DJ Q&A: Sirus Hood
Our fabulous French friend SIRUS HOOD is back in the house this Saturday June 22nd for the GENE FARRIS and FRIENDS TOUR. SIRUS, let’s start with an important topic. We LOVE your fashion sense! You are one of the best-dressed DJ’s we have ever had play for us!
The French are notorious for being fashionable. Do you think this has influenced you greatly?
Thank you, it means a lot. Yes I think being French influences me a lot. French are very sensitive to fashion, especially in Paris. But I’m also influenced by American fashion. I love the street style of the US combined with the refined European style. That would qualify how I dress.
When did your love of cool fashion start?
Since i’m little, I always tried to differentiate myself from the others, to have something unique. So I tried every style, it was sometimes extravagant, but without knowing it, it was a form of art, I understood this when I started making music.
Do you buy most of your wardrobe in Paris or elsewhere in the world while on tour?
I buy very few clothes in Paris because it’s a city that is more into luxury and “classic” style. For basics I buy in the UK or internet, and for more extravagant and unique pieces I do it in Los Angeles.
What are some of your favorite brands at the moment? What is your monthly fashion budget?
Favourite brands: Joy Rich, Nike, Pink Dolphin, Topman, Fila..Monthly budget of $300-$500 a month
Thank you, for clearing that up for us! We also LOVE Gene Farris and were so pleased that you were his PLUS ONE on this tour. How did you meet Gene?
I met Gene in London, Ministry Of Sound, we played the same night. But I didn’t see him play. The time after that was at Dirtybird campout 2017. I remember being very impressed by his set.. I was listening from my tent because i was so tired haha. We got along directly, only fun and laughs between us since the beginning.
Have you played any shows with him before?
He invited me twice to play for his events at ADE and during Miami Music week this year. I think this is the first time we’re really playing together and now doing solo sets and then a b2b for the first time at Halcyon, I can’t be more excited.
Any fun stories about Gene you would like to share?
In London, the hotel where we were staying at had to evacuate every guest because of a fire alarm. When I got back from shopping, I saw Gene smoking outside. Then the hotel posted a note apologizing for the inconvenience, and saying that the fire alarm started because a guest was smoking in his hotel room hahaha, I knew instantly who did this!
LOL… SO naughty! You have released on DIRTYBIRD, a label synonymous with San Francisco and the West Coast. Tell us about your collaboration “PARIS TO SF” with ARDALAN. We LOVE it!
Paris to SF is a long story.. It a track we started 1 year before the actual release. We loved the drums but the lyrics used to say “ASS cream”, and we were very unsure.. Then we asked Justin Martin what he thought about it, and he said that it sounds like a track about hemorrhoids haha.
Haha, not exactly a catchy lyric. How did the collaboration come about? Ardy is so much fun! Where did you guys work on the track? In SF or Paris or elsewhere?
We made the track in SF in 2014. Then, the year after when I came back to SF, we reworked the track. I had the idea of the lyrics “Paris to SF” and Ardy recorded his sexy voice on his iPhone. We wanted to make a link between the 2 cities because I represent Paris and Ardy represents SF.
We are so pleased to have you back in SF! What is one tourist thing you would like to do on your visit to SF?
What I dream to see in SF is the prison of Alcatraz because at home with my friends, saying that “it’s Alcatraz” is an expression meaning it’s the worse place in the world.
Thank you for having me, I cannot wait to see my SF people again.
Well maybe we can make your dreams come true! We look forward to hearing another awesome set from you at the club!
Get your tickets now for GENE FARRIS & FRIENDS: SIRUS HOOD
SIRUS HOOD
To the point now Sirus Hood is a French artist who grew up in Paris. From the age of 10 years old when older friends would pass him mixtapes recorded in underground clubs of the time, he imagined an amazing world, dark but with flashing colours. “In my head it was like a Disneyland I’d never been to but I wanted to get there.” He managed to start playing gigs in the Parisian warehouse scene making his own mixtapes. It was a childhood dream that has become a reality for him. “I was finding the Disneyland but the music was better!” He laughs! His music is influenced widely from classic New York House to the 80s’ Chicago Hip House movement from warehouse / loft parties to the whole Balearic sounds of Ibiza.
His biggest tracks on the likes of Dirtybird and CUFF are great examples of what he is about. House music through and through Sirus Hood emits an infectious energy of enjoyment on the dance floor. Never one to shy away from a show to a knowing crowd, his work ethic is second to none.
DJ residencies in Sankeys Ibiza with CUFF for the seasons 2014 and 2015, various venues in London and Showcase in Paris gave him a platform and opened doors to wider audiences all around the globe. From Europe to Brazil, from Australia to South Africa, Russia to North America, passing by the middle east, his travel patterns underline his ability to work with different crowds and cultures while illustrating his cosmopolitan, universal side. To him – music is one language and unit.
