Steve Lawler Interview

After releasing the incredible "That Sound", Steve Lawler's "Lights Out 3" compilation mix is just around the corner, and on top of that, he's spent most of the summer in Ibiza establishing his new Viva night at Space! Read on for our Steve Lawler Interview.

You’ve been busy in Ibiza this year and with shows all around the world what have been your highlights so far?
"Mainly VIVA in Ibiza. It has been incredible; it’s only my first year with my own night at Space, and we have attracted a regular attendance of 1500 people. We have had a great response... the atmosphere has been ecstatic...a huge success, so I am very happy with that achievement... Also the festivals all over Europe have been amazing... I have easily played to 100,000 people this summer with the amount of festivals that I have performed at."

Space is known for attracting a beautiful crowd with lots of celebrities did
you spot anyone in the crowd this year?
"There were some yes. Skin form Skunk Anansie, Jade Jagger, Vernon Kay, Duran Duran... there has been more, but I don’t know all the names, just their faces! Oops! "

Viva seems to have been a good party this summer what will you do to build on this for next year? Is there anything you would do differently?
"I have learnt a lot doing my own night for the first time in Ibiza, and there are some things that I am going to do differently, but that is a secret! As a whole the night has been a success, so I am going to change nothing with the programming or look, as this has worked very well... I know that I want to use certain DJ’s more next year, like Damien Lazarus, who was very good, and received really well by the VIVA crowd... he fitted the night
perfectly."

Any plans to bring Viva to the UK or anywhere else around the world?
"Yes this will definitely happen, there will be a VIVA mix compilation out next year, so I might take the sound, look and feel on tour, but only if it can be done properly."

What is a typical day in the life of Steve Lawler like?
"Whilst living in Ibiza, I get up in the afternoon, I go for a swim every day when I wake up, I then head into my studio, where I play through my new music and do some re-edits to get my self ready for a big four-day weekend... I then go out for dinner with friends, head back to mine, relax, or go out. Then usually go to bed quite late, or even early in the morning... my life whilst living in Ibiza is very different to living in the UK... hence why I live here for 4 months."

Is it must be a strain being on tour all the time?
"Yes it can be difficult, it’s a very unnatural lifestyle to live. It has its down falls, airports are a pain, but generally you cant complain, I enjoy my life the way it is..."

Where do you stand in the CD versus Vinyl argument?
"I only play CD’s now and have done since last summer; I still buy vinyl, but then burn it straight onto CD... I could never stop collecting vinyl, as I love vinyl, it looks, smells and even feels great! Which CD’s don’t... BUT.
For technical purposes, I can do so much more by playing CDs. You can manipulate tracks on the fly and when used with FX units (which I do) you can remix the track as you play it... and for me that is a move forward...
and also travelling is made much easier by carrying CDs... I no longer ever risk loosing my music, I never have to check anything in any more... so all in all for performing live, CDs win hands down. BUT I could never stop buying records."

I see you’re mixing with Hollywood theses days having remixed a track for Kate Hudson’s film, The Skeleton Key. How does this differ from your other work and is it something you see yourself doing more of?
"I will definitely be working more with Hollywood. It was a nice challenge, and working closely with films has been one of my goals, watch this space."

There’s quite a buzz building around your latest releases tell us more about them?
"My latest release ‘That Sound’ was actually made about 15 months ago, at the start of the summer of 2004 at my studio in Ibiza. I created it so I had a track to play at the end of my sets on the terrace at we-love at space that nobody else had... everyone wanted a copy - Groove Armada jumped all over it, lots of enquires came in from many record labels. I had played it all summer (of 2004) without giving it to anyone. So I was happy to get it signed."

This will be your 3rd Lights Out release for Global Underground - what do you think is the key to its success?
"The love, hard work and dedication that has gone into the whole series all of these albums 1, 2 & 3 have all taken me months to put together, there is a lot of production that has been added to these, so there not just another simply mix album, nearly all the tracks are re-edited in some way, so when you buy one of these albums, what you get, you wont get anywhere else, and I have done that with all 3 of this series. And of course the track listings on these albums speak for themselves."

Also when it comes to picking tracks for the compilation how do you go about whittling them down?
"I simply go through literally 1000’s of songs and select the ones that I like, and I start playing around with them together, to see what goes next to what. The trick of programming is the essential key in putting together a mix compilation, you can make a certain track sound better by what tracks it has got around it."

You seem to be a bit of a chameleon - what do you have up your sleeve for the future? Where would you like to take things next?
"I don’t like to be tagged, I don’t like to follow. I have to keep moving and pushing things, it keeps me on my toes. What's next? There is a project that I have been looking at for a couple of years, but the time is not right yet, when it is you will hear about it."

You’re playing in Argentina soon. Have you played there before? What do you like about the place? What about the crowds?
"Argentina is my favourite place in the world to play, the crowd is insane, and the best atmosphere in a club you will find anywhere!"