Damian Lazarus' magical live project 'The Ancient Moons' returns today with their new single "Five Moons".
The band led by Damian Lazarus is comprised of Ben Chetwood on drums, Rob Gentry on keyboards and new vocalist J Appiah. 'On Five Moons' they are also joined by the Australian punk sensation Chela for a dubbed out, soulful excursion into the darker recesses of the dancefloor.
The Ancient Moons first debuted in 2014 with 'Lover's Eyes', and followed that with the acclaimed album 'Message From The Other Side', dubbed a "journey into techno's dreamiest recesses" by The Fader and a "psychedelic masterpiece" by Vice. Since then, The Ancient Moons have travelled the world with their highly immersive live show, supported Roisin Murphy on tour and played at Glastonbury festival and Melt! amongst others.
Hot on the heels of this summer's anthemic release 'I Found You', Damian Lazarus & The Ancient Moons return with another heavy hitter: 'Fly Away' complete with stupendous Dennis Ferrer remix. 'Fly Away' is another great beguiling, soulful masterpiece by Damian Lazarus & The Ancient Moons, featuring the inimitable vocal talents of Afronaut Zu, who transcendent vocal leanings underpin the lush evocative production of the effortless string laden grooves.
On the flip and Dennis Ferrer delivers a monster of a remix; jacking the groove, dubbing Zu's vocal and mesmerizing the dancefloor to maximum effect !
Damian Lazarus & The Ancient Moons return to Crosstown Rebels with the iconic I Found You , remixed by Black Coffee and former resident of Trouw Patrice Bäumel.
Lazarus closed his Day Zero festival with I Found You back in Jnauary, and since then it has become one of the most requested tracks. His magical live projecy The Ancient Moons was first unleashed in 2014 with Lover's Eyes (mohe Pi Ki najariya) and followed in 2015 by the highly acclaimed album, A Message From The Other Side, co-produced with James Ford. Since then, Damian Lazarus & The Ancient Moons have travelled the world with their highly immersive live show, supported Roisin Murphy on tour and played at Glastonbury Festival and Melt! among others.
The Fader labelled The Ancient Moons "a journey into techno's dreamiest recesses" and the four pieces have been continually shrouded in mystery. Last year Lazarus and his collection of musicians retreated into the Italian countryside and started to work on new and self-produced material. The Ancient Moons brings together Zulu on vocals, Ben Chetwood on electronics and Rob Gentry on the keys. I Found You is the first fruit of their labor. Continuing a path first started by the band's anthemic single Vermillion, I Found You is intensely soulful, warm and paired with anthemic vocals from singer Zulu. This is the first of a string of tracks from the band in 2017.
Lazarus comments "This is the first time I've created music in a band situation and I loved every moment of it. I decided to make the new music as a collective and the four of us have created magic. The energy that we enjoyed from beginning to end of this process was electric."
Crosstown Rebels has just announced the debut of the Wizardry experience, a back-to-back-to-back day and night event with Damian Lazarus, DJ Tennis and DJ Three.
The massive line-up hits Output in New York City for 16 hours on July 3 and the party's inspired by Lazarus, Tennis and Three's Get Lost Wizardry afterparties.
Artists down to play, including David Terranova, LUM and Jaialai, are set to simultaneously play the Main Room, Panther Room and Rooftop all throughout the show.
Tickets to the Wizardry show at Output can be found here.
2015 saw Damian Lazarus create his most ambitious project to date in The Ancient Moons, producing a full length album 'Message From The Other Side' with a wide assortment of vocalists and collaborators from around the world. They went on to support Roisin Murphy on tour, gain acclaim from the likes of Daze & Confused and Lazarus became the final coverstar of the year in the UK's Mixmag magazine.
Now the tracks from 'The Other Side' have been reinterpreted by an assortment of stars, from techno stalwarts Juan Atkins&Kimyon Huggins, to German experimental talent Kölsch, and Acid Pauli's sprawling fusion of weirdness. The original material is ploughed in new and surprising directions by Black Butter's own Gorgon City and Mehmet Asian, resident at Berlin's infamous Wilde Renate Club
Talent from Lazarus' label Crosstown Rebels, including Francesca Lombardo, DrumTalkand Israeli trio Red Axes also produce their own visions for the music, all of which retain the mysticism of the original with added dancefloor appeal. The final four tracks revisit some of the biggest moments from The Moons to date, as the album revisits interpretations from Jamie Jones, Dixon, Serge Devantand &Me.
