| Kerri 'Kaoz' Chandler | |
|---|---|
| Origin | United States |
| Genres | Electro House Garage |
| Years active | 1992–Present |
| Labels | Madhouse Records |
| Associated acts | Dennis Ferrer |
| Website | Official Website |
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).