A Sit Down With A DJ Chris Lake
Master of the rework, Chris has put his own interpretations in the studio to tunes such as Leftfield’s “Phat Planet”, Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams” and Prodigy’s “Climbatize”. His rewards have not only come in the form of remixes, with “Santiago De Cuba” receiving much praise recently for it’s big room appeal.
His production talent was noticed after his talents behind the decks. It only took him 6 months to secure his first residency after discovering his passion for the music he loves, that place being Passion in Aberdeen. DJ’ing, as with his production, is clearly a talent that comes naturally to Mr. Lake.
“I think it is good for any scene to explore its limits. If you do not push things to the extreme, you will never know how far you can go”.
Do you think that achieving the amount of success you have at such a young age will help you in your career in the future?
I hope so. I am certainly in this long term. I have grown up writing music, and I don’t plan to stop. I have spent the past 18 months finding my feet in the industry. It has been difficult sometimes to get people to take me seriously because of my age, but now people are realizing I am capable of things, so this is becoming less of a problem.
Could you see yourself also producing other kinds of music?
I already do! I do all sorts. I’ve done a lot of work for pop artists, and for adverts / TV etc. It’s great fun to be creative, and I don’t always just do dance.
What niche do you fill?
I do think I stand by myself. I’ve got a huge appreciation of the underground scene, but that appreciation is a bit more innocent. I’ve never been a big party guy—I’ve never done drugs—but I really do love the music. At the same time, I can appreciate a big hit and the more commercial side of things. I sit right in the middle. It’s quite a difficult place to sit in, actually.
With my family. I have the most amazing family. I wish I could spend more time with them.
What do you attribute that to with Americans?
America’s like a big social experiment, and everyone wants to make things happen and try and do things bigger, better and bolder than everyone else. I feel people have the attitude to want to make shit happen. It’s as simple as that.
What is your favorite TV show past or present?
The Wire, or Breaking bad. I love watching box sets on my computer. I download a few seasons off iTunes before I go on a tour, and watch them on the plane etc. Those 2 were some of my favourites.
How and why did a label like OWSLA change your vision of the current House scene?
What I like very much about this label and its crew is how much they are attached to making good sounds without taking the lead. I know this may sound very vague and simplistic, but you’d be surprised how many people in this scene are doing things relatively safely, without getting out of their comfort zone. I do not consider Owsla to be in that category. At all. They are always in the goal of doing even better for fans and giving them more, while remaining creative. It’s a super inspirational team and I love working with people who have such positive philosophies.
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