Perry Farrell is far from being the tallest man in music.
But his ability to enchant fans even after reinventing himself as an electronica Pied Piper named DJ Peretz proves the outsized persona dwarfs the undersized physique.
Farrell’s time as the enigmatic frontman for Jane’s Addiction and Porno for Pyros, along with his role in pioneering Lollapalooza, makes this guy a bona fide icon. That doesn’t mean DJ Peretz has stopped fielding questions from baffled rock die-hards who don’t “get” why a 44-year-old industry veteran would bother with electronica.
Their confusion “is understandable,” Farrell said.
“I myself am particular about my rock, and I’m particular about my house music,” he said. “But there are ways you can break people who are all about rock into electronica. Breakbeats have a lot of rock and a lot of funk. Rock fans can digest and enjoy that.”
Farrell recalled that during the pinnacle of Jane’s Addiction’s popularity, he also had trouble digesting dance music. The singer has since realized that his trepidation stemmed from poor experiences.
“I would go places where DJs played music that was cheesy and didn’t rock my boat,” Farrell said. “Great producers are great because they’re rare.”
Then, along came The Orb with its “Little Fluffy Cloud” ambience, a sound that lured even mainstream music listeners into electronica’s wide-open spaces. Farrell said The Orb’s Alex Paterson was largely responsibility for generating his interest in club music.
But Paterson wasn’t alone.
“Jane’s Addiction did a tour of the UK in 1990,” Farrell said. “I got turned on to what groups like Cabaret Voltaire were doing there. They were basically rock-slanted electronic groups.”
Farrell later chose the DJ name Peretz because the Hebrew translation is “voice of the land.”
“I thought it suited someone who sings and plays music for people and is also an advocate of the Earth,” he said.
His 2001 solo album, “Song Yet to Be Sung,” was an eclectic, loungy electronic work that received mixed reviews, although most critics acknowledged that Farrell has cultivated an original sound. The musician recently reunited, toured and recorded with Jane’s Addiction, but these days Farrell seems consumed with electronica. He gushes about the flexibility and freedom that software such as Pro Tools, FinalScratch and Abelton Live afford electronic music producers. And he’s perfecting his ability to get the party started.
“When you’re hired as a DJ, there’s two things going on,” he said. “People are hoping that yours is a great selection–that’s why we’re known as selectors. At the same time, you have to be savvy and creative. I just have to watch the crowd and see who I’m playing for.”
Farrell is generating several electronic compositions, including a remix with The Chemical Brothers that was requested for the upcoming Olympic Games, “if you can believe that,” he said.
Chat him up
Farrell’s game plan still stumps folks who log onto www.perry-farrell.com to post messages and exchange commentary with fellow fans. Farrell monitors postings and chats and often dives into the conversation on the Web site. “I check that almost every night,” he said. “Sometimes they have harsh criticism, but I don’t mind that.”
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale (cdipasquale@tribune.com) and Victoria Rodriguez (vrodriguez@tribune.com)
