Damian Lazarus: I Don’t Produce, But . . .

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-- Damian Lazarus: I Don’t Produce, But . . .

Posted by bobba lou on Jun-30-2005 07:13:

Damian Lazarus: I Don’t Produce, But . . .

“I realised some time ago that it would be quite easy for me to make a phone call to a number of shit hot producers or engineers, organise some studio time, go in with some great creative ideas, and come out a couple of days later with a hot record, but it strikes me that that would be a little bit too easy, and a little bit too fake, and a little bit of a kick in the balls for the people around me who have spent most of their lives focusing solely on production and engineering.”

Describing himself as a DJ first and A&R / label chief second, Crosstown Rebels chief Damian Lazarus is adamant about not producing

“I find it quite annoying when a great producer decides that he or she can go out and make a bigger name for themselves by going out and DJing to support their production work, because I feel that I spent a lot of years trying to be a successful DJ, and for someone to come along and just make one big record and start taking gigs that I could potentially be doing, I find that quite annoying,” he explains.

“So on the flip side, for me to push myself as a producer when I don’t actually sit in front of a computer day in and day out, or in a studio day in and day out, I think would be quite unfair, so I’ve decided not to do it. Although saying that, I have been in studios and played around and come you with some ideas, but more as a hobby thing. I prefer to see myself as an executive producer, where I am overseeing projects and helping people creatively and directing stuff from afar.”

Another project he’s recently overseen is Bugged Out’s latest compilation Suck My Deck, which he says has been quite different from his recent Crosstown Rebels mixes.

“It offered me an opportunity to do something quite different, something that was a lot more underground, where I didn’t have to think too much ‘what are people going to like’,” he admits.

“This is strictly about me, it’s what I’m playing and where my head’s at right now. I’d just come off the back of doing ‘Rebel Futurism 2’ and I’ve kind of got a formula going with the Futurism series now, so that’s slightly easier, and I think that this album offered me the opportunity to go deeper and darker, a little bit more late night.”

Skrufff (Jonty Skrufff): The track that really surprised me on the compilation was The Stranglers’ rarity Love 303, why did you include that?

Damian Lazarus: “It’s a track that was on the B side of ‘Golden Brown’, and ‘Golden Brown’ has been one of the favourites in the house for many, many years and at a very young age, I fell in love with the B side. It’s one of those records that I’ve always wanted to play out, and never found the opportunity. I thought maybe if I put it on this album, it might give me the opportunity to put it in a set one night.”

Skrufff: Have you done that yet?

Damian Lazarus: “No. Not yet. I’m still waiting for the right moment, but summer is upon us.”

Skrufff: You’re playing DC10 in Ibiza a few times this summer, are you now a resident there?

Damian Lazarus: “It’s an odd one with DC10. They’ve had their ‘residents’; inverted commas, for many years, and they tend not to add or detract from that list. However, I’ve been playing for them for three years now, and the deal is that they kindly offered me the opportunity to play whenever I liked, so at the beginning of the season I gave them a list of dates that I would like to do, and we’ve taken it from there. So this year, I‘m actually going to be playing, with the exception of July; twice a month. I guess I’m considered a resident by the punters because I’m there quite often, and I tend to play a similar time slot each time as well as only inside, so I’m quite well known for playing there, but this year I’m also playing at Space a couple of times.”

Skrufff: How important is Ibiza for you these days?

Damian Lazarus: “I’ve been going for some time now, but from a label perspective in terms of it being consistent place to be and an important place for our records to build, it’s been about three or four years. There was a moment in 2001 I think, when I put together the Thin White Duke mix of Felix The Housecat’s ‘Silver Screen’ when that I realised the real power of Ibiza and especially a club like DC10. We gave a couple of characters that record first, and to feel the energy of that being played as a last record out on the Terrace was pretty special. It showed me that actually Ibiza does have a lot to say for what’s going to happen in dance music for the rest of the year and on into next year. So Ibiza is a very important place, for me personally and for the business because there’s so much new energy flowing there at the moment. There’s only a couple of clubs that I’m speaking about specifically, but it’s pretty special place.”

Skrufff: The last time I saw you was at Manumission last year….

Damian Lazarus: “Yes, I’d popped in to support a friend who was doing a party there. I think the clubs that are important for me there are DC10, Cocoon and Space. They are definitely the more forward thinking places and I think the music that I’m playing and that we are doing as a label, and music that you’ll hear on the Suck My Deck is definitely being heard at those places right now.”

