Without a doubt one of the globe’s biggest trance names, American DJ and producer Christopher Lawrence has made quite a name for himself of late – and not just for his music. Not afraid to speak his mind on the draconian US RAVE Act, Lawrence recently made waves by announcing his intentions to settle in Australia within the next few years. Currently in the country scoping the situation, ITM’s i_have_ADD spoke with Lawrence and got the inside info on his upcoming tour as part of the Two Tribes Festival, and when we can expect him to become a permanent fixture in Australian clubs.
Lawrence was first attracted to trance through the dancefloor, preferring it over any other style because it appealed to his desire to cut loose, “I was first drawn to it because, for me, on the dancefloor, it was the most powerful sound. When I’m on the dancefloor and losing it I like things that move your body but something for the head as well. I like trippy sounds and things that take you on a ride, and that was what I identified with when I was starting out, and I’ve just stuck with it!” With titles such as ‘America’s Number 1 Trance DJ’ bestowed on him by media around the world, Lawrence is surprisingly modest, choosing instead to see it as a reputation to be lived up to rather than a label to hide behind, “It’s fantastic, I mean there’s a lot worse things you could be called! I much prefer those than some of the other names I’ve been called in the media. I also like it because it adds pressure, it means every set I play has to be better than the last.”
Given the chance to speak with Lawrence on the RAVE Act was quite interesting, with the conservative US law obviously a topic close to his heart, “It’s just really ugly there, and every few months they come up with a new law that’s even more draconian and harsh than the previous one, and that’s just within electronic music. The political policies of the US government in general have just become… I don’t know how to describe it… almost Orwellian! With regard to its citizens, it’s become very conservative, and very intrusive. It’s just not a country that I feel is going in the direction of somewhere I want to raise my son.”
Lawrence was also able to offer an interesting insight into the changing face of the dance scene in the US as a result, “There’s a really good club scene, but a lot of the one off events, the warehouse parties, they’ve just disappeared. There were a few really good parties over the summer, big festivals with like 20,000 people and corporate sponsorship, so the government were less likely to interfere. But the smaller warehouse parties, like 2,000 or 3,000 people events, they just aren’t happening because no venue owner wants to go to jail. All they need is to find one person under the influence of drugs or one minor under the influence of alcohol and the owner of the venue can go to jail for 20 years.” Going on to lament, “You’re losing a whole younger generation of clubbers who can’t go out anymore. If you’re a 17 or 18 year old kid the only way you could get into the scene was through warehouse parties, so it’s really unfortunate because we’re going to lose the next generation of clubbers.”
When the news got out on Lawrence’s intention to make Australia his permanent home Christopher was met with praise and vitriol in equal amounts, “I have a son, he’s fifteen months old, my wife is Australian, and I would much prefer to raise him here in Australia than in the US. We’re in the process of moving, but it won’t be for another few years. I have an apartment in Melbourne, but nobody knows about that! I will be moving here, but it’s not easy to do it. When the news got out people in the United States starting freaking out! I got all this hate mail, ‘how can you leave North America!’, I didn’t think it was such a big thing. But I also got mail from people in Australia saying, ‘where do you live? I want to come over!’, or ‘lets go record shopping!’”
You can catch Christopher Lawrence at Two Tribes in February and March:
Sat Feb 28, Two Tribes Adelaide
Sun Feb 29, Two Tribes Perth
Sat Mar 6, Two Tribes Sydney (BUY TICKETS)
Sun Mar 7, Two Tribes Melbourne (BUY TICKETS)
