Prolouge

The man behind two of the biggest trance tunes of recent times, ‘Cloudwalking’ and ‘My Religion’, Andy Perring is no stranger to fame. His very first production a collaboration under the name ‘Olmec Heads’ was played by none other than Judge Jules, 13 weeks straight on his BBC Radio 1 show. His production guise ‘Pulser’ is highly regarded as one of the most established producers on the circuit.

Interview

MPFS - So, How long have you been producing for?

Pulser - Producing and remixing has been my day job for about 5 years but I’ve been messing about in studios for 15.

MPFS - What did you do before you started producing dance music?

Pulser - I was an electrical technician with Prodrive for the Subaru WRC team

MPFS - When did you make your breakthrough into the industry?

Pulser - Started releasing my own records in 1998 as the Olmec Heads but it was when we released ‘Spiritualised’ in 99 that things took off. I remember hearing it on Pete Tongs Radio 1 show on our way to do a live set in London… He even mentioned the gig we were doing. It was a weird but amazing feeling to hear something I had produced in a bedroom going out on national radio. Things spiralled after that with the track being adopted by Jules for 13 weeks straight and we were snowed under with remix offers.

MPFS - What has been your favourite venue to Dj at and why?

Pulser - That’s a tough one because all venues/clubs have their plus points. If I have to say one then it would be Godskitchen as the regulars there made me feel so at home.

MPFS - Should producers, who are famous for their producing, get booked by the big clubs to do Dj sets regardless of their Dj’ing talents?

Pulser - Well I’d be the first to admit that I can’t hold a candle to the technical abilities of Dj’s like James Zabiela and Carl Cox but I think clubbers appreciate producers equally these days. There is a limit though and my first few efforts were seriously lacking. You do get better in time and also it’s great to get out of the studio environment and actually meet the people who make us what we are.
Producers who Dj are really just evolving the traditional live performance side of things that musicians usually do (playing instruments etc) with a more accessible and up to date way of getting out there and rocking a crowd. Its easier (some might call it lazy) to go somewhere and play with a few records and CD’s than it is to do a full-on live show but I think that’s all about to change.

MPFS - Who do you prefer remixing your tracks? A household name like Armin, Ferry, Tiesto ensuring more quality? Or an unsigned artist giving their interpretation of your track?

Pulser - Getting someone big to remix your tracks might help you sell more and you are almost guaranteed big support but I don’t see much point in it for someone in my position. When I got into this I was helped out tremendously by big Dj’s like Paul Oakenfold, Tiesto, Armin and PVD supporting my tracks and now I’m in a position to pass that on to the new breed. There are so many kids taking this up now and some of them are really starting to break new ground that it would be criminal not to showcase them if I possibly can.
I like the anticipation of waiting for something from a new talent because you know its going to be different. Armin, Tiesto, Ferry and co will all do something amazing because it’s their job and they have the experience but you know what you’re going to get before it’s even done. Big name remixes are really just a marketing tool to make people stick their hands in their pockets and buy the record. I’ve always had beliefs about what I do and why I do it… If I was in it for the money I wouldn’t be in it because it should just be about THE MUSIC.

MPFS - Would you be tempted to make a commercial sounding record under a different alias for a few extra notes? Have you ever done this? What’s your opinion of people who do?

Pulser - I’d hate to be one of those plastic, smiley Euro pop twats that you see pretending to play a keyboard (minus any cables) on Top of the Pops every week. I’ve always felt annoyed that the Trance scene was hijacked by people like Sash and Alice DJ just to line their pockets. When kids hear the word ‘Trance’ that’s what they immediately think of and that’s not what it was about at all.
I could produce stuff like that with my eyes closed (anyone could) but I don’t see it as music. It’s a different matter when you get acts like OceanLab and Gabriel & Dresden bothering the top 20 because they have built the tunes in a credible way in club land. They have simply managed to connect with more people and the track then takes on a commercial edge because it’s popular and there’s nothing wrong with that.
I have worked with a few well known writers and one or two “Pop Stars” but I’ve never (thankfully) watered down the music just to make money. The tracks I wrote were turned down by record labels for being too clubby or too cool and when they asked me to go into cheese-mode I just walked away.

MPFS - What’s your favourite release/remix under the Pulser guise?

Pulser - Umm, I hate that question. But if it just out of Pulser tracks I’d say ‘My Religion’ and my remix of ‘Firewall – Sincere’

MPFS - If you had to play one tune to get people into loving trance music, which tune would it be and why?

Pulser - Push – Strange World because its an amazing track and has everything that I personally think trance is about. It’s dark and light, hard but emotional, subtle but energised….perfection in my book.

MPFS - What other music do you enjoy apart from Trance?

Pulser - I love House and listen to breaks and Techno sometimes. I like a lot of ‘real’ music too especially when you can hear the raw talent of musicians actually playing and I’ve always been a fan of Depeche Mode so they’re CD’s are never out of the car. Current favourites are the Scissor sisters. I don’t really listen to Trance except when I’m going through my records because I’m around it 24hrs a day.

MPFS - Ever been stopped in the street?

Pulser - A couple of times clubbers have recognised me (god knows how?) and come over to say hi. The best one is when you’re leaving a club, walking down the street to the car with your record bag and someone comes up to you and asks if you’re a Dj… I always say ‘no but you’ll see one running down here in a minute cause I just nicked his bag’!!

From all the staff at MPFSPromotions we'd like to thank Pulser for his time and wish him all the best in 2004 and beyond. Don't forget his new site, djpulser.com goes live in the coming weeks. Also a special mention to Frase for doing the interview for us.

Pulser website
Dj Connections (Booking information)

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