Co-produced by James Ford (Simian Mobile Disco, Arctic Monkeys, Florence + The Machine), The Ancient Moons was always a unique project, which has now been stretched to include the flavors of some of the most exciting artists shaping the musical landscape right now.
Recorded in Mexico, LA and London, 'The Other Side' features instrumentalists from Mozambique, Guinea, Pakistan, Egypt, America and even Mexico's own Yucatan Symphony Orchestra
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Tracklist:
1. Adventures Of The Ancient Moons (Juan Atkins And Kimyon Huggins Remix)
2. Lover's Eyes (Mohe Pi Ki Najariya) (Mehmet Asian Remix)
3. Message From The Other Side (Red Axes Remix)
4. Trouble At The Séance (Kölsch Remix)
5. We Will Retrun (Francesca Lombardo Remix)
6. Sacred Dance Of The Demon (Gorgon City Remix)
7. Eyes Won't Let Me Hide (DrumTalk Remix)
8. Tangled Web (Acid Pauli Remix)
9. Lover's Eyes (Mohe Pi Ki Najariya) (Dixon Re-Edit)
Back from a whirlwind tour this summer taht included Glastonbury, Melt & Wilderness festivals plus a much-lauded residency at Heart in Ibiza, performing Damian Lazarus & The Ancient Moons' eccentric and immersive debut album for the first time, the band unveil their third single, "We Will Return".
Damian Lazarus & The Ancient Moons brings together a wide assortment of vocalists, collaborators and players from around the world and was joined at the production controls by James Ford (Simian Mobile Disco, Arctic Monkeys, Florence). Taking inspiration from Lazarus's Lazpod series, Get Lost events and Day Zero Festival in Mexico, the resulting album "Message From The Other Side" is a rich and ambitious project featuring musicians from LA, Egypt, Pakistan, Mozambique and Mexico's Yucatan Symphony Orchestra.
One of the UK's finest electronic songwriter and vocalist, Ali Love rose to fame providing vocals for The Chemical Brothers hit, "Do It Again", for their 2007 album "We Are The Night". Appearing since on Columbia Records, Back Yard Recordings and co-penning the Justice single "Civilization", used in the biggest Adidas commercial to date, Ali is now part of two of the biggest current dance acts: Infinity Ink and Hot Natured, the latter playing Coachella this year and scoring a place in the UK top 40 charts.
An hour-long journey into techno's dreamiest recesses with the Crosstown Rebels boss.
As the boss of dance label Crosstown Rebels and in his own productions, UK producer Damian Lazarus has explored the deepest recesses of house and techno, from big-room to small-scale. His new album as Damian Lazarus & the Ancient Moons, Message From the Other Side, drops via !K7 and CR on May 19, and to celebrate he's put together this special Staring at the Moon mix for us. Get deep and enjoy—and if you find yourself in a going-out mood, Lazarus is playing Verboten May 1 and a sunset set at Further Future on May 2.
Where are you right now? Describe your surroundings.
I am waiting to board a plane from Munich airport to fly to a gig in Amsterdam, there is a rather large lady with the worst hairstyle I've possibly ever seen playing candy crush on her iPad sat next to me.
What's the funniest thing that's happened to you during a DJ set?
I fell asleep in between mixing 2 tracks for about 10 seconds during a gig in LA once during a particularly heavy week.
What's the last book you read that had a big impact on you? The Secret Teachings of All Ages by Manly P. Hall
What did you open and close this FADER mix with, and why? I was standing on my balcony outside my bedroom looking at the stars one night and I came back in to find I'd left my phone recording by accident and it just so happened that my eldest dog Mikito had been barking in his sleep, he's not a barker generally so I thought it was a good way to open this mix about the moon. The idea of the mix is about the night, songs related to moonrise, it's it's deep and introspective and I thought it would be close with the first hint of the sunrise and what could be more uplifting than "Daylight" by Roy Ayers's Musical People.