Skrufff: What do you make of the island musically? Do you think it’s set for embracing that sound wider?

Damian Lazarus: “Yeah. I was on the phone earlier to the manager of Babyshambles, and apparently they are playing at Manumission this summer. I think there’s a lot of new ideas being thrown around on the island and some things will stick and others won’t, but one thing’s for certain; this techno/electro/house sound is really getting a firm grip in Ibiza. As this music grows it’s definitely seeping out of the underground and a lot of it into the more mainstream clubs.”

Skrufff: I guess by not producing you’re taking a longer route for developing your DJing?

Damian Lazarus: “Absolutely. Many years ago, quite a well-known DJ said to me ’You’re never going to make it as a big name DJ unless you’ve got a track out there that everyone else is playing’. I thought about that and I thought that doesn’t say much for the art or skill of being a DJ. That really made me aware that it was going to be a longer road to get to where I could potentially go to as a DJ but I thought it would be much more rewarding if I could get there without having to put my name to a track that I may not necessarily deserve to reap the benefits from.

Of course I think it’s really valuable experience to actually be in a studio to see how the whole process works, but like I say, I run a record label and I spend all week working with artists and looking for artists and trying to help develop artists, from the perspective of someone who loves the music and is totally immersed in the music, as well as from a business perspective.

I think I’m in a very strong position right now, because I’m not producing, I’m not in competition with releases with my artists, I’m actually going out there, totally supporting them, playing their records, reporting back to them, helping them develop into the next project, then releasing it on the label without my name being attached to it. There have been times in my life when I thought: do I want the limelight? How much of this is an ego thing? At the end of the day, I absolutely love what I do, I’m in it for the right reasons, and I think if I started putting my name to remixes or releases, it would maybe confuse the issue and confuse the people I work with, and I don’t think that’s where I want to go. However, I should point out at the end of this question, it’s always been my ultimate dream to actually be responsible for making an album. I think anyone that’s into music ultimately wants to do that. I think that‘s why I’ve been so busy working on mix CDs recently because that’s my way of producing creatively, but still using other people’s music.”

Skrufff: As a DJ, are you embracing Ableton and ditching vinyl?

Damian Lazarus: “No, I’m never ditching vinyl. Obviously I embrace all forms of new technology, and I’m intrigued by Ableton, and I will look at it and play around with things, but essentially I’m a bit of a vinyl junkie. Regardless of how fucked up my back has been getting from shuffling my records half way around the world, that’s part and parcel of what I do. I don’t really want to be seen by an audience checking my emails onstage.”

Skrufff: Do you see yourself still DJing at 70, ideally?

Damian Lazarus: “I was having this conversation with somebody the other day, actually. No I don’t, but however, there are people that are out there already who are already just the other side of 50 years old. There are real icons, and people that should be applauded for still going out there, people like Francois Kervorkian, for example, the late John Peel. Music is always going to be in my life, though whether I’m still going out to play a set at Fabric at that age is yet to be seen. I think it’s unlikely, but that’s not to say that I’m not going to be involved with this for the long term and the long haul. At the moment I’m fortunately - touch wood, young enough to not have to worry about it just yet.”

http://www.trackitdown.net/news/1039.html

Bugged Out Presents Suck My Deck- Damian Lazarus, is out now on Resist Records

http://www.resist-music.co.uk

http://www.crosstownrebels.com

Posted by zshev on Jun-30-2005 13:18:

Good read mate, thanks. He has some interesting points, especially at the beginning

Posted by Estella on Apr-02-2006 22:37:

I wonder what his "sound" would be though...

ps. Bubba, do you have a WMC review?

Posted by flavdave on Apr-02-2006 23:27:

Re: Damian Lazarus: I Don’t Produce, But . . .

quote:
Originally posted by bobba lou
“I find it quite annoying when a great producer decides that he or she can go out and make a bigger name for themselves by going out and DJing to support their production work, because I feel that I spent a lot of years trying to be a successful DJ, and for someone to come along and just make one big record and start taking gigs that I could potentially be doing, I find that quite annoying,” he explains.

I very much disagree with this.

Posted by Thois on Apr-03-2006 00:10:

Re: Re: Damian Lazarus: I Don’t Produce, But . . .

quote:
Originally posted by flavdave
I very much disagree with this.

