PETE ROCK

CMJ New Monthly Magazine / Greene Street Recordings / New York City 2001

I first met Pete Rock at Greene Street Recordings in NYC in 1997. I was recording the grassy knoll album III, and he was working on remixes in Studio B. Rumor had it that when Pete was deep into a mix the volume would get so loud the engineers had to wear earplugs—he wanted to experience the bottom end!

In 2001, as photo editor for CMJ New Music Magazine, I jumped at the opportunity to photograph Pete back in Studio B for his new release Petestrumentals.

The image was made with a Nikon CoolPix 950. I enjoyed shooting artists with this camera. The 950 was a 2.0mp camera that in low-light situations had a really funky surreal blown-out digital look, almost painterly. However, I never could predict how the camera would react in different settings. It was a risky way to work but it produced many happy accidents.

Pete Rock / Greene Street Studios / Studio B / New York City 2001