“Before ‘vinyl only’ became a distinction, before using a Roland 303 bassline ‘incorrectly’ was da s–t!, even before most of today’s clubbers were yet to be born; Eric D. Clark was there in full effect. In parallel to the track From Disco to Disco traveling the world, Eric has pieced together a music legacy from classical to house, with the click of a mouse, soon spanning four decades. You never know what you will get when Eric is at the helm, his sets span multiple genres incorporating his unique live vocal style plus on occasion live keyboards over the tracks.”
From Disco to Disco, from piano to electro and more: Eric D. Clark started his DJ career 40 years ago. From Sunday church performances in California at the age of 10 as a classical and gospel piano prodigy to disco and electronica keyboard mastering, Eric trained his ears and hands until 1981 when he finally claimed his place behind turntables and took up residencies in San Francisco’s most famous clubs including The Underground, Das Klub, and The End Up.
Six years later, Eric integrated the Parisian night life and played in an eclectic array of venues: galleries, straight and gay clubs, as well as early soul, break-beat, and jungle raves… By the early 90’s he started to regularly visit Germany on the look-out for new “underground” dance music. Soon his Whirlpool Productions trio with Justus Köhncke & Hans Nieswandt was born and took the European scene by storm, especially Italy, with hits such as The Cold Song and From Disco to Disco. Eric then began to explore other opportunities with solo releases including Fur Dancefloor on Ladomat and collaborated with numerous musicians including Tyree Cooper, Army of Lovers, Tiefschwarz, The Aikiu, Chicks on Speed, Angie Reed, Chaka Khan, TLC…
In 2007 after releasing E=dC² on Firm Recordings, Eric unexpectedly became a professor, teaching at The Stædel School for Visual Arts in Frankfurt alongside writing for Spex. 2014 marked Eric’s debut as a curator in Oslo’s Demons Mouth gallery, and he pursued this endeavour in Berlin in a private gallery in his studio, and later started producing an E.D.C. column for Starship Magazine, and the introduction to the screening of Sun Ra’s Space is the Place. Eric has also sat as a judge at the International Film Festival in Oberhausen where he had previously won an award for best music, he has acted in several art films, has been seen as a highlight speaker at MI (Musicians Institute) in LA, Art Cologne, MW:M, and at CTM‘s Hacklab among other events and conferences. Eric is also involved with fashion as a stylist and with fashion labels campaign scoring for Chanel, Fila, Louboutin, and Moncler – and in 2023, Pamela Anderson and Naomi Campbell walked to From Disco to Disco for the Hugo Boss show in Miami. He also scores and does sound-design for movies or theatre projects such as Antigone starring Melissa Logan, or Just Tell No One at the Lincoln Center,
Eric D. Clark has played in Europe, Asia, South America and the USA in venues such as Panoramabar (live) & Ostgut, Tresor, E-Werk, Maria, Weekend, Echoplex, Ace Hotel, Soho House, several celeb events including Frieze Magazine launch, MTV Beach Party in Uruguay and Audiotool & Adobe events in LA, other majors events such as Italian and German Biennales, MELT, the Berlin and LA Gay Prides, along with residencies at Arkaoda, Kit Kat Club, and Suicide Club in Berlin.
In his daily practice, Eric juggles DJ residencies in Germany and Mediterranean spots, manages his label Subcurrent, plays gigs around Europe and the USA, lends his vocal and instrumental or remix expertise to other artists, for example to Bored with Stefan Braatz on Poker Flat that was supported by Richie Hawtin, Ame, and Joris Voorn, Daylight with Mouse on Mars that lead to live shows at the Elbe Philharmonie and the 10 years of Arte Concerts. Eric’s body of work review in the Musique Journal concluded in 2019, and from 2020 to 2024 you can review multiple his versatile releases from many solo singles, collaborations with Hans Nieswandt, Lee Scratch Perry, Fulu Miziki, Doc Martin, a classical orchestra, etc. In 2022, along his bandmates from Whirlpool Productions, Eric received the Holger Czukay Prize career award, and he launched his metaverse gallery space Upstairs At €rix. 2023 and 2024 highlights were presenting an original composition at the Centre Pompidou, joining the Kampnagel festival, taking up his Croatia and Portugal summer residencies again and starting a roller disco and open air residencies in Berlin, taking up curation for guest art shows at Setareh, composing for more movies, starting a series of collabs with the iconic publishing house Motto, and releasing re-editions of Whirlpool Productions classics.