+1 djing is easy, anyone could do it. you need to stand out from the competition by producing good tracks

Posted by Mr.Mystery on Apr-03-2006 00:11:

Re: Re: Re: Damian Lazarus: I Don’t Produce, But . . .

quote:
Originally posted by Thois
+1 djing is easy, anyone could do it. you need to stand out from the competition by producing good tracks

DJ'ing is easy. DJ'ing well isn't.

Posted by Psy-T on Apr-03-2006 00:16:

Re: Re: Re: Re: Damian Lazarus: I Don’t Produce, But . . .

quote:
Originally posted by Mr.Mystery
DJ'ing is easy. DJ'ing well isn't.

correct.

Posted by Clovis on Apr-03-2006 03:21:

Re: Re: Re: Re: Damian Lazarus: I Don’t Produce, But . . .

quote:
Originally posted by Mr.Mystery
DJ'ing is easy. DJ'ing well isn't.

+1

Posted by Ishkur on Apr-03-2006 04:23:

Re: Re: Re: Damian Lazarus: I Don’t Produce, But . . .

quote:
Originally posted by Thois
+1 djing is easy, anyone could do it. you need to stand out from the competition by producing good tracks

No...here's the thing:

All the money is in DJing. The DJs take the haul. Producers don't make very much money unless their track becomes a mega-monster hit, but that's like winning the lottery and hence not something anyone would bank their career or their reputation on, so here's the clincher: By producing, they increase their status and prominence of being a DJ...even if they don't actually DJ. Yes, I said that right: Producing increases your worth and value as a DJ, not a producer. It doesn't make you money, but it improves the potential for you to make money. The scene is fucked up like that.

Because the lines between being a DJ and being a Producer are still very much blurred to the casual EDM fan, whose brain is still locked into that "band on stage playing its own tunes" mentality. So when a Producer makes a song that they really like, they go to the "concert" at the club starring the "producer" so they can hear him "DJ" his own songs.

Many full-time producers (Above & Beyond, Gabriel & Dresden, Deep Dish come immediately to mind) have become DJs within the last 6 years because

1) That's where the money is. The big ones command up to $10,000 or more for a two-hour set, which is more money than 6 months of aggressive promotion and marketing and caning a track in the studio will ever make. And

2) To push their own productions, trying to make up expenses for those 6 months of aggressive promotion and marketing and caning a track in the studio. It increases their exposure as producers, not DJs.

3) The money that's made from a track isn't technically theirs anyway. It's the labels. But a DJ gig? That's all private spending cash.

Check out the annual "TOP DJs" lists released (either Mixmag, TA, thedjlist, doesn't matter), and you'll see, continuously, completely idiotic or inane names make the list based on people's affections for a single song. As if everyone who makes a song is automatically an excellent DJ. And then there are the aliases. I remember seeing Kumaya Painters on one of those lists. WTF!? That's Tiesto, you dummies. Stop doing that.

So yeah: Producing makes you a more popular DJ, but you are DJing to push your productions. Lazarus makes a good point about how fucked up this is. It's true: Most DJs who become producers don't really know anything about music and simply hire audio engineers and musicians to make their music for them. And most producers who become DJs aren't very good at DJing and are only there to plug their own music.

Posted by mylespower on Apr-03-2006 09:34:

Re: Re: Re: Re: Damian Lazarus: I Don’t Produce, But . . .

quote:
Originally posted by Mr.Mystery
DJ'ing is easy. DJ'ing well isn't.

+2

Posted by skip on Apr-03-2006 11:54:

Re: Re: Re: Re: Damian Lazarus: I Don’t Produce, But . . .

quote:
Originally posted by Ishkur
No...here's the thing:

All the money is in DJing. The DJs take the haul. Producers don't make very much money unless their track becomes a mega-monster hit, but that's like winning the lottery and hence not something anyone would bank their career or their reputation on, so here's the clincher: By producing, they increase their status and prominence of being a DJ...even if they don't actually DJ. Yes, I said that right: Producing increases your worth and value as a DJ, not a producer. It doesn't make you money, but it improves the potential for you to make money. The scene is fucked up like that.

Because the lines between being a DJ and being a Producer are still very much blurred to the casual EDM fan, whose brain is still locked into that "band on stage playing its own tunes" mentality. So when a Producer makes a song that they really like, they go to the "concert" at the club starring the "producer" so they can hear him "DJ" his own songs.

