Few DJs have been as influential to the underground dance music scene as New York-based DJ Chris Fortier. Well-known as a central figure in electronic dance music circles, Chris has seen success as a DJ, as a record label owner, and as the founder of the award-winning Balance Record Pool. His original productions and remixes, including his remix of Delerium’s “Silence”, which sold more than a million copies worldwide, have earned Chris plenty of respect among dance music’s elite. His label, Fade Records, has been instrumental in building the careers of many underground DJs, including Steve Porter and Thomas Penton. He took some time with Area709’s Matthew Belleghem to talk about his long-term relationship with the almighty black vinyl disc.

“I play mostly records,” Chris begins. “I hate CDs. I’m not into the whole digital MP3 thing, it’s not something that suits me. It’s not because I’m a purist of any sort, I’m not saying vinyl is the best, I’m saying it’s the best for me.” In an age when many aspiring DJs view digital as a legitimate replacement for a proper turntable-based setup, Chris’ views and experience provide valuable insight.

“I got into the love of music and DJing in part because of the drive and passion that comes from collecting records, searching for music, and going to record stores,” Chris says. “That’s still something that I love, and something that drives me. I’m not interested in getting tracks so I can look at a list of tracks on my computer screen. I want to unearth this hidden B-side gem, not play every track that’s on the front page of Beatport. It’s part of the job, and it’s part of the love for me – and so I’m not interested in CDs or laptops other than to check my email and to watch DVDs.”

To be fair, Chris Fortier’s collection is hardly that of the average DJ. “Because I live in New York, space is limited,” he explains. “I’ve been able to weed down the records that I don’t play over the years. Where other people might have 20,000 records, I’ve been pretty selective and diligent about getting rid of records I won’t play. In total, I’ve probably got 8000 records at present.” It’s a collection he’s been working on for many years. Growing up in Melbourne, Florida, Chris has fond memories of chasing records in his youth, riding his bicycle to the Melbourne Mall and the used record shop across the road with friends. “We would spend hours in there, and then we’d go home and make tapes for our Walkmans on our bikes,” Chris recalls. “I was making these compilation tapes every other day or every week so I could listen to them riding my bike to school, or cutting the grass. That’s what we did – not just buying the singles, but buying albums, or tracking down the last track on the B-side of a vinyl from some weird band.”

At the time, Chris never dreamed his childhood passion would turn into a lifelong career. “I would never have imagined it when I was eleven or twelve, I would never have guessed it all could have evolved into this. Growing up with my family, going to the record store with my dad was part of growing up. I was allowed one record a week! That’s something that’s important to me when we talk about vinyl, and that’s something I’d want to pass on to my kids if I have any, or to any aspiring DJs – to look beyond just filling up your hard drive space. There’s more to music than just having a track. When you have in your hands the whole vision – the artist, the label, the cover, and you can hear the little nuances that are a part the manufacturing process – it means so much more.”

In the DJ booth, a major appeal for sticking with the wheels of steel is the ability to instantly access any part of a track with the simple lift of the needle. “I don’t know every inch of every track I’ve ever had, so when I’m playing in a club and I’m looking for the next record to put on, with vinyl I can put a record on and check where it goes musically, and see ‘is this the right record for this time, now?’, or should I wait and play it later. With CDs you have to wait for the load, and then unload, and you can’t just skip around the way you can with vinyl.”

Also worth talking about, Chris notes, is the vast marketplace of second hand vinyl – songs that can only be found on vinyl, if they can be found at all. “If I go into a record shop that has a second hand section, I will go through every record they have,” he confesses. “I am still looking for certain records and tracks that I never knew the names of from fifteen or twenty years ago.” Chris also notes that as DJs shift to CD or move away from the hobby, better used records are released on to the market. “People sell records for a lot of reasons,” Chris notes. “And more power to them. If they don’t want them, I’ll take ‘em!”

As the man behind the well-known underground label Fade Records, Chris understands the role vinyl plays in the 21st century DJ marketplace. “So much is changing in terms of how labels promote songs by sending out vinyl,” Chris explains. “Right now labels for the most part will only send out vinyl promos to DJs who request vinyl, and even then it’s a choice the label makes about whether the DJ is worth sending vinyl to – they’re asking ‘is someone requesting vinyl just because they want to have vinyl, or is the DJ going to use it?’ I’m hearing that a lot.”

