I have a rule about talking to people whose work you admire. Don’t do it. You’ll only make a complete fool of yourself and you’ll end up ramming your foot so far down your own throat that your shoelaces will entangle with your lower intestines! It was therefore a complete surprise to me when I volunteered to interview Steve Lawler about his impending tour of Australia with the Good Vibrations festival. After all, Steve would probably rate as my favourite DJ and therefore as the person I am most likely to embarrass myself in front of.
As a compilation, the Lights Out series represents not only the highlight of Steve’s stellar career to-date, but also the bench mark by which I now judge all progressive releases. The entire series is strong – on every disc, Steve manages the near-magical feat of keeping each mix interesting and building in intensity, without ever going over the top. When I put this to him, Steve seems bemused, his own assessment being a touch more modest. He assures me that he doesn’t own a magic wand; rather he spends a lot of time finding new music that is different and, at the same time, accessible to the listener. The sort of music that you can listen to in your car and that also gets people excited about going out on the weekend.
Steve hails from the West Midlands, an area renowned for successful football teams, gourmet food, a thriving car industry and people who completely lack a sense of humour. Ok, I’ll admit that I just made all of that up. While no one will ever convince me that “pork scratchings” aren’t the most gourmet of foods, Steve is unable to convince his friends that Birmingham City may not be the greatest of football teams! But rather than spending his life following a football team destined for nothing more than mid-table mediocrity, Steve focuses his energies creating excellent music, and developing ways to bring that music into the public arena.
Those in the UK can sample Steve’s wares at Harlem Nights, an event which he promotes and headlines. For the rest of us down under, it has been a long wait since his near legendary set at Home in Sydney when he was promoting the first Lights Out release; a night that Steve remembers with fondness. Steve laughs as he reminisces about wanting to keep on playing and being virtually thrown off the turntables at the end of the night. I ask him if he feels under pressure as we Australians will be expecting a repeat performance, but Steve is a firm believer that pressure can provide the impetus to ensure you lift your game. I considered asking how one improves on perfection, but decided to let that one go through to the keeper!
It’s been a long time between visits for Steve and having experienced, and hated, long distance flying myself, I wonder if the boredom of travel has been a factor. Steve laughs and jokes that it’s probably more to do with over-zealous customs officials than a lack of in-flight entertainment. I propose that the next time Steve gets harassed by customs, that he should advise them that he has been spending time in areas where foot and mouth disease is rife because at least then customs would be forced to clean his shoes! However, Steve rightly points out that the promoters of Good Vibrations would be less than pleased if one of their star attractions is refused entry to Australia for winding up government employees who are adorned with less gumption than your average wombat!
Good Vibrations… I knew there was a point to all this banter. Up until this part of our conversation Steve has been laughing and joking with me, but get him talking about music and Steve suddenly goes into a completely different mode. Suddenly it’s near impossible to get a word in as he goes into overdrive talking about the music that he produces and plays. It’s obvious that Steve is extremely passionate about what he does.
He acknowledges that while he originally had reservations about playing large festivals, he now gets genuinely excited about playing at them, seeing it as an opportunity to savour a completely different dynamic than he would experience in a club. For a start, there’s nothing like playing to a huge audience and anyone who has been at a festival knows that there is something unique about being part of a crowd that is under the spell of an artist at the top of his game. What you lack in intimacy, you are more than compensated for with a sense of occasion: the belief that you are sharing something larger than just music!
Steve understands that he has to work harder with a festival crowd – they are not familiar with his work, so they’re less forgiving and accommodating. This means that he has less time to win over the crowd. The upshot is that Steve tends to hit his straps more quickly and he gets to pull out some big-time tunes that lend themselves so well to the big occasion thanks to their ability to get the crowd jumping.
An extended tour of Australia is a luxury for Steve, giving him the chance to do some sight seeing of our wonderful country, something that he doesn’t normally allow himself. This is due to the sheer quantity of new music that arrives on his desk each week – between gigs, Steve usually locks himself away in his studio, working solidly to process what he can use. He spends the time working out which tunes will fit into his set, which music complements music that he is currently playing, and even if a record isn’t to his liking he may find a sample or a loop that he wants to use and that means pulling the track apart and storing the loop in his software so he can access it in a live setting.
Using CD mixers and samplers allows Steve a creativity that playing purely on vinyl doesn’t quite provide. When playing live he isn’t the sort of DJ who just sits back and listens to the track or has a chat with his friends. He is constantly evaluating the music at his disposal, setting up the next track, inserting samples or loops so that the audience always enjoys a unique experience. This dedication to his craft means that he is always working when he is behind the decks, so please, do not disturb him!
Although playing alongside other artists who may be mixing in other genres, Steve isn’t about to play a funky house set “avec fromage”! He will be bringing about ten to fifteen hours worth of music with him, which gives him the range to take the set in different directions depending on the mood of the crowd. Nevertheless, it will all be music that is synonymous with the Lights Out brand. Whatever music Steve decides to play on the day, you can be assured that it’s going to be 100% Lawler.
I am so glad that I ignored my rule about not talking to people I admire. I found Steve to be a friendly, engaging and completely dedicated to bringing his audiences the best experience he possibly can. Having seen him twice in the past, I know how that passion translates itself to the music he plays. If you are already going to Good Vibrations then you are in for a ride, if you’re thinking about buying a ticket, buy it now and hang on for the ride of your life!
Steve Lawler tours Australia this February as part of the Good Vibrations Festival:
Sat Feb 11 – Good Vibrations, Brisbane (BUY TICKETS)
Sun Feb 12 – Good Vibrations, Melbourne (ITM SOLD OUT)
Sat Feb 18 – Good Vibrations, Sydney (BUY TICKETS)
Sat Feb 18 – Good Vibrations After Party, Sydney
Sun Feb 19 – Good Vibrations, Perth (BUY TICKETS)
‘Lights Out Vol 3’, mixed by Steve Lawler, is out now through Global Underground/Shock.