Many full-time producers (Above & Beyond, Gabriel & Dresden, Deep Dish come immediately to mind) have become DJs within the last 6 years because

1) That's where the money is. The big ones command up to $10,000 or more for a two-hour set, which is more money than 6 months of aggressive promotion and marketing and caning a track in the studio will ever make. And

2) To push their own productions, trying to make up expenses for those 6 months of aggressive promotion and marketing and caning a track in the studio. It increases their exposure as producers, not DJs.

3) The money that's made from a track isn't technically theirs anyway. It's the labels. But a DJ gig? That's all private spending cash.

Check out the annual "TOP DJs" lists released (either Mixmag, TA, thedjlist, doesn't matter), and you'll see, continuously, completely idiotic or inane names make the list based on people's affections for a single song. As if everyone who makes a song is automatically an excellent DJ. And then there are the aliases. I remember seeing Kumaya Painters on one of those lists. WTF!? That's Tiesto, you dummies. Stop doing that.

So yeah: Producing makes you a more popular DJ, but you are DJing to push your productions. Lazarus makes a good point about how fucked up this is. It's true: Most DJs who become producers don't really know anything about music and simply hire audio engineers and musicians to make their music for them. And most producers who become DJs aren't very good at DJing and are only there to plug their own music.

agreed 100%

Posted by mylespower on Apr-03-2006 11:58:

yeah great post ishkur... you read my mind

Posted by Az on Apr-03-2006 12:27:

Damian Lazarus is a fucking legend

Posted by Ishkur on Apr-06-2006 14:35:

bump, because I think more people need to read what I wrote.

Posted by stevieboy32808 on Apr-06-2006 14:40:

Re: Re: Re: Re: Damian Lazarus: I Don’t Produce, But . . .

Posted by SYSTEM-J on Apr-06-2006 14:48:

Re: Re: Re: Re: Damian Lazarus: I Don’t Produce, But . . .

Posted by eRRaTiK on Apr-06-2006 14:56:

well said ish.

Posted by Belgian Bonzai on Apr-06-2006 17:18:

Re: Re: Re: Re: Damian Lazarus: I Don’t Produce, But . . .

quote:
Originally posted by Ishkur
I remember seeing Kamaya Painters on one of those lists. WTF!? That's Tiesto

+ Benno De Goeij, couldn't let that slide. Great post.

Posted by Numidia on Apr-06-2006 17:35:

Ya for sure good one Ishkur. For people who produce full time I don't blame them for wanting to do gigs to supplement their income. That just makes sense as long as they're competent.

“I find it quite annoying when a great producer decides that he or she can go out and make a bigger name for themselves by going out and DJing to support their production work, because I feel that I spent a lot of years trying to be a successful DJ, and for someone to come along and just make one big record and start taking gigs that I could potentially be doing, I find that quite annoying,” he explains.

Don't really understand that point. I think people will always naturally favour those DJ's who actually make their own tracks since they are adding to the amount of music in the scene.

Posted by flavdave on Apr-06-2006 17:45:

quote:
Originally posted by Numidia
Ya for sure good one Ishkur. For people who produce full time I don't blame them for wanting to do gigs to supplement their income. That just makes sense as long as they're competent.

“I find it quite annoying when a great producer decides that he or she can go out and make a bigger name for themselves by going out and DJing to support their production work, because I feel that I spent a lot of years trying to be a successful DJ, and for someone to come along and just make one big record and start taking gigs that I could potentially be doing, I find that quite annoying,” he explains.

Don't really understand that point. I think people will always naturally favour those DJ's who actually make their own tracks since they are adding to the amount of music in the scene.

I agree with you. The reason why I disagreed with that quote that you pointed out is that producers deserve more money than they are making. It's unfair that DJs make exponentially more money than the producers while it seems the producers are doing all of the dirty work for the DJs. If a producer wants a shot on the decks, so be it.

Posted by thoughtlessjex on Apr-06-2006 21:30:

quote:
Originally posted by flavdave
I agree with you. The reason why I disagreed with that quote that you pointed out is that producers deserve more money than they are making. It's unfair that DJs make exponentially more money than the producers while it seems the producers are doing all of the dirty work for the DJs. If a producer wants a shot on the decks, so be it.

The problem is that the producers who are shit behind the decks are still more successful than the actual good djs. If bad djs were invariably booed offstage, as they probably should be, then things would balance out, but instead the producer cum djs are lauded above all others regardless of their skills. And in the end, it hurts the music on both sides.