Quentin Harris Profile

Written by DJ Plez

Quentin Harris is one of the leaders of the modern-day deep house music scene and has been credited with helping re-vitalize this electronica sub-genre.

He's currently one of the hottest producers in the music industry and in 2005 provided one of the chart-topping remixes - a deep house anthem affair - of "Don’t Forget About Us" by Mariah Carey. He also remixed Patti LaBelle’s "A New Day" back in 2004.

Born and raised in Detroit, music was always a big part of his life with a vocalist mother and a father who played the trumpet. His pre-teen years saw him tackling the piano and trumpet and by the age of 14 he was performing live with his aunt’s blues band. Later by age 20 he was in studio recording sessions with Aretha Franklin.

Harris came of age inspired by many of the Motown legends as well as by Prince and the P-Funk sound of George Clinton and Parliament. Being from Detroit, he was also influenced by the early techno house sound.

A modern day urban artist, Harris was also influenced by hip-hop and was part of the same Detroit scene that produced the likes of Eminem and Proof.

During the mid to late 1990s, Harris’ house music sensibilities were shaped by his frequent trips to NYC and hanging out at legendary clubs such as the Sound Factory, Sound Factory Bar, Be Yourself, Body & Soul, and the original Shelter. House music at this point, according to Harris, was much less niche orientated with tracks crossing over from scene to scene.

After permanently relocating to NYC by the start of the new millennium, Harris settled in at Satellite Records, the largest record store in the city and one of the most influential in the world of dance music. Thereafter he began getting more involved in remixing and production work, building a stellar reputation for his soulful and complex deep house efforts that have proven popular on a wide variety of dance floors the world over. His tracks get consistent and enthusiastic support from DJs as musically diverse as Danny Tenaglia, David Morales, Hex Hector, Frankie Knuckles, Pete Tong, Roger Sanchez, Deep Dish, Derrick Carter, Francois K, and Danny Krivit.

As a DJ, Harris has been inspired over the years by Detroit’s Ken Collier of Heaven Nightclub, DJ Timmy Regisford in New York, and the success of Club Stereo in Montreal. He believes in energetic mixing with a focus on programming and has gone about trying to offer the gay clubbing community a musical alternative to the banging circuit sound. Harris has also sought to close the gap between gay and straight dance circles and has a global following that is unusually diverse.

2006 has seen Harris' global appeal grow exponentially with numerous production and remixing credits, DJing gigs throughout Europe and North America, and a debut appearance as a performer in South Africa. Harris is also working on full-length albums for vocalists Colton Ford and Jason Walker and will release his own debut album "No Politics" later this fall on Un-restricted Access Records.

And the most important thing you need to know: Quentin Harris will be tantalizing the Boom Boom Room dance floor at Green Dolphin Street on Monday, October 16, 2006. He joins main room resident DJs Michael Serafini and Diz for a night of house music goodness. You won’t want to miss it!

Note: Boom Boom Room is presented in part by ChicagoPride.com. CP Members can sign up weekly for free VIP ACCESS to Boom Boom Room at Green Dolphin.