But while some labels have moved away from using vinyl as a mechanism for promoting new singles, Chris still sees the value in providing top-tier DJs with a tangible product. “As far as my own labels go, we’re still making vinyl,” he says. “I would never have my label and keep putting out records if I wasn’t pressing vinyl, I would just stop doing it. There’s no reason for me to be digital download only.”

In terms of economics, Chris puts his artistic integrity where his mouth is. “The label is a creative outlet for me, it’s not a financial source of income or anything like that. It’s been another creative outlet for me to be involved with the music that I’m in to on another level other than making it and playing it in clubs. I have no interest or need for having a label that sells things for ninety-nine cents. We do have digital sales, but it’s a secondary format for people into that format. I still want to make records, I’m still going to make records, and we still hope to continue selling records. Personally, I like to get a physical product in my hand from labels. Especially records, but if not then a physical CD so I know the audio is the highest quality it can be.”

Chris also sees vinyl as a concrete expression of an artist’s emotions. “The actual manufacturing side is something that I enjoy as part of running a label,” he says. “Going from a guy’s track, something that he’s put his blood, sweat and tears into, and him giving me the master, and me turning that into something tangible that can be put into people’s hands, that they will then physically carry into and play in a club – that’s a really cool thing, to go from almost nothing to something tangible, something solid and real that has someone’s emotion in it.”

Despite the appeal vinyl holds, however, Chris knows that there’s little money left for the major players in the vinyl pressing business. “Distribution companies are closing all the time,” he laments. “We just lost another two here in New York. I don’t know if that will make the ones that are still around stronger, or what. So many labels are moving to the digital side of things, and that’s just a cost-efficiency thing, because they’re not selling the vinyl they used to. I see digital of use in a PR capacity, especially when you compare the costs of postage for CDs compared to vinyl.”

Changing the topic slightly, I ask Chris how he keeps such a large vinyl collection organised, and what system he uses to ensure he can find the right record at the right moment. “It’s a simple chronological system,” he explains. “At the bottom is the very early stuff, and then it moves left to right from there through the walls. If I want to find something from 1985, I know which couple blocks to look through, where my old Chicago Trax and DJ International are.”

I then bring up the topic of cartridges – a seemingly simple device that, like drumsticks for drummers or strings for a guitarist, can make all the difference for a DJ in tune with the complexities of an analogue medium. “I like Stanton 680s,” says Chris. “I think those are the best durable needles. I’m not a huge audiophile that needs ten thousand dollar needles. I’ve tried to take care of my records, but they’ve all been played in clubs all over the world, so they’re not in the greatest shape. Having incredible styluses with these records, it would only break the stylus,” he laughs. “But I do like the 680s. That’s what we used at Twilo. I used them previous to that, but using them at Twilo, learning about them from [Twilo Owner] Steve Dash, and knowing that that’s what he had and that’s what he swore by… I’ve never gone away to anything else. Stanton also makes a 980 that’s a bit better for recording stuff into your computer – it’s a bit sharper, but it’s not something that you’d want to do any back cueing with.”

Finally, I ask Chris for his thoughts on mixers. Here Chris doesn’t hesitate to name names. “Allen and Heath is definitely the best mixer for me,” he says. “The Xone 62 and 64 I’m more partial to, on the newer 92 there’s some functionality on them I wish they didn’t have.” Having spent time with both, I’m curious to hear Chris’ thoughts, and ask him for some more information. “I don’t like the cueing system,” he explains. “I end up using a 62 or 64 most of the time because that’s what’s on my rider, but then when I get on a 92 – and I should remember this, but it’s out of habit – but when I’m in the middle of a mix, with the 62 and 64 you can cue all six channels at the same time by hitting each cue button, whereas with the 92 I end up hitting one cue, and it turns the other record off, and I end up slowing down the wrong record!”

And so we wrap up our conversation. With our technical topics exhausted, and with plenty of insight gathered on all things relating to needle-in-groove, I thank Chris for his time, insight and honesty, and let him get back to his busy New York day, making, playing, and hunting down those round black discs.