If you could have anyone spin your next birthday party, past or present, DJ or not, who would it be?
Alejandro Jodorowsky.
What's your favorite dish to cook and how do you make it?
I'm a bit of a self confessed sausage freak and recently I started making these pretty amazing sausage rolls which involves mixing up the meat with garlic, onions, spinach and loads of spices. They take about half an hour from preparation to coming out of the oven and taste and look absolutely wonderful a unless of course you're a vegetarian.
Who's the one artist, living or dead, that you'd love to collaborate with? Leonard Bernstein seems like a pretty cool guy and I think Vangelis and I could create some magic.
What's the worst thing you've ever drank?
Habushu Sake is pretty up there on the list, it's a venomous snake fermented on sake and usually distilled in Japan. It is said to increase your libido and bring you good luck, since drinking it I've had no complaints.
What's the most common misconception you face when explaining your occupation to people? That being a musician and a DJ is all about hanging out with attractive women, getting loaded and having an easy care free life. Whilst that is true we do actually work hard too.
Tracklist:
mikito - barking in my sleep
ivor cutler - look at the moon (feat. linda hirst)
bruce trail - alterra
adventures of the ancient moons - string arrangement
borealis - draft moon
david crosby - i'd swear there was somebody here
andrew waterworth - looking for god
my way feat. joe duckie (tanner ross & slow hands rmx)
the japanese house - still
francesca lombardo - water reflections
damian lazarus & the ancient moons - amber palace (exclusive version)
vakula - new sensations
elvis presley - blue moon
singers and players - make a joyful noise
nick drake - pink moon
eden ahbez - full moon
ramp - daylight
** found sounds by gabriele fasano
Vermillion is the lead single for the forthcoming album from Damian Lazarus & The Ancient Moons. Channeling the magic of those hazy, sunrise parties Vermillion captures the globetrotting influences of Damian lazarus's new album. Featured here is a exclusive limited 7" version, released especially for Record Store Day, on the flip is the psychedelic opus "Mourning Of The Passing Flamingo". Please note this is limited to 100 copies.
Transported to glistering new realms, the bubbling deep house rolls beneath the revelatory soul of LA singer-songwriter and guitarist Moses Sumney, is the first of two appearances from the singer on the forthcoming album "Message From The Other Side". Album out May 18th.
A career spent Djing across the globe was the catalyst for Lazarus's latest project - Damian Lazarus & The Ancient Moons. Co-produced by James Ford of Simian Mobile Disco, the new album brings together an assortment of vocalists, collaborators and players from around the world, all taking inspiration from his Lazpod series, Get Lost events and Day Zero Festival in Mexico.
Pete Tong’s ‘Essential New Tune’ last week, ‘Vermillion’ is the lead single for the forthcoming album from Damian Lazarus & the Ancient Moons. Channeling the magic of those hazy, sunrise parties Vermillion captures the globetrotting influences of Damian Lazarus’s new album.
Transported to glistening new realms, the bubbling deep house rolls beneath the revelatory soul of LA singer-songwriter and guitarist Moses Sumney, is the first of two appearances from the singer on the forthcoming album ‘Message from the Other Side’. Album out May 18th available to pre-order - http://geni.us/MessageFromTheOtherS
Released on 30th of April, ‘Vermillion’ lands with an inter-stellar remix package. French techno connoisseur Agoria leads us on a minimal, spaced out trip through shining synths and swift vocal echoes. Acclaimed house maverick and Hot Creations head honcho Jamie Jones has been closing his DJ sets for the last few weeks with his own remix. Its bouncing, old school house tip bounding beneath bright gospel turns of phrase, approaching near classic status with arms aloft receptions on the dancefloor. And finally Berlin’s Deniz Kurtel, who pulls her penchant for polyrhythmic percussion to the fore, casting sweet tribal grooves across an original surely destined to become a dancefloor anthem this summer.
A career spent DJing across the globe was the catalyst for Lazarus’s latest project – Damian Lazarus & The Ancient Moons. Co-produced by James Ford of Simian Mobile Disco, the new album brings together an assortment of vocalists, collaborators and players from around the world, all taking inspiration from his Lazpod series, Get Lost events and Day Zero festival in Mexico.