When Sirus Hood isn’t on the road, he spends most of his time in his ‘laboratory’ like a scientist to his music! He satiates his hunger of knowledge through research of new sounds. He challenges himself on every new track with different recipes. In the end, his goal is to produce tracks that sound different from each other.
After refusing to do social media when the project started, he insisted on building his audience purely through the music and word of mouth first. Once these foundations were built he opened his socials with an instantly huge response from the public. A testament to his following.
His work is regularly supported by big names in house music like Amine Edge & DANCE (CUFF), Claude VonStroke and Justin Martin (Dirtybird) who affiliated him to their respective labels. He frequently appears in the Beatport charts.
Sirus Hood is heavily followed on his Soundcloud where most of his mixes are recorded and posted http://soundcloud.com/sirushood
Sirus Hood is never one to take the ever changing scene for granted since day one and he is living his childhood adventures to the fullest… He found his Disneyland. Where next?!
GENE FARRIS
Gene Farris is the sinister minister of dance music¹s changing sounds. Farris¹s global DJ track record and extensive discography of over forty productions are definitely a testament to the true Chicago house sound. Farris’s unique dexterous DJ style that includes extended sultry, melodic blends with tuff beats makes him a party favorite around the world. House music is Farris’s undoubted passion that also drives his full flavored, colorful studio creations. Farris’s deep roots in house music and strive to be the best keeps him on the global electronic music industry’s cutting edge.
Pushed by local kids in his South Side neighborhood of Chicago Gene Farris caught the DJ bug at the tender age of twelve. Inspired by the likes of Ron Hardy, Prince, and Roy Ayers Farris began blending a mixture of funk, disco, and soul combined with eighties’ pop icons such as, Duran Duran. One may still hear hints of disco in his style.
Even in his early years Farris was constantly on the move. By making mix tapes for his neighborhood buddies and selling them at many famed Windy City record stores like Gramaphone, Farris’s spinning skills quickly developed. Not only did Farris’s style evolve, his reputation rapidly grew. After many late nights ‘beatn’ down neighborhood block parties, Farris earned his childhood dream slot warming up for legendary Ron Hardy and Ron Carrol at the epic AKA Club.
As the early nineties approached, Gene Farris became a major player in the thriving Chicago dance scene. Wanting to hear more diverse house music Farris inevitably began to produce his own tracks. His first production style was tuff, loopy and tracky House. At the time Cajmere (of Green Velvet) just started a new label named, Relief Records. Close friend, Ron Trent, urged Farris take his hard hitting tunes to Relief Records. Trent thought Farris’s tracky sound was perfect for the early Relief.
House music history was made when Farris took his demo to Relief Records. Hanging out in the Relief office was another young Chicago DJ called Sneak, who also just made his first demo. Farris and Sneak both had their tracks signed. The “Farris Wheel” EP was Farris¹s debut release for Relief in 1994. Gene Farris, alongside like minded musicians such as DJ Sneak, Paul Johnson, Derrick Carter, DJ Rush, Ron Trent, Boo Williams and Glen Underground formed the new wave of notorious, soon to be globe trotting Chicago DJs and producers.
The “Farris Wheel” EP was the beginning of a prolific production career. Gene Farris¹s discography highlights works released on dance music¹s most respected labels such as, Defected/Fluential, Soma Records, Siesta Music, Force Inc., Formaldehyde, 83 West/ Camouflage, Communique, Defmix, Static, and more.
Being a leader in the industry, Gene Farris started his own label, Farris Wheel Recordings, Inc. in 1998, with “The Copa Cabana” EP. Among the label¹s many loved EPs is FWR 008 “The Spirit” – Gene Farris featuring Sneak remix. In February of 2001, Gene Farris unveiled Farris Wheel Recordings’s spin-off, Farris Wheel Limited. Farris’s concept for the new imprint is to steer away from saturated samples and feature more original, organic productions. Farris Wheel Limited artists are incorporating live feeds into their melodic soulful beats. Also, 2003 will see the release of the Farris Wheel imprint’s first CD compilation of the its own catalouge mixed by Gene Farris.
Currently, Farris continues his travels around the globe DJing for his fans throughout the United States, Canada, and many European countries like Croatia, Holland, Israel, and Russia. However, Farris still finds time in his busy schedule to devote in the studio. He is is working on a full length album of original music for release in 2003. Farris’s motive for the album is to push beyond the barriers of the current house music sound. Farris already collaborated with many remarkable dance musicians such as renowned house vocalist, Robert Owens and a fresh New York City production favorite, Onionz (just to name a few).
When asked about his future in music Gene Farris passionately replies, “House music is my one and only true love. I’ve been with her for over sixteen years and never plan on leaving. She’s my peace… me and the music.”
