Into The 'Deep' - A Retrospective By Peter Van Hal: Part One

With Deep Records recently reaching it´s landmark 20th release, we thought it was time to sit down and share a few words with the man behind this brilliant label. In it´s four year history it has become one of the most consistent labels in the scene, and who better to talk us through that time period than none other than the label owner himself Peter Van Hal. In this first part of our exclusive feature ´Into The Deep´, he talks us through the first ten releases that shaped the label´s legacy, giving us an insight into how the ideas and direction of the label have evolved over the years, with the second part to follow in the next few days.

Into The 'Deep' - A Retrospective (Part One)

With Deep Records recently reaching it´s landmark 20th release, we thought it was time to sit down and share a few words with the man behind this brilliant label. In it´s four year history it has become one of the most consistent labels in the scene, and who better to talk us through that time period than none other than the label owner himself Peter Van Hal. In this first part of our exclusive feature ´Into The Deep´, he talks us through the first ten releases that shaped the label´s legacy, giving us an insight into how the ideas and direction of the label have evolved over the past few years.

DEEP001: Q-Lock – Minimal Thoughts

David Zoetmulder or Q-Lock as many know him was responsible for the first release of Deep. I set Deep up together with him about four years ago and at the beginning he was responible for the first couple of releases. Mark Shimmon turned out a hell of a remix that did very well on the dancefloor. I love this release; it has a big room sound, both mixes are great and it´s the first record I´ve ever put out. These days I have months were I put out 3 or 4 records with all the labels I run, so I´ve come a long way in an industry that is on the way back to be healthy again. Four years ago the whole dance scene just collapsed after 9/11 and illegal digital downloads, so things for me have only gotten better while most labels from back then couldn´t get their heads up because of large overheads and too much opportunism.

DEEP002: Q-Lock – Have You Ever / The Preacher

Q-Lock has always been a sucker for wobbly baslines and tight percussion, lots of oldskool sounds and a minimalistic approach. Both tracks have all those trademarks. ´The Preacher´ is actually a remix of a track he and Andy Jarrod did together that came out under the name of Black Jesus on Forged Recordings. Andy didn´t like the remix Q-Lock did and I loved it. We sold the license back then to Seb Fontaine who put it on his Prototype on Global Underground, and I actually play it now and again as it fits really well into today´s sound with its 303 bassline. The spoken sample comes from a reverend from TV, one of those TV charlatans who collect money. It´s called ´The Hour Of Power´ here in Holland and comes from the States. He always talks about God in relation to music and one day we just recorded it and got this amazing sample out of it. Great record!

DEEP003: Radius - Incubation

What a record this was. Digweed and the big boys were all over this one and it had this big sound to it with this massive breakdown that was common in those days. Radius was actually Q-Lock collaborating with Frank de Groodt, better known as The Operator who made real underground electro on Miss Djax´s label Djax Records. The remix came from San Project and is still one of my favorite records I´ve ever put out. The whole package of mixes really complemented each other and did really well. I think it´s a perfect record in every possible way that reflected a sound from that era.

DEEP004: Q-Lock - Seconds

´Seconds´ was a big track, one of those you liked or disliked but the effect of it, especially in a big room was inmense. It sampled the voacls of the landing on the moon and it was done in a very effective manner. Andy Jarrod had a bad feeling about putting it out but my gutfeeling said it was a great record. He advised me not to do it but I wanted to. When it came out Andy had to play the Guvernment in Canada with its massive soundsystem. Mark Oliver who played after him started with it and turned around to Andy and said it was the "biggest record in Canada at the moment". It made me smile when he told me the story, and the record ended up doing really well. The remix comes by Dazzle and Geert Huinink and took a slighter subtle route with their interpetation. It was the original though that did it for me, and it was also one of the last records that Q-Lock did for Deep. Our paths sort of separated as he had a hard time coming up with tracks and also because our taste in music really got different, and it was here that I turned more and more into the A&R side of things and started developing those skills.