"Message From The Other Side" is the title track from the forthcoming album by Damian lazarus & The Ancient Moons.
A career spent DJing across the globe was the catalyst for Damian Lazarus's latest project - Damian Lazarus & The Ancient Moons. Masterminded by Lazarus, the album brings together a wide assortment of vocalists, collaborators and players from around the world. Taking inspiration from Lazarus's Lazpod series, Get Lost events & Day Zero Festival in Mexico, this is music for deserts, jungles and sunrises.
Kicking off in L.A., Lazarus was joined at the production controls by James Ford (Simian Mobile Disco, Arctic Monkeys, Florence) as the album moved to London, and then final recordingsessions completed in Mexico. The resulting album, "Message From The Other Side", is a revelation. It runs the gamut from the wonderful Qawwali-flavoured techno of last year's alternative dance hit 'Lovers Eyes (Mohe Pi Ki Najariya)' to the African-tinged house of 'Sacred Dance Of The Demon', dense dark ambient of 'Inner Core', and the bubbling depths of forthcoming single 'Vermillion', this is a rich and ambitious album.
"There is nothing that compares to DJing under the stars Lazarus explains. "In the night air or being responsible for soundtracking the rising of the sun and I wanted to create an album that reflects these beautiful moments".
Lazarus brought together the widest range of musicians to achieve his goals. Initially there was Moses Sumney, an LA singer-songwriter and guitarist whose vocals light up the dynamic deep house groove of 'Vermillion', and the epic closing number, 'Tangled Web'. lazarus's long-standing friend and associate Ali Love, contributes vocals to the soulful groove of 'We Will Return'.
Other collabs came from further afield, Hossam Ramzy, an Egyptian master-percussionist, most famous for his work on Jimmy Page & Robert Plant's 'No Quarter' album laid down the amazing rhythm tracks for The Ancient Moons. ELEW (Eric Lewis), an American jazz pianist palyed a 'treated piano' in an unexpected, experimental way. Lazarus and Ford turned to Andrew Waterworth, double bassist, with the acclaimed Penguin Café for the album's lush string arrangements courtesy of Mexico's Yucatan Symphony Orchestra.
Meanwhile, Fareed Ayaz, Abu Muhammad & Hamza Akram, are Pakistan's leading exponents of Qawwali singing, the hypnotic sacred Sufi music that Lazarus fell in love with after hearing it on the soundtrack of political thriller 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist'. They appear not only on 'Lovers Eyes (Mohe Pi Ki Najariya)', but also the spaced out, sitar-laden 'Amber Palace', a piece that features the sitar work of Sidartha Siliceo, a former student of Ravi Shankar.
Keen to include an Afro-beat flavour, Lazarus turned to the studio owner brother's wife, a princess of Guinean origin whose vocals became the centerpiece of the bubbly, joyful 'Sacred Dance Of The Demon'. Adding to the vibe on the same track is an appearance by Mozambican guitar prodigy Neco Novellas.
By gatherring this gumbo of music from across the globe lazarus has created a collection that's as happy on the dancefloor as off, a set of songs and moods that work both as an album and, when cherry-picked, as a groove that would move from Ibiza to San Francisco to the UK festivel circuit. It's also a body of work which will be coming to life and touring when they hit the road in 2015.
Damian Lazarus and the Ancient Moons entered our orbit earlier in the summer with the stomping and mystically brilliant ‘Lovers´ Eyes (Mohe Pi Ki Najariya)’. Now the highly anticipated remix package is upon us - featuring a souped up re-edit from man of the year Dixon that and a driving remix from Swiss/Spanish underground star Mendo.
“I had a feeling Dixon would be into Lovers Eyes but I didn’t expect him to request to remix the track. Talk about kudos! The edit he has delivered pushes all the right buttons for the dancefloor and the drop is one of the biggest you will see all year. To compliment this we took a more rollin’ approach with the excellent Mendo remix, who cuts up the spirit of the track into a peak time killer.” - Damian Lazarus
The single ´Lovers´ Eyes (Mohe Pi Ki Najariya)´ was the first release from Lazarus´s new collaborative artist project, which will build towards an album and live shows in early 2015. Joined at the production controls by James Ford (Simian Mobile Disco, Arctic Monkeys, Florence), for this track Lazarus completed album recording sessions in Mexico in February. Ancient Moons brings together a wide assortment of vocalists, collaborators and players, from around the world, with more details of this heady mix to be released in the near future.
