Steve Rachmad




Steve Rachmad is globally known as a Dutch techno producer and DJ. By many, he is considered a father of Detroit techno in this country of windmills and numerous channels, respected in the world of electronic music for his deep, groovy sounds that tend to rest on impressive strings, melodies, funk and soul. His career has been reaching its highest peaks from 1996 up to the present time. Yet, it is somewhat less known that he has been in the music realms for 23 years by now.

Steve’s life story starts in Amsterdam, where he saw the first lights of the day on November 19, 1969. Twelve years later, teenage Steve already starts buying his first records: to mix, remix, and cut-and-paste their parts with an open reel tape deck. In such a cut-and-paste fashion, he presented his first release in the mid-1980s. Among these early releases was also the one created for a hip-house/dance artist Tony Scott.

From that time on, Steve finds his inspiration in the 1980s dance and electro, works of former Time members (Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis), The System, Arthur Baker, to name but a few. At the age of 15, he also starts his DJing career with a disco set in a small Amsterdam club. Nevertheless, his love for music urges him to start buying equipment, which would later result in a professional studio that is, according to him, “everything he ever dreamt of having.” Today, his equipment is mainly analogue, providing him with a chance to explore the realms of warm, alive, non-static sounds. He laid the corner stone of this collection in 1985, by getting a TR-808.

A year later, Steve gets introduced to the house music. His attention is captured by the new sounds echoing mostly from Detroit and Chicago, i.e. by the work of artists such as Mr. Fingers and Derrick May. Following their style, Steve’s own style takes a new direction. He is soon to be found working with artists like Darren Emerson and Derrick May.

The incoming years are to be marked by numerous successful releases on labels such as 100% Pure, Underwater, Fragile, M-Plant, Tresor, etc. He also made a significant number of remixes, signed under various pseudonyms. Among Steve’s most respected releases is certainly his album “Secret Life of Machines,” which came out in 1996 under his pseudonym Sterac, and is up to this date considered as one of the all-time techno classics. About the same time his DJing path starts rapidly evolving as well. Until today, Steve shares his talent with the crowds all over Europe, North and Latin America, and Japan. He occasionally spins disco and electro, but mainly techno.

Of all the fictitious names he used throughout his career to sign his productions, the ones that remained until today are Sterac, Ignacio, Dreg, Parallel 9, Adverse Match and Sterac Electronics (his pseudonym for electro productions). They appear on labels like Music Man, CLR, Jericho, Sino (Technasia), etc. Steve also runs three labels of his own: Scorp, Ion, and an electro label Interpersonal //XP. The history of remixes continues into the present, including a variety of people, such as the Advent, Vince Watson, Kanzleramt, Mark Broom, Chris Liebing, etc.

Over the years, Steve lost the count of his productions and remixes. However, he built an oeuvre that is without a doubt of a high magnitude: both quality and quantity-wise. Unfortunately, his busy DJ schedule puts a limit on the time he would like to spend in his studio. Yet, he strives for the balance that would satisfy his enormous artistic appetite and potential. His devotion to his dreams and inspirations drives him safely into the successful future.