Derrick Carter

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Derrick Carter is an American house producer and DJ from Chicago. He is regarded as one of the best underground house key players currently active and is particularly popular in Europe^[1].

1 Biography
- 1.1 Later Years
- 1.2 Boompty Sound
2 References
3 External links

[edit] Biography

Carter was born and raised in the western suburbs of Chicago. After practising his DJ skills for a number of years in his bedroom (bedroom jock), it was during his teenage years that he made the definitive step into the Chicago house scene.

In 1988 he released an EP with Mark Farina and Chris Nazuka as the group Symbols & Instruments. While the record wasn't a commercial success, it did have a strong influence on the burgeoning ambient techno movement in England. This established Derrick as an international figure in the underground house scene^[1].

[edit] Later Years

Carter rarely gives extensive interviews and has kept a low profile since his rise to fame. He famously ran a record label named Classic that (as planned ten years before) ceased to exist after its hundredth release. Above all, Derrick is still respected by some as one of the best house music DJs in the world. His dj-sets are firmly rooted in black music of the 1970s, frequently giving nods to old school disco, soul and jazz.

As a remixer, he has worked for a diverse range of artists including Human League, Ricky Martin, Boris Dlugosch, Modjo, DJ Sneak and Röyksopp. After a brief hiatus, he has recently returned to production, remixing artists like Rosie Brown and Truman Industries.

Carter was recently named #66 in the 100 Most Famous Chicagoans according to a survey (relying mostly on Google hits) by the free weekly newspaper, New City (11/2006), finishing just between syndicated radio show host Tom Joyner(#65) and Chicago Cubs player, Carlos Zambrano(#67). Other house music artists making the cut included Felix da Housecat (#21) and Frankie Knuckles(#48).

[edit] Boompty Sound

Carter is also recognized as the creator of the "Boompty" tech house sound. The term was coined after Carter's mother told him when it cames to making music he should use his voice "instead of making that boompty boomp Sh*t"^{[citation needed]}. The term "boompty" also supplies the name for his production studio which he referred to as Boompty HeadQuarters (BHQ). Carter began referencing BHQ in remix titles he produced, beginning sometime in the late 90's. Characterized by the shuffle of the drums and a rolling bassline accented by quirky tech sounds, The Boompty House sound is the prevalent underground house sound of the early and mid 2000's. Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, you can hear many up and coming producers copying the Boompty-boomp sound. The "Boompty" sound is also often (somewhat mistakenly) described as the Chicago House sound. (e.g., An up and coming dj might say, "I spin Chicago House", when they really mean I spin Boompty House.)^{[citation needed]}