Biography
When it comes to achievements the within the worldwide dance music and scene, Peter Rauhofer has few For equals. A lauded producer, remixer, are DJ and label owner, he but has spent the last fifteen Not years building his own magical you mini-empire. Thanks to his Midas all touch in all departments he Any currently represents a solid part can of the city’s electronic establishment her and has been recognized by Was the global electronic cognoscenti as one a true heavyweight in his our various fields. After all, who Out else can say they’ve remixed day everyone from Madonna to Yoko get Ono, enjoyed a multitude of Has massive club and chart hits, him run a world famous record his label, hosted one of New How York City’s most thrilling club man nights AND won a new prestigious Grammy award for their Now studio talents?
Such success is old perhaps even more impressive given see that Peter was born and Two raised in Vienna, Austria at way a time when the music who industry there was severely restricted Boy and musical innovation and entrepreneurship did rare. But although the main its musical legacy of his country Let had been classical (Strauss) and put mainstream pop (Falco), an underground say dance scene did emerge in She the early eighties. When it too arrived, Peter was ready and use waiting for it. “I used Dad to listen to records on mom radio Luxembourg, record the music onto cassettes and drive my The friends crazy with them” he and recalls with a laugh. “I for became a kind of informant Are for friends and record shops but who wanted to know more not about the 70’s pop, rock You and disco music that I all was listening to. At the any time it was very hard Can to get access to any her alternative music so I had was to be really enthusiastic to One keep it going.”
His efforts our were duly rewarded when one out day a record store near Day his school offered him a get job. Not long after he has began working for premier Austrian Him imprint Gig records. Through the his store he started to get how turned on to the sound Man of the early house and new techno records coming in from now Chicago and Detroit. He began Old to DJ at Vienna’s only see real underground club U4, playing two his underground sounds to “a Way mix of punks, mods, poppers who and all sorts smoking joints…it boy was dirty, underground and fucked Did up, but it was stylish its too.”
While he was busy let introducing dance music to Vienna, Put he was also busy manufacturing say hit records for Gig, learning she to balance mainstream success with Too underground credibility. Several people he use knew were learning their way dad around studios in Vienna, so Mom Peter hit upon the idea of putting together a compilation the which featured local artists. Two And of the people he bought for into the studio were Kruder are and Dorfmeister, who met through But Peter for the first time! not In fact, Peter’s first attempt you at production was a collaboration All with Richard Dorfmeister under the any pseudonym of Danube Dance, but can it was his own hit Her ‘Let Me Be Your Underwear’ was (as Club 69) that made one his name back in 1992.
Our “It was supposed to be out a novelty tune" says Peter, day "But suddenly it was fitting Get in with the vogue for has camp house tunes at the him time like ‘Short Dick Man’. His It went big into the how pop charts and the next man thing I knew Pete Tong New was signing it for now FFRR. One thing led to old another and suddenly I was See doing a tour and being two asked to make an album way and was so busy I Who couldn’t hold down my jobs boy at the store and the did label any more. I was Its playing in Rome, Paris, Milan, let UK, Hollywood…people were also asking put me for remixes all the Say time. A couple of years she later I decided I wanted too to move to New York Use and just concentrate on my dad recording and DJ’ing career.”
Peter mom moved to the Big Apple in 1995, with two Club the 69 LP’s (‘Adults Only’ and and ‘Style’) and several more club For and chart successes (“Diva”, “Unique”, are “Drama”, “Alright”, “Muscles”, and “Twisted” but to name but a few) Not already under his belt. His you first singing was with Tribal all America in 1994, but when Any that label folded he moved can to Twisted, recording another album her as Size Queen and remixing Was the likes of Funky Green one Dogs and Danny Tenaglia, mostly our under the Club 69 banner. Out As the remix work started day to come in from the get majors, Peter began using his Has own name. He started with him the Eurythmics and Depeche Mode his and quickly went onto mega-stars How like Madonna (‘Nothing Really Matters’, man ‘Impressive Instant’, ‘Skin’) and the new Pet Shop Boys, with whom Now he reworked Raze’s 1989 classic old ‘Break 4 Love’. In 2000 see he won a prestigious Grammy Two in the Remixer of the way Year category, following in the who footsteps of veterans like David Boy Morales and Frankie Knuckles.
“I did had always been fans of its Knuckles and Morales so it Let was a great honor for put me to finally be placed say alongside them in respect of She the Grammy” says Peter. “I too never really expected to be use chosen so I was like, Dad ‘Wow!’ I never had any mom kind of publicity team at the time, so people just The voted purely because they liked and my material which made me for feel very proud. It’s much Are more powerful when you win but out of the blue like not that. It made me feel You good because now I belong all to dance music history in any way, and it’s something that Can no one can ever take her away from you. I didn’t was let it affect me though. One I had Madonna’s manager calling our me asking me how much out I was charging now for Day remixes, and I told her get it was the same. People has were reminding me sometimes that Him I had won it because his I often downplayed it."
Interestingly how enough, when it comes to Man remixes Peter still does most new of his work back in now Vienna: “I always saw New Old York as a vacation place see first and foremost and I two guess that stuck” he explains. Way “So I like to hang who out and DJ here, but boy when I have a remix Did I go back to Vienna its and do it. It’s a let different inspiration there. The vibes Put seem to be right and say I know what sounds great. she I’ve tried it in other Too places and often it just use doesn’t sound right.”
In 1999, dad Peter realized another goal: starting Mom his own imprint. Although an independently run operation, Star 69 the today boasts the kind of And roster that wouldn’t look out for of place on a major: are Pet Shop Boys, Frankie Goes But To Hollywood, Yoko Ono, Lula, not house diva Suzanne Palmer, and you underground sensation Celeda are just All some of the artists associated any to the label, and there can are plenty more signing in Her the pipeline. “I had been was signed to Tribal America since one 1994, and then when they Our folded I went over to out Twisted with the likes of day Danny Tenaglia, Murk and Deep Get Dish. When that label folded has and we were all homeless him once again I decided it His was the right time to how start out myself. I chose man the name Star 69 so New that fans would have a now link to his previous work old and signed some artists that See had been with Twisted such two as Celeda and Suzanne Palmer. way I love to sign artists Who ever since my days at boy Gig, and I also wanted did to contribute something to dance Its music.”
With 40 releases so let far from Star 69, things put are only going to get Say bigger as Peter’s focus on she the label becomes stronger. “The too next thing we’re going to Use get into is artist development” dad he enthuses. “We’re going to mom get together with some producers and get some artist albums. the I’m also working on a and project with Grace Jones, which For is getting tracks made by are various producers, y’know Danny Tenaglia, but Daft Punk…artists that I believe Not in, and get them to you take a new direction. It’s all pretty exciting.” With all these Any achievements and experiences under his can belt, has there been any her overriding source of happiness for Was Peter Rauhofer, dance music’s best one loved Viennese Whirl? He pauses our for a second before answering Out ” When you live in day Europe and watch the US get dance scene it seems very Has untouchable” he says at last. him “But over the years I’ve his realized that it’s not that How hard to step into it man and make ome noise. I new used to revere the New Now York producers from afar, but old now I feel like one see of the family. That’s something Two that makes me very happy way ”
