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Lawrence creates music that works in all settings and transcends genres. His openness to a wide range of sound is what has both made him a widely loved favourite, but also someone who operates in his own parallel musical world. We had a chance to talk to him, so enjoy your reading and check out his latest releases.
Can you tell us a little about your experience? Where are you from / how did you get into music?
The place that opened the door for me in the late 1980s was the Front Club in Hamburg, where I got to know House Music and Techno. I experienced an incredible combination of wonderful hosting, a carefully designed space and the perfect sound system, along with the most curious and exciting Djs. The Front attracted an extraordinary mostly gay crowd and made magic happen.
I started DJing in public in the mid 90s, Hamburg’s Rote Flora and the Golden Pudel Club shifted my musical and political views. Sharing my joy for music with friends at those places was the foundation for my own productions and Dial Records.
I feel like the underground scene will continue to persist. Do you think we can go back to "normal" events and festivals?
There is no doubt, “the underground scene” in all of it’s forms is very resistant and innovative. Music, Club and thoughtfully organized festivals are here for so much more than just the pleasure of sound- sharing moments, creating spaces, having an infrastructure for exchange, discourses and progress- these things are so important and I am sure they will continue, always.
How is your sound evolving? What artists and genres do you enjoy mixing right now?
The last mix I’ve done was shortly before the pandemic hit, when clubs were still open. I don’t even have a DJ set up at home haha! Well, I am still listening to a lot of music, there’s been some incredible podcasts by Kate Miller, Soela, Sit, XDB, Darcey and my label partner Carsten Jost. One of the producers whose live sets and productions are a constant mind-blower, is Jordan GCZ, i just can’t get enough. Also i got a lot into organ music recently, Kali Malone, Fujita, Phil Niblock played by Hampus Lindwall and yet unreleased the infamous Modular Organ System experiments by Phillip Sollmann and Konrad Sprenger.
How do you feel that your music influences or impacts your listeners?
I hope my music can inspire listeners and open up their imagination. My new album “Birds On The Playground” is a very special release in this regard: I imagined hanging out with my friends Stefan Marx (who did the cover artwork) and label owner Toshiya Kawasaki at his newly launched music listening bar Studio Mule in Shibuya, Tokyo, where I haven’t been yet in real life yet. We would be slightly tipsy from a cup of beautiful wine, and act silly as usual, enjoying eccentric music. This daydreaming image inspired the music and maybe in return it will create some of these very special moments.
What projects are you working on at the moment?
After almost an entire year of recordings, I am having a tiny studio break right now. “Birds On The Playground” will be out in March, to be followed by more releases later this year. The next release on Dial is the debut album of Irakli, “Major Signals” and I am super excited to help working on it. Just recently I started a day job as a care worker, so my schedule changed a lot.
Top 5 tracks of 2020?
I can’t really pick 5 tracks of a whole year! There’s so much incredible stuff being released all the time.
What bothers you?
Being bothered. Seriously, i feel like whenever i’m bothered it is more about myself. If something upsets me and i am able to change it- that’s another thing. But just being bothered doesn’t help.
What makes you happy?
My new pickle claypots, balcony gardening, walks with friends in Berlins Tiergarten park are some of the things besides music that make me happy these days.
Do you have any final words of wisdom?
Not at all. Still too far from being wise, haha!