DEEP005: Allen & Healey – Rescue / Sensor

It was a funny time back when this release came out, as David was suffering from writers block and I couldn´t come up with the goods as I suddenly saw myself without tracks for the label. It was around that time that I seriously started looking for fresh music, and Andy passed me this double a-sider and I was really pleased with it, although it didn´t really sell well. Both sides where very well produced and very DJ friendly, deep and emotive with phat basslines and some cool cool melodies, which was what Allen and Healey were all about.

DEEP006: Q-Lock and Roland K – Goliath

´Goliath´ is exactly what the name says, a big room monster that was destined to destroy any dance floor, although not in its original form but with Harry Lemon´s remix. When I approached him for the remix he said yes but it took months to finish. When he handed it in I was overjoyed with it. I got so much feedback from all around the world as it seemed every dj back then hammered it. It sampled the Grace Jones track ´Slave To The Rhythm´ although I´m not sure if anybody ever knew. I heard somebody play Harry´s remix a couple of months ago and it fitted perfectly into today´s music, a timeless piece for sure

DEEP007: Madoka – Cabaret

I got a demo of tracks from Arno Asmus who many of you will know as Revolt. He told me to check out this guy from New York, and that guy was Mark Venneri. One of the tracks was ´Dive´. It got picked up by Plastic Fantastic and we all know what happened with that track, but I was intrigued by his sound and I gave him a ring to see if he had some more. When I got his next demo it blew me away. I picked ´Cabaret´ although it wasn´t an obvious song, especially for those days. It was Mark´s protest against the New York policy of Guiliano after the raid that the police did when he went to see Danny Tenaglia at his release party for Global Underground at that time. He had to stop after playing a couple of tracks because of the war on drugs. It´s always in my box as it´s getting better and better every time I play it. Great music never goes out time...

DEEP008: Madoka – If We Begin

This samples the voice of my friend Bari Koral from New York. I´ve known her before I got into dance and she´s a gifted singer and songwriter, one of those people who decided to become what she is today on her 17th. She couldn´t play a note, nor had she ever written a song but within a year she got out there and played just her own material. She´s just recording her fourth album and it looks like she will be big in the years to come. Mark turned out this amazing package with an original and a dub that was really freshly sounding. Minimal and emotive, exactly what I liked and totally reflective of a sound I was into at the time

DEEP009: Bart Van Wissen – Illuminate / Deviate

I think this is the release that made Deep and myself for what it stands for today. I´ve always been a sucker for musicality and this was spot on. I started singing when I was 16 or 17 and have always been involved in band culture and putting up shows and stuff. I used to be a rock-a-billy, with the original 50s lifestyle to back it up. Since then I went through the whole spectrum of popmusic That included the 60s, 70s and 80s. I guess it has trained my ears and knowledge which is a neccasity doing the work I now do. I was the first and only one that got sent a demo by Bart and I was overwhelmed. Bart´s stuff was so diverse and musical, it was great! I think his sound is pretty unique and because of Uni he´s not capable of working on his music as much as he wants but we will be hearing a lot from him in the future.

DEEP010: Matthew Dekay – Beautiful Monday

I picked this up at the Amsterdam Dance Event. I knew about Matthew as I had heard some of his stuff and there was already a little buzz developing around his work. I got introduced to him the first day of the ADE and I gave him two CDs of stuff I was putting out or featuring people I worked with, and he gave me a copy of unsigned material of his own. The next day he came back to me and said "You and I have to talk". Life can take unexpected turns and this was certainly one of them. I became his manager as I was impressed by his personality and his productions and started from there. ‘Beautiful Monday´ was one of the tracks on the demo and I couldn´t believe nobody had ever noticed this gorgeous piece of music. I still consider this release a landmark for he label and myself. Matthew and I have come a long way in just a short period of time just on the strenght of two people joining forces and working together 24/7. My prediction is that Matthew will be a Top 10 DJ and producer in the times to come on the simple fact of the talent he has.