Christopher Lawrence - "You're Only As Good As Your Last Party"

Hi Christopher, and thank you for taking the time to speak to us! For those unaware of who you are, sum yourself up in no more than 10 words.

I am a DJ and producer from the US.

You’re clearly an extremely busy man, so just to make us all feel jealous, right after doing this interview what will you be doing and where will you be going?

After I finish this interview I will be going back in the studio to go through music for this weekend’s events. Coming up this month are dates in Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Bombay and a tour of China. That’s before I head over to Europe and the UK for the Antiworld Festival, Creamfields in Poland, Ibiza and Dance Valley the first of July.

Onto more serious issues! A trance DJ hailing from America is something of a rarity, especially for one to be so successful on such a global scale. Do you find that the trance scene is difficult to keep in touch with as it’s so Eurocentric?

 

I have always had my own style of trance that is different than the traditional European sound. It is true that the trance scene is very Eurocentric, but there are a lot of talented trance DJs in the US. They are just busy touring North America. You have to realize that there are as many cities to play in North America as Europe and the UK put together. That’s one of the downfalls of a Eurocentric attitude is that you miss out on a lot of quality talent.

 

Dance music in America has always remained underground, although tech-house is dominating the existing scene Stateside at the moment. Do you ever find it a struggle to successfully promote yourself and the music that you play in the US? Do you come up against much resistance at all?

 

No. Fortunately, I have never had a problem. I have been well established in the US for almost fifteen years so I have a loyal fan base that has supported me. Dance music in the US will probably never enjoy the success that it has in other parts of the world because the US is so deeply rooted in Rock & Roll and R & B, but the electronic music scene here is very healthy.

 

You’ve played at Turnmills before for the legendary Gallery events as well as to Ibizan crowds who are notable for being the most raucous on the planet. Do you find that European crowds are more responsive to the music you play? Which type of crowd do you honestly prefer performing to?

 

People are the same the world over and my favourite crowd is an up for it crowd. I have played incredible events in Buenos Aries, Dubai, Moscow, Los Angles, and of course London and Ibiza. The amazing thing about electronic dance music is that it is truly a global movement.

 

It must have been an incredible honour to be voted in this year’s Top 5 of the DJ Magazine Top 100 DJ poll. You’ve beaten off some seriously tough competition there from the likes of Carl Cox and James Zabiela. If you had to attribute your success to one thing, what would it be?

 

It was a fantastic honour to be voted in the top 5 in DJ Magazine’s Top 100. I owe it all to my loyal fans. It has been a long road, but you know the story of the tortoise and the hare: slow and steady wins the race.

 

How have you seen your profile develop since the Awards, and how do you feel you have coped with the publicity that has gone with it? Have you had to deal with any negativity?

 

This is the second time that I have been in the top 10 in DJ Magazine’s Top 100 in the last three years. There is certainly a bit of publicity and recognition that comes along with the territory, but I think it is important to stay grounded. At the end of the day it is just a number and you are really only as good as your last party.

 

You’ve been responsible for two cracking artist albums as well as a slew of original productions and collaborations with the likes of John 00 Fleming, BK and more. Is a Christopher Lawrence live show ever on the horizon? Is this something you have an interest in ever putting together at all?

 

I am not really interested in doing a live show. I much prefer DJing. That is where my heart is.

 

2007 is the year that trance is seemingly going either slower and electronic, or returning to the glory days of 1999 with big melodies and huge breakdowns. It also appears that tech-trance is on the slight decline. Would you agree with this summation and where do you see your sound progressing in the near future?

 

I have always steered clear of the epic trance sound and gone with a more underground sound. Over the past few years that has been a techno influenced sound, but lately I have been really getting into a lot of the new psy trance that is out there. It is some of the best produced music, has tons of energy but remains cool.

 

Finally, the UK crowds are obviously dying to have you back so just as a taster, could you run through the biggest tracks in your box at the moment and let us know what you’ll be rocking the show with?

 

I am really looking forward to returning to the UK where I’ll be headlining the Party Proactive Arena at the three day long Antiworld Live Electronic Music and Arts Festival July 6 alongside Marco Bailey, Eskimo LIVE, Yves Deruyter, DJ Preach, John Askew, Andy Farley, The *Ting*, Pete Wardman, K.A.R.L., Jacob Moss and Steelo. Some of what you will hear are Alien Project “Missing Linker”, Analog Pussy “Sound of Soul”, Persequor “Bandito” and of course the new one by John 00 Fleming and myself, “Beyond the Limit”.

 

Thanks for your time Christopher! We look forward to seeing you again in the UK.

 

Thank you and I’ll see you on the dance floor!

 

http://www.proactive-records.co.uk

Featured Tracks:

Christopher Lawrence - Trackitdown Top 10 (79:57)
	Artist: Christopher Lawrence Label: Trackitdown Genre: Psy-trance Release Date: 2006-12-18