Worlds-Best

PETER "HITHOUSE" SLAGHUIS:

One of worlds BEST producer and remixer during his short life !!!

Peter Slaghuis was a meteor in the world of dance music in mid and late eighties.
Based in Holland, Slaghuis gets known in the world of underground djs for his 13 albums of "Disco Breaks", and builds a credibility with a series of remixes, like Abba's "Lay all your love on me", Maria Vidal's "Body rock" and especially the million selling Nu Shooz hit "I can't wait", in 1986. In 1984 he is also involved in dance act The Video Kids, releasing the single "Woodpeckers from space".
When the house music phenomenon reaches Europe, not only Slaghuis is one of the first Dutch deejays to spin house (at the Bluetiek-In in Rotterdam) but also one of the pioneers of sampling, with a couple of 1988/89 hits made under the name Hithouse. His first hit record is "Jack to the sound of the underground" (the term "jack" comes from Chicago house slang and recalls the act of frenetically dancing to a house beat - see US titles like Steve "Silk" Hurley's "Jack your body") and at the beginning it lifts some samples from Coldcut's "Say kids what time is it". The track goes to no.14 in the UK charts. "Jack to the sound..." also is one of the first records to have an "acid" remix treatment, and finally the track itself gets sampled on Italian underground dance hit "Judicta" by Mod n.4.

The sequel ("Move your feet to the rhythm of the beat") isn't equally lucky. The formula is basically the same (a catchy hi-energy loop covered with a collection of samples) but it lacks of those catchy hook lines that were present in the first one. One of these was a large excerpt of Kelly Charles' "You're no good for me".

After these two singles and a bunch of some other minor productions (like a weird remix of Lynn Collins' version of the classic Isley Brothers-penned "Shout", obscure dj-only mixes like a DMC remix of Madonna's "La Isla Bonita" and the Holy Noise project with his dj friend Paul Elstak, later known as the godfather of gabber and owner of Rotterdam Records), Hithouse mixes one of the versions of the Technotronic mega hit "Pump up the jam" (both acts were on the same Benelux label, Ars) before disappearing into legend.
Peter Slaghuis sadly dies in a car accident a couple of years later (5-sep-1991), but honest historians of dance music will never be able to deny that he gave a small -but essential- contribution to the birth of sampling and electronic scene. The Kelly Charles sample resurfaces in 1994, as the vocal hook on a major international hit: "No good" - by none else than The Prodigy.

Thanks to Nicola "Dj Batman" Battista and Peter Sanders ( Dutch Mix History ) for the biography.

DMC Interview (MixMag Jan. 1989)

The Peter Slaghuis Story !

(by Steve Anderson)

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Within the last two months, Peter ''Hithouse'' Slaghuis's career has been given the biggest boost so far owing to the massive success of the single ''Jack To The Sound Of The Underground''. But unknown to many people, Peter's success in Europe started way before the Hithouse project.

It all started in 1979 when he started DJing in a local club. Whilst he was jocking he heard an illegal bootleg American megamix wich inspired him to try and copy the style. He was already mixing in the club whilst at home he was experimenting with the legendary cassette pause button editing technique. Using this he created his first remix, a 3/4 hr long remix of Abba's ''Dancing Queen''.

PS)''I liked the record so much that I wanted to make it longer !'' he recalls. He saved some money and bought two completely different fixed speed decks and a receiver. By wiring these up he was able to hear one deck out of the left and one out of the right. This was the primitive beginnings of the Hithouse studio. All the time he was djing , Peter was saving money. (PS)''The only thing I was spending money on was records. I was an addict, and I wasn't satisfied if I didn't have everything available.''

The next purchases including a cheap mixing console, two vari speed decks and a Pioneer reel to reel wich had ''horrible sound quality''.

He had secured connections with the Dutch ''Discobreaks'' bootleg label and started creating megamixes and remixes for them. Some of the earlier mixes were actually created on cassette including the rare ''Dutch Mix'' of ''Lay All Your Love On Me'' by Abba.

