DEAN SHERRY
(Someone recently ripped off a lot of the text frm this page so I'm willing to sell the words at a reasonable £1 each! -Copyright baby!)
BORN:
Dublin, Ireland, July 31st, 1973
D.J. INFLUENCES:
None really, I’ve been let down by most DJ’s I have looked up to in the past. A lot of other more ridiculously expensive and higher profile DJ’s have not cut the cake whatsoever with me. Some just take the piss and get shit loads of dosh for it! In saying that though some jocks have never ceased to impress me live. Lesser known jocks and support DJ’s sometimes inspire me a lot. My overall music style would be similar on occasion to some of the music by personally respected names such as Nick Warren, Ian Iossia, Nigel Dawson, Darren Emerson, Mr. C, & Sasha.
MUSIC STYLE:
A DJ shouldn’t be pigeonholed into any one style, so I play what I feel is good and what works with an audience. My sound can range from Deep House to good Garage to Uplifting House and to mainly Progressive House, Trance, Hard House, Tech-House, eclectic Break-Beats, funky Techno, and whatever comes in & around, over and under and what works.
As with any progressive and forward-thinking DJ I too constantly evolve my sound and like to think of myself today (1999) musically as a mixer of Deep Underground House-Hard Trance-Tech-House-Techno.
-It sounds crap to name all the styles I personally like but hearing a typical DJ set by me will open up a lot of styles and minds to what mixes into what. I take pride in my mixing technically and keep honing it to it's full potential. I'm not a purist, I play music that is simply GOOD, not only to me but to the people listening, so long as it fits with the overall picture of what I'm creating in my music live. That said I hate people expecting a DJ to play the same constantly, so it’s nice to surprise them occasionally.
FAVOURITE LABELS:
Loads, both new, old and deceased, including Whoop!, Stress, Cyber, Off The Hook, Jackpot, AM:PM, Azuli, Sperm, Fragrant, Perfecto, Quad Communications, Alola, Bomba, Hooj, De-Con, MFS, Pendulum, Concept, Moonshine, Deviant, UMM, etc. I buy music that is underground and good, simple as that. Some labels are just more consistant than others.
‘At the end of 1996 Dean was voted ‘Best Irish DJ’ by Wrangler/Universal Dance following a 3-month nation-wide club tour. He has played at and been resident in most of the major clubs and venues nation-wide including more notably the P.O.D., KITCHEN, SHAFT, ORMOND, SYSTEM, TEMPLE THEATRE, THOMPSON’S GARAGE (S.O.S.), G.P.O., PURTY LOFT, TUBE, & various others. He has DJ-ed in one form or another since he was about 16 so it is all he knows. Constantly adapting, changing and looking forward is what keeps Dean unique and at the cutting edge of dance music. Dean has a natural ability to read an audience and can bring a crowd onto his level musically with his sets. He buzzes and interacts with the crowd and responds to their attitude. He believes a DJ should combine both education with satisfaction in the music they play and essentially how they play it. In his own words…
"When I started there were only a handful of DJs. Now everyone has in interest, which is healthy and good, yet makes it very hard for new talent to shine, but if it’s good enough it will. The scene here in Ireland anyway is polluted by promoters and club owners that don’t really care about promoting musical talent or original DJs, and that way a lot of guys get centre-stage gigs at premier venues because they simply keep the management happy. I hate this and won’t adhere to it. You all know who you are but the ego takes over soon enough and that’s ultimately self-destruction. Because of all the bullshit I have always done things my own way, and those that helped me I bring with me. That is why Impulsive Records and Fresh Promotions plus any new additions that may occur in the near future are small close-knit groups. Even in that group in the past we have had some internal crap, but we weed it out as we go. I’m sure this happens in all organisations where people chase fame and more importantly fortune. They lose the original and inital vision through greed. Dance music is a universal language that is being heard, no genre distinction can stand in it’s way.
Listen to what we are going to say.
I’m very forward-thinking and I am looking as to where it is all going and have set up a ‘Future DJ’ rig at home, which I will eventually tour with. I record under various guises for my label, Impulsive. I am working in groups and on solo projects, but presently my primary concern is to establish my label and all the great people that work with me. We started this in 1998 setting the new standards of what DJing is all about and how we can expand it, and I intend to be an integral part in this evolution. My present DJ equipment set-up utilises 2 Technics SL1210’s (decks), 1 Vestax PDX-D3 MkII Digital Turntable, a Vestax PMC-50A (mixer) and DDG-1 (delay), an Akai S3000 Sampler, a Red System’s Voyager 1 (MIDI generater), a Jomox X-Base 09 (analogue drum machine), a Yamaha CS1x (keyboard) and SU-10 (sampler), a Boss Phaser and Flanger (effects pedals), a Roland MC-303 Groovebox, a Tascam 488 Mk. II 8-Track recorder, a Studio Master Diamond 8-2 desk, a Shure SM-58 (mic), Sennheiser HD-25’s (cans), a Sony MZ-R30 (Mini-Disc player/recorder)‘, a Phillips (CD player), a Technics RSTR-265 (tape deck), a Samson Audio Servo 170 (amp) and a set of Spirit Absolute Zero’s (monitor speakers). I run my home studio through my home-made PC running Cubase VST plus loads of related software."
Dean admires homegrown DJ’s and respects the niche they have cut for themselves. He rates many Irish jocks above higher paid UK jocks for the simple reason that UK jocks have more opportunities and promoters available to them. My message to the 'outside' promoters is come, listen and judge, you won't be disappointed. Them Paddy's can cut it man!
In March 1999 Dean was asked to travel to Istanbul in Turkey to represent Ireland in a 'Sense Of Ireland' music festival, and he and support jock Barry Dempsey made the trip as the only Irish Dance act to appear, playing 9 hour sets to huge success in the MAGMA venue. So much so that the "PHUNK'DUP" crew have been asked to return for a full Middle-Eastern tour in late 1999 headlining a Techno Festival. More info contained in the Impulsive website.
"Many of the more established Irish DJs could blow away some of the other international DJs, and they are not recognised for that. Johnny Moy has done a hell of a lot, both for himself and Influx and for the Irish DJ community. I admire and respect that. Other respected Irish homegrown DJs include David Holmes, Billy Scurry, Davo Mc Donald, Mark Kavanagh, Liam Dollard, Podge, Shay Hannon and Tim Hannigan. Some of these DJs were were inspirations to me initially and they have established themselves and pushed the boundaries outside Ireland. I intend to continue this trend with my DJing and current ‘Future DJ’ project. Fresh, Impulsive and our music are my dreams and reality and they are where my future lies."
PERSONAL TOP 10 VINYL CUTS OF ALL TIME
'This is a very hard list to compile, as most DJs who have been around for a while would know, a top 100 would be easier! (I have over 4,500 12"s!!!) Anyway, maybe we might do one of those sometime, but for now here is 10 off the top of my head. These tracks are here for many reasons; some have always done the business for me, some are personal favourites, others have fond memories attached, funny memories attached, and a lot are end-of-the-nighters. I still occasionally play these tracks live. "Voodoo Ray" by A Guy Called Gerald should really be in there as it is probably the turning point track for me in regard special moments because I first heard it hammered in a club in the UK when I was only 15. I had bunked in, my first proper UK club, got pissed and came back to Dublin spending nearly 6 months trying to get this song. Anyway, here goes...'
Check out Dean's regular monthly charts on the main IR Charts link.
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE (regularily updated) <link>
*Contact me for more information or bookings enquiries: impulsive@tinet.ie
