PJ Pooterhoots: The interview

By Conan the Destroyhhher


Okay the name, PJ Pooterhoots may not sound familiar to ya, but I'm sure you may have heard one of his most popular tunes on the dancefloor aptly named "Liebe Meine Disko" either in its raw form or if you're one of those tech kids who frequent the Hype Machine, you may have heard a mash-up floating abouts in cyber land.

And to you trainspotters out there, "Liebe Meine Disko" is about 4 years old. In fact I can tell you that the first time I heard the name PJ Pooterhoots, it was on the now Infamous "How to Kill a DJ" mixtape from Optimo, which of course we did a review for a couple of months back.


In need of answers, I got to talk to PJ Pooterhoots in this exclusive interview done over 2 email messages.

(PJs answers will be in pink or purple....upon request)

But before that.......here is thy track you may have heard somewhere at a Auckland Discotheque


PJ Pooterhoots-"Liebe Meine Disko"


Disclaimer: The mp3 is set at a very low bitrate for preview purposes only! Buy the single from Beatport you cheap assholes!!!!





So how long have you been producing music for?



Ever since I got my grubby little paws on the Casio SK-1 in the mid 80's, I was sampling cat and human "trumpet" sounds for cassette release. But officially, the first vinyl release was on Richie Hawtin's house label, Definitive in 1996 under the name Cantina AKA Hatatomic. This came about from playing live constantly in Detroit... What a scene!

"Liebe Meine Disko" is getting somewhat of a rival here in New Zealand despite the fact that the track is almost 4 years old. Where did the idea of the track come from?




First off. Hell yes! More of that style to come. This is my personal favorite. It was the basis of an entire side project I'm yet to engage. (Of course each track on the first PJ record is that way, I should have called the EP"Liebe Meine Multiple Personalities") I think I was listening to a lot of Alexander Robotnik at the time and was envisioning what a fancy French strip bar would be like circa 1982. A new edit of "Liebe Meine Disko" exists and has been a basket of shenanigans playing it live!


Your "No Go" EP (if we can call it that) is rather strange in the sense that it feels dreamy and whimsical. Care to elaborate on the process?

You CAN call it that! DING DING! It's the correct answer! NO-GO has been the most successful record. Perhaps it's got some yummy bits for every taste. From kooky techno rippers to swooning slow dances for your best gal / boy;) Working with the dreamy singer Kanoko Nishi, she brought an spcial innocence to the cover of "Can't Go For That", that truly took on a shimmy of it's own! I hope to work with her again. Stay tunned kids! --- the other cuts on there are made from sampled bits of the aforementioned Casio days. I Always make music with a cheeky wink of an eye and a surprise sound we all know what it is, but nobody says WHAT it is;)



You're from San Francisco in the US. Is there much of an electronic dance scene over there?



When I first Moved out here from Detroit in 98', San Francisco's electronic music scene was quite a finicky cat's hodge podge of "IDM" and really bad trance! Barf city. But this was partially a sign O the times. Some amazingly diverse and wacky snacky eclectic momentum has taken place now. It's truly changed for the better! There is an amazing energy at present.




What are your thoughts about Audio Blogs popping around cyber space? Is it a good thing for the music scene or a bad thing?




I feel it's mostly a really super thing. It exposes and gives life to music that otherwise may not have seen the light of day. The only downside is the rate in which DJs consume and cycle through blog-PEE-Three's. Unlike the sweet caressing tangibility of vinyl, mp3 style music unfortunately becomes a disposable format.



On the other hand some music blogs like Beatelectric are amazing. They dig up ultra rare boogie, disco and lazer soul music from old hard to find vinyl giving it a second life... I love it.



Additionally, in a day and age when vinyl is quite a task to release, digital only releases can be the way to go. So blog-worlds feed that sweet machine. Viva blogy!



P.S. Zombie Pants are coming!



Okay I seriously have to ask you this.......What's with the squirrels, shooting lazers out of your eyes and the color pink? I mean it's all up in my grill on your myspace page. Is this a look you want us to remember you by?

My current Myspace design is seasonal and will change shortly ;) But lasers will remain. Wait, don't we all have lasers on our pages?;) ... Get ready because here comes a cheesy answer: I love nature as much as I love technology. Squirrels=nature. Lasers=the sweet technology. Can't we all just get along;)!? (plus I'm part squirrel) ---



On your myspace blog, you've acquired some rare technology in the form of a MINIMOOG. So are you an analogue freak, or are you like the rest of us idiots and work within the confines of digital?

Oh the sweet, sweet Minimoog! The single most beautiful synth I've ever tickled. It tickled back! I previously had a Moog Voyager which was milky! I loved it, but the original Minimoog is a dirty little biscuit that never cools down. It's unlike anything else. It talks to my 303 devilfish like they were long lost buddies...YES I have a analogue gear problem!


I need help! Indeed I do both digital and live analog gear. Putting them together is the way to go. Love em or not Depeche Mode's producers Flood and Daniel Miller were the master of this on the Violator album. Lot's of yummy Arp 2600.



Explain to our readers how PJ Pooterhoots puts together a tune. Does it start off with a thought, a sound byte, something you've read on a billboard, newspaper, T.V. or none of the above?



Lately everything I compose is a mini soundtrack to a larger story. Now I'm stitching them together. They start off as live time audio sketches recorded from the Moog and or various drum machines and maybe a vocoder. The first EP started out as a comedy concept record with lot's of sampled barf sounds. More recently I was so inspired by an amazing radio show I LOVE down in the LA area. It's called "Songs For The Whippersnapper Show" So much so that I instantly had a concept for a theme song. I created it, and you can now hear the track on occasion at the show's intro.


So yes, in general I do have a concept before I start.



So what's on the cards for PJ Pooterhoots? Are you touring? Releasing new martial, DJ Sets?

I want an Auckland gig! All of the above! Been playing live like crazy lately using a Roland octapad drumpad. It's fun to trigger lasers sounds with a drumstick! I just came back from Chicago where House is home. Love the cats there! Been doing a hybrid live DJ sets as well but my thing is rocking the gear live!



As for new releases, have an entire EP finished with test pressing called "Zombie Pants". Distribution is a funny thing right now and it's currently hovering waiting for some assistance, but she'll drop;)



Also have a side project called LLeGGs through LeHeat records. Look for it soon!




Where can we get our fix of PJ Pooterhoots?


Beatport, Itunes, boomkat... record bins (rather rare find) and simply send a laser on that there myspace an I just may send you a new edit of Liebe Meine Disko.You can also find me on the north shore.



And lastly, do you have a message of hope to all our New Zealand DJs out there, which includes anyone in the immediate Auckland Area?


DOMO ARIGATOOOOO and thank you for heating up my tracks for the NZ dancefloor lovelies. Seriously mates you keep it going!



Thanks for chatting to Nerdy Frames PJ Pooterhoots, and please keep in touch.



My pleasure kids. I'll be sending you a basket of biscuits.

And with that we thank you Mr. Pooterhoots! Give our man a 300000000000 friends request on his Myspace.....COME ON HELP A BROTHER OUT!!!!


http://www.myspace.com/pjpooterhootsmusic