?The music is made with machines and is given the human touch: it?s positive music from a positive scene,? says Spencer Kincy as he tries to explain the unmistakable vibe that house, and in particular the variety from his hometown Chicago is imbued with.
?House music is enjoyed by different people with all kinds of views from different countries,? he continues. ?It doesn?t matter what language you speak, you can still relate to house.?
For four years Spencer, also known as Gemini, has been spreading his gospel to the global house nation. The G man came to prominence in 1994, with his ?A Moment of Insanity? four-tracker on Carl Craig?s Planet E label. A fusion of deep textures, funky rhythms and tinny Chi-town electronics, ?Insanity? pre-empted the current fascination for the blurring of techno and house boundaries, and established its creator, alongside Derrick Carter, Cajmere, Paul Johnson and Boo Williams as one of the major players in the revival of the Windy City?s musical fortunes.
With a slew of releases on Relief, Peacefrog, Cajual, Distance and NRK Sound Division under his belt, Gemini now has two new albums in the shops, Imagine a Nation, and In and Out of Light and Fog. Kincy says both records are an introspective reaction to his surroundings.
?In and Out is about my experiences in clubs and at parties, but is also inspired by me walking around and getting inspiration from different places, and Nation is more about what?s going on in my head back at home. The scene in Chicago is small, but there are always new DJs and producers breaking through: at the moment Mark Farina and Diz are the ones to watch.
?People in Chicago really know how to go out, party and enjoy music. That?s the reason I started mixing, djing and making music. I used to mess around with different instruments, then I started making mix tapes using but I was lucky that friends of mine had equipment: it wasn?t like I went on a nine-year course to become a dj and a producer!?
While the club scene in his hometown kickstarted his career, Gemini?s travels around the world gave him the source material for In And Out. Ireland, Scotland and Northern England are all mentioned as places ?where the energy is always uplifting. In Europe and London people are too focused on what?s new and cool at the moment. For years, Colin Faver had a really good house and techno show on Kiss FM in London, and it was recently taken off the air to make way for a happy hardcore programme because that?s trendy now.?
Amid these changes, house music remains a universal constant for dance music: it mightn?t be the preferred flavour of the month, but there will always be producers like Gemini who will continue to push the boundaries and set the agenda, wherever they come from.
?I never look at the names on the records I spin,? he admits, ?but I?ve heard good house music from every continent. For me, good house equals means that the producer has challenged himself to be innovative. House has been around for over ten years, and it?s going to be around for a long, long time to come. Rhythm is the basis of house music, which is something we?re all born with, it?ll never leave us.
?Nowadays, more and more producers are using Latin and African percussions and rhythms in their music. These rhythms have been in existence for thousands of years, and people from these countries have always danced to them. There?s always been dancin?, there?s always been rhythm!?
Amen to that. n
? Gemini plays Influx, the Red Box, Dublin on October 4th, with Stuart McMillan (Slam) and Billy Scurry. Imagine A Nation and In and Out of Light and Fog are out now on Relief and Peacefrog respectively.