Get to know Stacy Kidd

One of the most versatile and skilled DJs and producers, Stacy Kidd is a leading name on the Chicago house scene and beyond.

From Dance Mania to Defected, Ministry of Sound to his own label House 4 Life, Stacy Kidd has racked up a rich and arresting back catalogue working with some of the biggest dance imprints.

Having spun records and collaborated with the likes of Louie Vega, Terry Hunter, DJ Sneak, Mark Farina, Barbara Tucker, Byron Stingily, Frankie Knuckles, Paul Johnson, Daft Punk, and Kenny Dope, his work brings together a variety of influences and sounds to create his signature soulful, beat-driven style.

Ahead of his set for GO Ibiza in May, we caught up with Stacy to talk remixing, hitting the number one spot of Traxsource and what he’s got coming up in 2019.

You grew up in Chicago, the home of house music, when did you first realise that you wanted to be a part of this scene?
I realised that I wanted to be a part of the scene when I first started listening to our local radio stations, checking out mixes and loving the sound...

What was the first house track you went out and bought?
The first house record that I bought was Adonis "Were Rocking Down The House".

Nowadays you only have to log into a computer and you have access to hundreds if not thousands of online tutorials, guides and tools that teach you about producing music - something which just wasn’t available twenty or so years ago. How did you learn to produce music?
I taught myself how to produce with the old school drum machine (boss and casio).

Your first solo project EP "15213 Loomis" was released on Jesse Saunders’ Dance Mania Records in 1996. What did it feel like putting you first solo record out there? And what was it like working with Jesse?
My first solo release was great because there were so many tunes that I’d produced and didn't have a outlet for. I’d started working closing with Paul Johnson back then, learning the industry, and he helped me get my first release out - Jesse Saunders wasn't part of Dance Mania it was a guy name Ray Barney who started and created the label.

In 2015, the final track on the EP ‘Give It To Me’ was propelled back into the spotlight when it was remastered by UK house duo Waze & Odyssey. How does it feel when an artist approaches you asking to remix or remaster a track from your catalogue?
It’s always great to have other artists and producers remix some of your old tunes, because it shows that you’re influencing what they’re doing and created the style they like from the old school. It also brings it back to the new fans who follow them.

Do you think it is important for producers to revisit and reissue classic tracks and put them in front of new and younger audiences?
Yes, because it educates the new age about things that they may have not heard and also maybe influences them as well.

In 2008, you launched your own label House 4 Life. Can you tell us a little bit about House 4 Life? What was the ethos behind the project?
House 4 Life is a quote that I have used for years. When I started my own labels and production company it was just fitting to use that name since I've used it for so many years.

What releases on the label are you most proud of?
My favourite release that I'm most proud of is the album I did for my mother "Brenda". I lost my mother to cancer in 2014, so the title song I came up with called Brenda is my all time favourite release. It also features the great Dawn Tallman on vocals.

You recently held the #1 and #2 spot on the Traxsource Soulful House charts for upcoming releases “Only God” and “Magic In You”, due out on House 4 Life in April. Congrats! What is the key to your success?
Thanks! The key to my success is I just produce music that I love and hope the fans end up loving it also. I have so, so many ideas when I make music, it’s hard to keep me in a box, so i just try to bring out everything I feel and do in my music.

Any other releases for us to look out for coming up?
Yes, I have a lot of new releases coming out.. Just dropped two new tunes "Joy" & "Shame" and I have two new albums coming, The Remixes Album Vol 2 and "Nite Life" the Album, plus tons of other coming releases featuring Crystal Waters, Carmen Brown, Sara Devine, Kathy Brown, Lee Wilson, Byron Stringily, and more...

Finally, what have you got planned for the rest of 2019?
The rest of 2019 is going to be great, with my tour which is going on now, new releases on both my labels House 4 Life Records & Dance 4 Life Records and I'm getting married!!! So great things to come.

Catch Stacy Kidd at GO Ibiza 16 - 20 May 2019