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Superstar DJs: Christopher Lawrence

Author: Chris Wright @ Music-Mag.com
Sunday, March 3, 2002
Often regarded as one of the USA's top progressive house/trance DJs and an instant hit at clubs around the world Christopher Lawrence is definitely on the way up. Having already played at Cream in 2001 his diary for this year is certain to take him to all four corners of the globe.

Music-Mag's Chris Wright caught up with the man for a chat.

Who inspired you to start Djing-

Two DJs from San Francisco: Simon and Tony. They have impeccable programming and mixing skills and played the most incredible music. I began Dj'ing because of them.

You've done many day jobs in California what or who helped you to gain the balls/confidence to pursue Djing full-time-

A guy I used to work with named Norman List. He was in his late fifties and he said the one piece of advice he could give me is to follow my dreams, that it was better to try something and fail then to look back on your life when you get older and always wonder "What if.." So I quit my job and made the leap of faith.

Which British DJ's do you enjoy most when the come to the states-

I haven't heard a lot of the British DJs that have been coming over to the States lately because I've been touring internationally. Some of the best international DJs I've heard are John Fleming from UK, Mark James from Australia, Karlos Elizondo from Mexico, Leo from Brazil and DJ 19 from Japan.

How do you see the recent crack house laws affecting the American scene-

It's making it difficult to throw one-off events, but clubs are doing better than ever. The Federal government just last week overturned a law that had classified glow sticks and pacifiers as drug paraphernalia. I think that even main stream America is getting fed up with the government's domestic war on drugs.

What do you most look forward to when dj'ing-

Hearing new records that I've added to my set on the dancefloor and seeing other people hear them the same way I do. That's the best thing about Dj'ing.

Any pearls of wisdom for aspiring DJs out there-

Don't be a follower, be a leader. There is no point trying to sound like someone else because you'll never get it right and they are already doing it. Play from your heart and you can't go wrong, even if your sound isn't the most popular today because you may be the sound of the future.

Which venues do you find hardest to play to- Is it the mullet masses in the mid-west-

The hardest venues are clubs where the DJ booth is on the second floor or on a balcony. I need to connect with the crowd and it's really hard if you can't see the dance floor. With regards to the Mid-West, I think you would be quite surprised at the scene out there. It may be smaller but that just makes people all the more passionate.

For more info go to http://www.moonshine.com



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