Christopher Lawrence Cell Phone Confessions
Author: Michelle Pirovich
Monday, February 16, 2004
"I am obsessed with cell phones. I cannot stand being out of contact with people and being away on tour so much, I need to be able to call my friends and family when I need to. I have a different phone for Japan, North America, UK, Europe, and South East Asia. I can't wait until there is one phone that works in all continents so I don't have to keep carrying 4 or 5 with me."
It should come as no surprise then that when Lawrence's album was ready for release he let the world know about it.
"I called everyone and told them, 'it's finished, actually finished and coming out in April'" laughs a high spirited Lawrence.
Lawrence would have preferred an earlier release for this much anticipated album. However with a hectic touring schedule and the recent collapse of Hook Recordings the album was put on hold. As fate would have it the delay gave Lawrence additional time to go back and rework some of the tracks before signing it over to Moonshine.
Lawrence is excited with what he has achieved on the album and is eager for people to experience it. He describes it as somewhat a retrospective of his past work, a collection of the sounds that have forever influenced him; part dance floor, part down tempo, just don't call it eclectic.
"This album is about the music that has always influenced me but it's not one of those wildly eclectic albums where all of a sudden a saxophone comes out of nowhere. It's not purely a dance floor orientated album either. A lot of the music I collect is not dance music. I love classical music and I've taken piano samples and turned them into something less energetic and more melodic. I can't wait for it to come out because I really want to know what other people think of it."
Lawrence has always been held in high regard. Be it on the dance floor or in the studio, his unique mix of techno, trance and everything in between has us coming back time and again. And in a scene that is ever changing Lawrence's early ground breaking anthems 'Navigator', 'Interceptor', 'Renegade', 'Rush Hour', Shredder and 'Cruise Control' are still as relevant and influential today. Lawrence however is a man of the moment and prefers not to step back into the past.
"I never seek out my old music but occasionally my friends will put it on and I am often surprised at how good it is. Then there are others that I think 'oh my god what I was doing with that, how did it ever get released.' I am very critical of what I put out so it's often better not to listen to my old music."
'Rush Hour' became Lawrence's biggest tune to date, it was also the fastest seller in the history of 'Intergroove', so with the many tracks that have 'made it' for Lawrence you can't help but wonder if he knows the secret agent formula for a successful track, but according to Lawrence, to know that is simply playing with fire.
"You never know what is going to make it. I have played things out that I thought were going to do really well and they didn't get the response I thought they may have and then Ill do something else and other DJs who I respect and admire will be playing it in the clubs. I am always surprised, which is good, because then you don't become complacent."
For Lawrence being critical is the key to success, so is refusing to be suffocated by the crime of 'genre-abuse'. His crowds are his guinea pigs, his last performance or production his bench-mark and in an industry where anyone can become a producer, Lawrence insists that more people should adapt to a similar practice.
"There is far too much music out there today and whilst technology has helped people to make music, so many people don't stop and listen to what they are making. They need to raise their standards, be more partic Tags