Dennis Quin: “I’m looking forward to coming back to Zagreb!”

We spoke to one of our favorite producers of all time ahead of his Dobar House gig on May 27 - Dennis Quin!

DH: Hi Dennis, this will be your second time in Zagreb, and again with Dobar House. How was your experience of Zagreb the last time you were here?

Dennis Quin: Zagreb is a very nice and vibrant city with great architecture and lovely people. I really enjoyed playing in club Opera 4 years ago it was such an amazing night! I stayed a couple of days longer to explore the city and enjoy good restaurants, looking forward to going back on the 27th of May!

DH: What has changed for you in these four years since you last visited us?

Dennis Quin: Well, during the pandemic everyone was forced to change plans and even careers. For me, personally, it was the moment when I started to set and adjust my goals for the forthcoming years, performance-wise: where, at which events and festivals I wanted to play, but definitely in terms of my sound. I’ve been working on a whole lot of album tracks and collaborations which will see the light of day in early 2024 I hope.

DH: How did the famous Dennis Quin remix of Kerri Chandler's classic 'You're in My System' happen?

Dennis Quin: Actually, It just came across after a recording session with the vocalist Troy Denari. I’ve had this idea of writing a very special and personal song for my mother, who passed away when I was 15 years old. Kerri Chandler always played a huge role in my career and I wanted to remember and honor my mom music-wise with a song.  That turned out to be a featuring with Kerri Chandler who played the piano and rhodes on the track ‘ Be Strong’  After some research I was brought in contact with Troy and we recorded the song in a day, with Kerri on FaceTime.  

I was about to leave the studio of Troy and in a sudden he said  ‘Oh, before I forget it, do you want the vocals of ‘You’re In My System’ that I recorded for a version I performed live with Kerri for a show in Ireland?’ I was like: ‘wow yeah, I can see if I can make an edit’ not planning to release it officially as a remix. After sending the edit to Kerri, he said, let me check with Ibadan Records if they want to release it as official remix. And during ADE 2019 it was released on Vinyl and Digital format.  Super proud and thankful that I was able to work this iconic record in my style together with the amazing vocals of Troy.

DH: We see your return to DFTD in recent months, also, you remixed another Defected classic, you have some great remixes on Cécille Records, and the list goes on. What's your favourite recent production of yours, and tell us what's coming up next?

Dennis Quin: I am super happy with my release on Solid Grooves RAW, ‘Lucky Bastard’ released on May 12th this year. The track itself I made 1,5 years ago on a vintage Yamaha DX7 Synthesizer. I was lucky enough to buy a revised mint condition unit.

Next up is my second release on my own label ‘Temptation’ EP which will come out on limited edition Yellow Vinyl next to being digitally released.

DH: You also started self-releasing on Bandcamp, plus you started your own label – tell us more about that and what are your plans for it.

Dennis Quin: Well, because I vary a lot style-wise, it’s sometimes hard to match the label’s expectations. And I always wanted to release music on my own label. At this time it’s a self-releasing label, not signing other people's music other than some collaborations with other artists I did.

The first EP came out last April and is being supported very well.  As mentioned above the second one is called ‘Temptation’ EP and will be out on the 26th of June. The EP contains House cuts for festival vibes/club nights on the A-side and more UK garage / Reese vibes on the flip-side.

DH: What do you do, how do you spend your time, when you are not in the studio or out there playing tracks?

Dennis Quin: Haha, I am addicted to working in my studio, which is situated in my house, so that’s a big advantage of not having to travel once creativity comes up, on the other hand, I can make working hours in my studio of more than 10hrs a day, which is almost obsessive!  I also teach one day a week at the official Dance-Producer School in The Netherlands called: Herman Brood Academy. Here I guide the students with their productions, teach them to think as a DJ while producing, and help them with all kinds of aspects of their potential future musical career.  Next to this, I’d like to relax and more and more trying to be offline in a world where we are all ‘on’ and available almost 24hrs a day through social media / whatsapp and such. Furthermore, I like to enjoy nature, working out, having nice dinners or visiting parties when I’m having a night off.

DH: Do you see yourself as a producer or DJ first?

Dennis Quin: This is a tough one! Aargh… so hard to choose!  Because both are at the same level for me. I don’t see this as separate roles/crafts for me personally and here’s why: When I am producing music, it might sounds strange, but every now and then I close my eyes and pretend I am playing the track in front of a big crowd/festival or just an intimate club-setting. This will help me determine the arrangement/sound and the part where people are absorbing the enegery/break. I thing a good producer thinks as a DJ.  

DH: How do you prepare for your sets? Do you prepare at all?

Dennis Quin: Of course I prepare playlists for certain events, though roughly.  I don’t categorise by style/key or beats per minute, most often I make a playlist with a couple of tracks I want to try out or play for sure. The most dynamic sets I’ve experienced are spontaneously selected tracks at the moment, because it’s impossible to predict a certain vibe once you’re selecting tracks in a specific order.

DH: We love to hear a good story from DJs who travel, please share something funny or interesting that happened to you while you were traveling for a gig.

Dennis Quin: Because of my length (202cm/6ft7) I always need seats with extra legroom. I simply don’t fit sitting on normal seats. Sometimes I suggest through my booking agent that flying Cargo is an option too  to save money for the promotor/event organiser LOL (*I hope Dobar House reading this doesn’t save on seat upgrades now?!)

*yes we do, but we made an exception – again.

DH: Whom do you like to collaborate on music with? With whom would you like to collaborate?

Dennis Quin: My remix of Louie Vega ft. Moodymann - Seven Mile is coming out on Louie’s remix album Expansions of the NYC’ later this year. Also, my remix for Masters At Work is ready to go. But next to this, I would definitely like to create an original track from scratch with Kenny Dope and Louie for sure. Who knows what the future brings?

DH: Say something nice for your new and future fans coming to see you play at Dobar House Season Closing.

Dennis Quin: I am super excited and thankful to play again for Dobar House at Peti Kupe on May 27th! Looking forward to premiering new music that night and enjoying seeing the beautiful people of Zagreb dance to my beats. 

Dennis Quin is coming to Zagreb for our season closing party. Read all about it here, and get your tickets from Entrio.hr