EV:  What got you started in the music industry?

DR:  At a very early age I got into synthesizers and from that collecting studio gear. Eventually I had enough equipment to start making fully finished productions which I gave out to friends and later on started performing live. One of my friends at the time had some money which he'd got from an insurance claim and he very kindly agreed to 'lend' me the cash to get some white labels pressed onto vinyl. We had 500 pressed and from there that's when the interest from major labels started to happen -That was back in 1991.

 

EV:   What other odd jobs have you had over the years?

DR: I was originally trained as a ladies hairdresser and I did that for 10 years! I owned my own salon (which I sold to my partner who's now doing very well) but I always knew it wasn't what I wanted to do.

EV:   You've been described as single handedly defining the electrohouse sound and now big room techno, and have been known to take days tweaking sounds in your production.  What inspires you to make music? And when are you satisfied that the song you created is complete?

DR: The electrohouse sound was already happening before I started to do it so I don't think I can really take the credit for that. What I can take credit for though is being the first producer to bring it through to the masses. It was happening on an underground level way before I started but I guess it was the Bodyrox 'Yeah Yeah' remix that catapulted the whole thing to another level. As with everything that becomes popular though, it gets watered down to the point where it becomes a really bad version of how it started, that's when I wanted to move away. Techno as always been an interest of mine and it's what got me into dance music in the first place, so to be able to go back to that is amazing. My inspiration to make music has always been the technology, mainly synthesizers, so to be able to do this as a 'job' is something else - that's why I’m a tweaker! I'm never really satisfied with my stuff to be honest but there has to be a point where I say it's done otherwise I’d never be able to finish anything. I'm a nightmare in the studio for sure!

EV:   How long have u been producing music?

DR: I started to get into making music when I was about 13 and then professionally when I was 25 so all in all I’ve been producing music for 25 years! Wow, I’ve never worked that out before - that's scary!

 
EV:   Name the top 3 ways you use technology today, that wasn't available when u started producing.

 DR: First and foremost is the computer - back when I started I was using step sequencers and hardware sequencers to trigger analog synths, now it's all in the computer. Secondly it has to be the laptop computer, which has shaped the way I can make music on the move and also DJ with. Thirdly has to be the software that I use with the computer - Apple Logic Pro is the most advanced and forward thinking program I’ve ever used but that's not to say that music has improved - I actually think it's had a detrimental effect on the quality of music now because it's so easy to make music that anybody can do it.

 EV:   On AZULI's 'HEADLINERS' series, you had a 2 CD compilation that took the listener throughout the entire spectrum of electronic music from deep sounds to hard pounding techno.

DR:  Yes - that was my aim to make a CD which encompassed all the music I’m into. Also I wanted to make a compilation that had two definite sides to it and you could listen to either depending on your mood.

EV:   Always pushing the envelope, what do you have planned for this next year?

 DR:  This year I start my label Slave again and in March we have 'The Wired E.P' which is myself feat LDV. I'm also working alongside Mark Knight of Toolroom fame on another E.P, this time featuring the voice of Underworlds Karl Hyde. There will be more tracks featuring LDV on Slave and eventually I’d like to take the Slave brand into the clubs doing Slave nights where I can pick the DJ's I like. Remix wise I’m currently working on the new Dirty Vegas single called 'Changes' for Toolroom so look out for that coming out soon.

 
EV:  Which do you enjoy more, touring or studio time?

DR:  I really like the solitude of working in the studio but I think I’d go mad if I didn't get out on the road - so I guess I’d have to say I like them both equally as much.

EV:    How important are your dj tours to your career as a producer / or how are they intimately connected?

DR:  Firstly I get to road test my new productions which is invaluable because without feedback I’d just be guessing at what works on the dancefloor. Also I get to hear what other DJ's are doing, how they are working the crowds, which is sometimes a great inspiration. I think instinctively the two things are linked and it would be hard to do one without the other.

 EV:  What was your first, favorite band/artist?

 DR:  That's easy - I would have to say without doubt Kraftwerk

 
EV:   When you're looking for music to play and/or remix, what appeals to you?

DR:  I like tracks with a bit more to them for remixing and it always inspires me if there's some kind of vocal in there which I can work with. To DJ with I’m just interested in the groove as I like to mess with tracks while I’m spinning live. I like to stick acapellas on top of things and create my own breakdowns as I go along so really, I just need the groove.

EV:  Name 3 bands/artists that have influenced your music.

DR:  1 - Kraftwerk
2 - Depeche Mode
3 - Vince Clark/Yazoo

 
EV:   Who's your favorite top 40 artist?

 DR:  Phew - there aren't that many, I don't listen to new stuff! I guess at the moment I like The Kaiser Chiefs (they are from Leeds in the UK which is the town next to me)

 
EV:   Are there any artists that you'd like to collaborate with, or any up and coming artists that you have your eye on?

DR:  Yeah, I’ve always wanted to work with Vince Clark and maybe do a remix of one of his tracks as either Erasure or Yazoo. He's my all time favorite synth pop guy and for forever I’ve been intrigued as to how he gets those intricate melodies and rhythms going on - he's the don! As for new people I like to work with relatively unknown guys that are coming up through the ranks - currently I’m working on a project with a British DJ called Matt Tolfrey so watch out for that when it hits later.

BIO

Many moons have passed since our silver soldier first exploded onto the scene. Traversing the globe with his trusty laptop in tow, the roving Ramirez has dispensed his razor sharp productions to unassuming dancefloors with the precision of first class marksman. Whether he’s hidden behind devilish disguises such as The Lisa Marie Experience, Cordial, Finger Fest and Rambo, or performed as the man you know best as D Ramirez, Dean Marriot has achieved more than an entire legion of lesser DJs.

He’s achieved five top 20 hits, played on every continent and single handedly coined THAT electrohouse sound. He was awarded Best Remix and Best Producer in DJ Magazine’s 2007 awards and 2006 saw him knighted as a Player Of The Year in iDJ. His remix of Bodyrox ‘Yeah Yeah’ scored him an Ivor Novello nomination while past exploits such as ‘Columbian Soul’, ‘Time Fades Away’, ‘Pleasure Me’ and ‘La Discotek’ have all achieved coveted Coolcuts and Buzz chart hotspots, championed by some of the biggest DJs in game. Hell, our hero’s even performed on Top Of Pops.

You can experience a slice Dean’s latest development with ‘Headliners’, his exciting new mix album for Azuli. A double mix CD boasting slick sonic prowess, it showcases his skill in style. A head nod to his years as a hard working resident DJ where he’d play the whole night from 9pm to 5am, he moves gracefully from deliciously deep house to grunting, shunting techno, proving his talents as a DJ are just as sharp as they are in the studio. It’s a 360° trip around his dark and dangerous world. A world where the calm and serene can become an ugly affair at the flip of a switch.

Lurking in this murky techno world are Dean’s own new productions such as ‘Sheild’, ‘Reminder Of Jasper’, ‘Physiological Rhythm’ and ‘The Road Of Excess’. Lolloping grooves abound while shuffling rhythms pound; it’s an obvious lean towards techno, but there’s still that all important D Ramirez groove where sounds have been tweaked to perfection, resonating with a unique charm that’s often imitated but never bettered.