As more equipment piled into his studio at his parents home, he became more certain of his future. He was always playing his mixes in the club with great reactions from the crowds. (PS)''I was one of the first dj's to do this, along with Ben Liebrand''.

Then came the first big break. A Dutch record label called him to ask him to create a remix of a track called ''I can't wait'' by Nu Shooz. (PS)''I hated the song so I just decided to put a hook over it, change some sounds, add a few samples and that would be it. No more !'' The hook he put on it probably made the single sell in the enormous quantities that it did. Peter was very surprised at it's success. (PS)''They offered me royalties or money, and as I didn't rate the track I took the money, (about 150 pounds) which was my first mistake I guess !''.

The next break was in the form of the Video Kids project. (Remember "Woodpeckers From Space'' ?) However, Peter wasn't producing this time, he was singing ! The Video Kids were massive in Europe and led to PA's and two albums. But all this time, the studio kept growing and in 1985 he bought his first Akai S900 sampler. (PS)''I was one of the first people to have one'' he recalls, ''so I had to find out everything myself. One night I had spent hours getting my first real programme together when my sister walked in and pulled the plug out ! Can you imagine that ?''

He than began to realize that Dutch bootlegs weren't the right way to go about getting a name for yoursellf, so he began to send mixes to DMC. He finally began talking to Susan McLintock and his first mix for DMC: ''Slag It Off'' was put onto vinyl.

His remix commitments were getting heavier and heavier and included Wistles ''Just Buggin'', Spencer Jones ''How To Win Your Love'' and a mammoth "Evelyn Thomas Megamix''. In December 1986 he created the first ever sample record for DMC and named it "Samplification''. He also started on his firts ever full-production for the "Milk Shake Rap'' by Extince. (PS)'' This 17 year old kid came op to me at a disco and told me he had rapped a record called ''Rap Around The Clock''. it was a terrible track but I thought I could do something with his voice''. The Extince project was heavily influenced by the Mantronik sound ande the McDonalds melody was also used. (PS)''McDonalds were going to sue me, can you believe that ?''.

In the months following he was involved in numerous European projects and was also taken to America by Atlantic to rebuild some Nu Shooz tracks for their album, only one of which was used. (PS)''The songs I was given were terrible and they expected me to perform miracles. They thought my production was to heavy as I incorporated a lot of tricky edits in the mixes. I think it would be safe to say that I was ahead of my time in that department.'' Then he created the 1987 year mix for Dutch Radio 3, more as a contrast rather than competition to Ben Liebrands similar year mix for Veronica Radio.

In Europe, both his remix of ''Second Time Around'' by Shalamar and a new version of ''Samplification'' sold in their millions. At this point he decided it was time to move into an apartment of his own, to house his rapidly building studio. The idea behind his biggest project to date Hithouse, came from doing a DMC mix. (PS)''I was remixing ''Pink Cadillac'' for DMC and I just loved the bassline but hated the drums, so I just changed the percussion, put some samples over it and added another 4 basslines. I was really crazy about it''. A Belgium record company was instantly interested in it and then Supreme Records in Britain became excited enough to release it. Despite some slating from the music press, Hithouse steamed into most of the World Dance Charts. He directed and edited the video himself which was entirely shot in a disused gas factory in Holland which with the help of some graffiti artists looked like the Bronx.

However Hithouse is only half of his current success. His '88 remix of Petula Clarks ''Downtown'' is already in the charts even though Peter is still negotiating for a far deal with the record company. (PS)''In the meantime it's a great feeling that everyone is playing and buying my remix''.

So, to the future. Where will Peter venture next ? (PS)''We have a Hithouse album and a tour planned for 1989. The album will contain every style of music including Acid, Latin, HiNrg, House and Hip Hop. The new single called ''Everybody'' is like a Todd Terry type Acid track. I have a female singer called Crystal P singing on the album and on the PA's. I am in Britain soon to do a 48 track remix of a track by Sadie Nine and between all of this I am overwhelmed by tv, interviews and magazines !''

Peter Slaghuis is at last getting the recognition he has worked so hard for in the last 10 years. From here on, the only way is up !

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Special thanks to Sjeng Stokkink for sending me this DMC interview !