou and Clues.
In 2004 Red D was invited to play the ’10 Days Off’ festival in Ghent alongside Osunlade. In 2006 he was there again opening the proceedings for Theo Parrish and Carl Craig and in 2008 Red D feat Lady Linn closed the house Saturday, having Kerri Chandler join them to create some live keyboard magic. Over the years Red D has shared the decks with a variety of artists, including Jeff Mills, Dimitri From Paris, Derrick Carter, Charles Webster, Dennis Ferrer, Todd Terry, Theo Parrish, Carl Craig and countless other famous and less famous dj’s.
We Play House, Chicago Boogie & Sunday Matinee
Over the years Red D has set up any number of nights to bring those dj’s he really likes to the good people of Ghent. ‘We Play House’ is the name of the night Red D has organised for 5 years at Decadance. Past guests have included DJ Deep, Alton Miller, Charles Webster, Mike Grant, DJ Genesis, Tyree Cooper, Eddie ‘Flashin’ Fowlkes, Reggie Dokes, Scott Ferguson, Victor Simonelli, Dj Deep, Minx, Jack De Marseille, Boo Williams, Todd Sines and various Belgian top jocks like Fabrice Lig & Tomaz, testament to the variety and quality of Red D’s ‘We Play House’. The ‘We Play House’ night has finally led to the start of Red D’s newly formed label ‘We Play House Recordings’ and will be organized solely in function of new releases in the future.
In 2007 Red D started a new night at the brand new club ‘Make Up’ called ‘Chicago Boogie’. Together with Nathan & Wax’x he aims to go deeper and slower, bringing those people who can connect the roots of house with its future. This night will be continued in 2008 by Nathan & Wax’x who will still aim to bring good house music to you from the new home base Decadance. Red D will still be a resident at Chicago Boogie but has chosen to no longer organise the night.
In 2006 Red D took another chance and set up a Sunday afternoon / early evening party inspired by Body & Soul and Shelter in New York. The spirit might be that of the big apple but the music is definitely Chicago. The very first edition saw the very first Belgian performance of none other than Larry Heard, who was welcomed by an ecstatic crowd of well over 400 music lovers. Edition two and three featured Kenny Larkin and Ron Trent, creating more quality entertainment for the Sunday crowd. End of 2007 saw the last editon of the Sunday Matinee for now when Mike Dunn created havoc on a long overdue Belgian appearance.
Diesel-U-Music
In 2005 Red D’s participated in that year’s edition of Diesel-U-Music, the highly acclaimed and respected below-the-line music competition. He made it to the finals in the category ‘’Dance’ to end up winning it by unanimous decision. Previous winners of that competition include Mylo amongst others, and we all know what happened to him…
Red D featuring Lady Linn
Another project that has been getting a lot of attention is Red D featuring Lady Linn, the singer of Belgian jazzband Lady Linn and her Magnificent 7 and soul outfit Skeemz. Laying live vocals on top of existing tracks or creating new vocals on instrumental tracks, their performance is filled with energy and brings a live element to a dj set with great results. Red D & Lady Linn have recently produced their very first studio outing that will be released on ‘We Play House Recordings’ early November 2008. In 2006 Red D & Lady Lynn played 10 Days Off and various other festivals, often being the odd couple amongst traditional rock bands. The summer of 2008 marked their firm establishment on the scene with countless gigs including Feest In Het Park and a memorable appearance at Vlasmarkt / Charlatan.
Mixes & Productions
A move into production had been anticipated by a lot of people over the years, but it wasn’t until a meeting with his Colombian friend and musical prodigy Core that Red D decided it was time to give it a go. Early 2006 saw the release of Red D and Core’s first 12” on Detroit’s Ferris Park records. The EP is called ‘Champetu Heritage’ and features an African-influenced original with a killer Rhodes solo, it’s kinda like Jovonn and Fela Kuti met up and started doing something with a Theo Parrish beat. Next to the original there’s also an acid dub and two brilliant remixes by Ferris Park label owner Scott Ferguson. The track was used on MTV for a commercial of Belgian party organization Rendez-Fou. Early 2008 Red D released his second EP on Belgium’s Morse Records. The EP featured collaborations with Detroit’s Scott Ferguson and Ghent duo Telepaticos, with a jacking remix by Chicago’s Tyree Cooper thrown into the bargain. November 2008 will see the first studio work with Lady Linn, a remix of San Soda’s ‘20070505’ on Red D’s own imprint ‘We Play House Recordings’.
We Play House Recordings
With over 15 years of dj’ing experience Red D has developed an ear for quality. This could only lead to the start of his own label on which Red D wants to release the music he enjoys to play. The very first release was by San Soda, a friend and huge musical talent. The ‘San Soda presents…’ EP was an instant success with dj’s and music lovers all over the world. The limited vinyl-only release has found its way into the boxes of such dj’s like Ame, Laurent Garnier, Jimpster, Domu and many many more. The website www.weplayhouserecordings.com will provide you with more info and allow you a glimpse into the future.