In the HEARTBREAKERS series, we look at the dance floor tearjerkers that make your night special, whether that's at the height of your high or the plateau. Electronic music has the power to break hearts and this is an appreciation of those songs. For this edition we asked acid house maestro and Chicago legend DJ Pierre to describe the intergalactic journey that Fingers Inc's seminal "Distant Planet" takes him on every time he hears it.I first heard "Distant Planet" at the Music Box when I was about 20. I recognised Robert Owens' voice on it - a voice I knew and had always liked - but when I heard this track it was something else. I only listened to the song that one time, but that was enough to make me go home with it on my mind. I would lay awake at night thinking about it; what it meant, what it felt like, the sense of freedom it afforded, and how it makes you just want to dream about that place, that distant planet.During this period of time we [as Phuture] did "Acid Tracks" , and I was already thinking how I wanted to take acid to another level. I wanted to make a song with musical elements, and with acid in it, which hadn't been done before in the scene really. I really wanted to keep the "Distant Planet" track in mind when I wrote this song, but I hadn't heard it again since, so I could only really go from that one memory. I couldn't remember the lyrics or anything like that, it's just that one brief moment that made me dream about that song. Then, somehow dreaming about the track turned into a fantasy about a girl, and that's when I ended up writing "Fantasy Girl". I just wanted to write a song that made people feel the same way I felt when I heard "Distant Planet".Ever since "Acid Tracks" I just felt like I got to create something better and push it further before someone else does, whilst trying to be creative and original. At that time in my life everything was incredibly exciting. My life was so much about DJing every day, the Chicago scene was so vibrant, and clubs went every night of the week aside from say Monday and Wednesday. I wasn't in a long-term relationship at the time, it was just my friends and I going out every night: clubs, girls, DJing - it was the time of my life.The key thing that makes the track so amazing has to be Robert Owens' voice. His voice sucks you in, with its tone and emotion. It makes you feel like you're flying, and he's singing about a distant planet - the ultimate flying experience, you're soaring outta the universe! If it had anyone else singing it, it would be different - it wouldn't be the same vibe, the same feeling, that way his voice grooves and weaves in and out when he sings. It's not harsh, it seems so emotionally connected to what he's saying - he's not forceful, it's not hammering down on you - it just moves so naturally, and to be quite honest I'm not sure even outside of house music you can find that depth really.I don't play "Distant Planet" out anymore, that track's not for DJing; it's more for listening to in a car, for loving and for dreaming. I rarely listen to a track just by myself, but with this one it's like I don't really want to share it, that's my track, it takes me to a place that feels utterly private.DJ Pierre is featured on the new Halocyan Universal quantifier compilation, which is out now and available on iTunes
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