Biography
Dean Peer is internationally recognized for his use of bass harmonics, as well as his ability to produce a wide variety of sounds, harmonic chords, and underlying rhythmic pulses while floating melodies on top. He has recorded with artists such as Prairie Prince (The Tubes), Grammy Award winner Paul McCandless, Howard Levy (Béla Fleck and the Flecktones), Bill Douglas, Ty Burhoe, Christopher Currell (Michael Jackson), and many others. Born in Burlington, Vermont, and raised in Boulder, Colorado, Dean now resides in Barcelona Spain. He began playing music in high school with his friends, performing at school dances and private parties. While learning to play, he was influenced by the leading bass players of the day, including Stanley Clarke and Jaco Pastorius. During high school, he performed in the All-State Orchestra and later studied on a music scholarship at the University of Northern Colorado and the University of Colorado Denver. After graduating in 1982, Dean also attended the fledgling Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, where influential artists and thinkers such as Allen Ginsberg and Bill Douglas taught. He later recorded with Bill Douglas on the Hearts of Space label and was featured on Stephen Hill’s radio program, “Music from the Hearts of Space.”
According to Bass player magazine Dean's book Bass Harmonics: new concepts and techniques is "the book on Bass Harmonics".
Dean has four albums with original music:
The latest recording released in 2010, AIRBORNE, is a bass and drum duet. Avguide.com reviewed AIRBORNE, calling Dean “a remarkable solo artist on his chosen instrument, with a dazzling array of playing techniques at his disposal. . . seemingly limitless chops, and—most importantly—a wealth of inventive musical ideas to express.” AIRBORNE has been on a top 40 radio success in the US and Canada and was nominated for an annual ZMR award for 2010, a must buy in the 2011 Absolute Sound buyers guide and featured in Stereophile magazine multiple times since its release in 2010.
Stereophile Magazine wrote of Peer’s third release,Think… It’s All Good, “On first listen you want more, and the more you turn up the volume, the more there is to hear.”
His 1994 album, Travelogue, was called “one of the best records of the year” by Jazz Times, and features contributions on saxophones by Paul McCandless.
His album UCROSS, released in 1991, was the first completely solo electric bass album in worldwide distribution. It was hailed by Stereophile magazine as an audiophile classic, and Bass Player magazine called UCROSS an extravaganza of ringing notes, chords and clusters, rating the bass performance an “A”.
Lately, he has been living in Barcelona, Spain, where he has been finishing his latest release, Fantasma. In addition, he has been producing records for other artists, and fans can expect to see him performing live again in 2028.
