by John Bush
One of the breakout house producers of the late 90s, though hed been working for a decade before, Cevin Fisher is responsible for a growing number of club favorites including Freaks Come Out, (You Got Me) Burnin Up, Music Saved My Life, and House Music. Fisher began DJing while in his teens, first in his fathers New Jersey bar and at various college gigs but later in a spot at the mecca for garage music, Club Zanzibar. From there, he moved to New York in the late 80s and began working on production with employees like Motown and Arthur Bakers Shakedown Studios. Convinced by Danny Tenaglia to begin recording on his own, he debuted with several anthemic tunes like House Is a Feeling (as Sunday School) and Hands on Love, songs that carried on the vibes of early house pioneers Tony Humphries and Larry Heard. Early singles The Way We Used To and Shine the Light earned international clubplay, though it was 1998s The Freaks Come Out that pushed him into the mainstream house stratosphere. Released on at least five different labels, the single made Fishers reputation as a suave producer, with preeminent vocals on his cuts. Two compilations appeared in 1999, the mixed Dangerous Disco and the Nervous compilation Cevin Fishers Nervous Tracks. One year later, Underground 2000 appeared on Razor & Tie. Fisher has also remixed Quincy Jones, Chaka Khan, Robert Miles and Kevin Aviance.