Kerri Chandler
Encyclopedia
Kerri 'Kaoz' Chandler, one of deep House Music
's originators, has been injecting soul into music since the early nineties. An ambassador of the 4/4 beat, Kerri's influences can be traced back to New Jersey
growing up in a family of jazz
musicians. His father being a deejay, provided Kerri with a rich background in the origins of soul, disco and the New York Underground Sound. Accompanying his father to the gigs, Kerri began playing records at the Rally Racquet Club in East Orange, New Jersey at the age of thirteen. Exposed to such musical creativity, it wasn't long before Kerri found himself interested in production. Since the release of his first single "SuperLover/Get It Off" on Atlantic Records
in 1991, Kerri began producing a prolific body of work.
A spiritual man, Kerri prays before making a record. Each project is an attempt to inject his free spirit into a groove. In the expanses of his breaks the odd counter rhythm will inexplicably appear for a second and then disappear, creating fleshy excitement, not mechanical repetition. His now legendary bass-lines go from heavy and heady to playful and quirky while remaining deliriously intoxicating. His fusions, clamped to the beat of his unique thundering kick drum, redefine house music at every turn. His hooks are loving details, paying attention to horn hits, washes of synthesizers, and catchy choruses creating songs with brutal drive. A believer in peace and harmony, Kerri believes soulful house's positive vibes made it difficult for the genre to reach commercial success, as its openness to influences are difficult for many to accept.
Kerri is fascinated by technology and its application to creativity. He built his own studio and spends hours creating new EFX units and sound machines. He is the founder of the house-music label Madhouse Records (not to be confused with Dave Kelly
's reggae label of the same name).
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
's originators, has been injecting soul into music since the early nineties. An ambassador of the 4/4 beat, Kerri's influences can be traced back to New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
growing up in a family of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musicians. His father being a deejay, provided Kerri with a rich background in the origins of soul, disco and the New York Underground Sound. Accompanying his father to the gigs, Kerri began playing records at the Rally Racquet Club in East Orange, New Jersey at the age of thirteen. Exposed to such musical creativity, it wasn't long before Kerri found himself interested in production. Since the release of his first single "SuperLover/Get It Off" on Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
in 1991, Kerri began producing a prolific body of work.
A spiritual man, Kerri prays before making a record. Each project is an attempt to inject his free spirit into a groove. In the expanses of his breaks the odd counter rhythm will inexplicably appear for a second and then disappear, creating fleshy excitement, not mechanical repetition. His now legendary bass-lines go from heavy and heady to playful and quirky while remaining deliriously intoxicating. His fusions, clamped to the beat of his unique thundering kick drum, redefine house music at every turn. His hooks are loving details, paying attention to horn hits, washes of synthesizers, and catchy choruses creating songs with brutal drive. A believer in peace and harmony, Kerri believes soulful house's positive vibes made it difficult for the genre to reach commercial success, as its openness to influences are difficult for many to accept.
Kerri is fascinated by technology and its application to creativity. He built his own studio and spends hours creating new EFX units and sound machines. He is the founder of the house-music label Madhouse Records (not to be confused with Dave Kelly
Dave Kelly (producer)
Dave Kelly is a Jamaican Record Producer. He began his career as an Engineer in the late eighties. After getting into producing at the "Penthouse" label of Donovan Germain, he started his own label "Madhouse" together with business partner Janet Davidson in 1991...
's reggae label of the same name).