close
| Feedback and Suggestion Box |
|---|
|
Want to give us your feedback or have a suggestion? You have come to the right place! |
Artist of The Month
|
||||
| Steve Lawler |
| Written by IS Team | |
| Friday, 02 May 2008 | |
 Steve Lawler is a definitive DJ and producer: a tastemaker whose sets combine quality house music with the power to move dance floors around the world. In the last few years, he's ignited crowds in the worlds best clubs such as Zouk in Singapore, Space in Miami, Twilo in New York, Pacha in Buena Saires and the mighty Space in Ibiza. Courtesy of home in the summer of 1999 and 2000, he provided the groundbreaking sets of the season for many of those lucky enough to hear him. Just after the first two months he had been crowned 'King Of Space' by the locals - a rare and well deserved honor. For over a year, Lawler set the capital alight with his weekly Friday night residency at Deepsouth at home. I f you were lucky enough to catch one of his 6 hour sets, you'll know exactly what it felt like as he weaved his magic across the club's sound system, wowing clubbers and critics alike. In Febuary2001, Steve decided to finish his stint at home due to overwhelming demand for his skills across the UK, and farther a field to the USA and the rest of Europe. 'I've done over 14 months at Deepsouth, and it was a great year. It gave me the opportunity to stamp my musical Trade mark in the South of England. But then it was time to move on. For now i'm concentrating more on monthly residencies across the world and taking my music to a worldwide audience. In the future I will be committing myself to somewhere on a more regular basis. Watch this space...' His own monthly night at Code in Birmingham, The Midweek Session, is fast becoming the most important club night in the Midlands, past guests have included Danny Tenaglia, Sasha, Pete Tong, Dave Seamen and Futureshock and the future highlights include Carl Cox, John Digweed and Laurent Garnier. As well as guest spots at every pioneering club in the UK, Lawler has fast become the DJ every clubber wants to hear for themselves. Steve Lawler hails from the Midlands, yet there is something distinctly non-territorial in his work. Although loving the atmosphere in the big Saturday nightclubs (he's an ex-resident at Cream,) Lawler also refuses to pander to any punter wherever he's spinning. Think DJ communism, with equal treatment for all the masses. 'It's rewarding for me to know that so many people are going off and enjoying quality music every week across the country and all over the world. Clubs like Renaissance, Space, Cream, Back To Basic and Twilo etc, all have the best sound systems and crowds in the world and the feelings you get from playing these nights is amazing.' Turning into electronic music from an early age, Steve used to buy Depeche Mode records when he was young, so he obviously loved electronic sounds without even realizing it. But it was Acid House that really turned Steve on. Turning avidly in to local pirate PCRL radio station gave Steve a taste for house music, and it wasn't long before his mates were luring him off to warehouse parties. 'I was totally blown away by the whole experience: the dark room, the strobes and the atmosphere. The whole thing just blew me away and inspired me to do my own parties.' Which is exactly what he did, putting on a series of illegal parties in a disused tunnel underneath the M42, (between 1990 and 1994) with guests appearing on an un-advertised basis such as Tony De Vit, Anthony Pappa, Pete Gooding and Scott Bond, (whom were all friends of his) these few parties became legendary throughout Birmingham and across the Midlands. 'It all started with me and a bunch of like minded friends getting a sound system, generator and some disco lights together and taking them out to a field in Lapworth. (nr Birmingham) It Just escalated and grew to this big party, it was something we never made any money on as it was free, but it was a way for me my records in front of people. By the last party, which I think was the 5th or 6th one, we had about 700 people turn up, by that time the police were on my back so they had to stop.' But it was in Ibiza that Lawler got his first true break. (having earned his Ibiza Stripes) He's been every year since 1990 through to the present day, it was Finally Steve's chance to prove himself as an accomplished DJ. He was a resident at Cafe Mambo (starting 1995 to 1998) spinning his legendary 8 hour sets there every day, as well as playing 3 times a week at Pacha on the roof terrace. It was then when he was spotted by Darren Hughes, then of Cream, who recognized his talent and ambition to succeed. Signing him to Cream's DJing agency, he began a residency at the eponymous Liverpool institution. At only his second date at the club he had to follow Paul Oakenfold at their NYE 1997 party. Not an easy feat, but one which Lawler coped with admirably. The rest, as they say, is history... It's not all about DJing though. Lawler's accomplished production, under monkiers of Novacane, Chameleon and, Naturally, Steve Lawler, are favorites amongst the likes of Tenaglia, Sasha, Tong, Digweed, Deepdish and Pete Heller. 'Rise In,' his last single, released in October 2000 is a self-assured cut of heavy dance floor pressure, which, as all the best things, has simplicity as it's key. Watch it drop on any dance floor in the world and you would realize that Lawler, in his production as much as DJing, understands how to work a crowd. Steve's remix discography consists of 2000's big Trisco - Musak, and the Tenaglia favorite Cevin Fisher - Love You Some More, Soul Providers - Rise, BT - Never Gonna Come Back Down and Dub Pistols - Chemical Generation amongst others. So as you can see production is now a big part of Steve's career.(which he modestly disagrees) 'First and foremost I am a DJ, ' explains Steve. 'I am not making records for a career or for the money, it's just that I want to make my own version of sounds that would go down well in a club. When I make music I sit there and close my eyes and imagine being on a dance floor, with the lights flashing and the sound system. It's hard to get it right all the time, and I'm learning a lot in the studio but I'm going to keep banging away at it until I'm comfortable enough to make it a career.' If DJing all around the world, Promoting his own nights, his production and his remixing is not enough, we can also expect to see later on this year a release on his newly formed label 'Harlem' (for more info: harlem.co.uk ) which he is of course Head of A&R. Is there no stopping this man! Which is pretty much Steve Lawler for you. A very hardworking DJ who has never taken the easy path to success. From his mammoth sets at Space in Ibiza, or his tendency to re-edit half the tracks in his box, Steve certainly knows the meaning of graft: 'I do a lot of my own re-edits, this is because I get sent so many records where it's all good and then some horrible break kicks in. So I just cut that bit out, or even to revamp an old track that I'd like to play, but it needs something doing to it, get in onto CD and then go and get a slate cut. It's the way forward. It means that a lot of records that you play are unique, which you have to do these day's.' Steve's spun every club in Ibiza and every decent club in the world. He has stunned all detractors of the progressive sound. He was described in 'The Face' as 'The UK's Tenaglia,' and in Jockey Slut as 'One of the best DJ's in the world.' Steve Lawler: The Pioneer of the twisted house who loves a bit of hard work. If you were waiting for a change of musical tack, then follow Lawler's lead. Don't get left behind.... Ben Mortimer, Mixmag |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|