Francois K, Vitalic or Dave Clarke might
not be the first three names to come to mind when you mention
the DJ Chris Fortier. However, these are the last three records
that close his recent 3 hr set at The Loft in Barcelona.
While many people may claim to know Chris’ sound, with
their focus on continually labeling him one thing or another,
Chris is equally as focused on his efforts to push back the
musical boundaries. It is testament to the man, that he continues
to develop his sound and musical direction, after all, as
the man says himself “I just like to play good underground
music, full stop.”
It is artists such as Chris Fortier who are inextricably
linked to the underground dance music scene that are the genuinely
pushing the sound forward. Chris’ determination to continue
to push the envelope can be seen in all aspects of his career.
Proof of this can be found on his recent triple CD compilation
Balance and his recent solo production under the 40oz moniker.
The Balance CD genuinely offers something exciting and underground
to the current stale compilation market. Boasting tracks from
across the musical spectrum like David Gilmore Girls, Global
Communication and Floppy Sounds through to Slam, Matthew Jonson,
Rabbit in the Moon and Bent. It is little wonder the CD was
name checked for compilation of the year by numerous international
press publications.
Under his 40 oz production guise, Chris has released the
Downlow’d EP, a 4 tracker that musically could fit comfortably
on labels such as Cocoon, Kompakt or ELP. Further remixes
of Alexi Delano, Chris Udoh and Freaky Chakra show Chris’
genre defying sound at it’s underground best.
With a DJ career spanning 15 plus years, he has continually
been a crowd favourite, confirmed by his very first residency
at the legendary “Aahz” in Orlando through to
more recent residencies at The Cross in London and at Twilo
in New York. Since a debut European tour in 1997, Chris has
gone on to consistently tour the globe behind numerous singles,
remixes and no less than 7 mix albums. You can catch him as
easily in Tokyo as in Buenos Aires and all points in between
on any given weekend.
As the producer, he has released over 40 original productions
and remixed countless more. Most notably in 1998, scoring
an international dance hit with his original reworking of
Delerium’s “Silence.” His remix discography
reads like a who’s who of dance music at any one time,
while his Fade label continues to be regarded as one of the
most respected and consistent dance labels in the US. To those
that know Fortier’s history, they know to expect plenty
more to come, for those that are just getting initiated, Welcome!