Already one of the year´s more unique and distinctive electronic music releases named both Pete Tong’s Essential New Tune and Mixmag’s Big Tune of the month, Lovers’ Eyes was inspired by Lazarus´s more leftfield Lazpod tendencies, the Get Lost events and Day Zero festival in Mexico. It’s music for deserts, jungles and sunrises. Featuring the vocalists Fareed Ayaz, Abu Muhammad and Hamza Akram - Pakistan´s leading Qawwali singers, here they sing of cosmic love, and the four eyes of the lovers becoming one, set against Lazarus and Ford´s incendiary techno production. Qawwali takes the form of a series of thematically and formally linked verses, and is steeped in a tradition that can be traced back to the 13th Century. Lazarus first encountered Fareed Ayaz and co. performing in the film ´Reluctant Fundamentalist´, starring Riz Ahmed. Riz, who also records for Crosstown Rebels, made the necessary introductions, and the unique collaboration was born.
Damian Lazarus and the Ancient Moons will make their debut on Crosstown Rebels this summer. The single 'Lovers' Eyes (Mohe Pi Ki Najariya)' is the first release from Lazarus's new collaborative artist project, which will build towards an album and live shows in early 2015.
Lazarus has been joined at the production controls by James Ford (Simian Mobile Disco, Arctic Monkeys, Florence), with album recording sessions completed in Mexico in February. Ancient Moons brings together a wide assortment of vocalists, collaborators and players, from around the world, with more details of this heady mix to be released in the near future. Taking inspiration from Lazarus's Lazpod series, Get Lost events and Day Zero festival in Mexico, this is music for deserts, jungles and sunrises.
Getting the ball rolling is this 12”, ‘Lovers' Eyes (Mohe Pi Ki Najariya)’, a single that promises to be one of the year's more unique and distinctive electronic music releases. Vocalists Fareed Ayaz, Abu Muhammad and Hamza Akram are Pakistan's leading Qawwali singers. Qawwali takes the form of a series of thematically and formally linked verses, and is steeped in a tradition that can be traced back to the 13th Century.
On ‘Lovers' Eyes (Mohe Pi Ki Najariya)' they sing of cosmic love, and the four eyes of the lovers becoming one. Set to Lazarus and Ford's incendiary techno production, the result has been causing chaos on the dancefloor. Early tastemaker reactions has seen everyone from Skrillex to the BBC Asian Network, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs to Carl Craig chiming their approval, and with Pete Tong awarding ‘Lovers' Eyes' Essential New Tune on Radio 1, this has all the hallmarks of being one of those wonderful electronic music curveballs that confuses and delights in equal measure.
The Ancient Moons have entered our orbit.
Tracklist:
A1 - Lovers' Eyes (Mohe Pi KI Najariya)
B1 - Lovers' Eyes (Mohe Pi Ki Najariya) (Instrumental)
Ten years into its run, there's no denying the indelible mark that's been made by Damian Lazarus' Crosstown Rebels label on electronic dance music.
In a way, a spot on the label's roster has become a rite of passage on the underground house and techno scene, with the label having broken such international luminaries as Jamie Jones, Maceo Plex, and Art Department before they went on to stardom and celebrated labels of their own.
"I think [Crosstown Rebels] began as a forward-thinking, boundary-pushing, underground label -- and I believe we are still that," Damian Lazarus tells Crossfade. "But probably just a bit better at doing it, after these last ten years."
"We have enjoyed so many great moments, it is very difficult to pick one," Lazarus reminisces. "But there was a moment three years ago at a Rebel Rave at the Warehouse Project in Manchester, when at the end of the party, I was playing Chaka Khan's 'Ain't Nobody' as the last record, and pretty much all of the Crosstown artists were dancing on the stage. It was a huge celebration, and Jamie [Jones] stage-dived into the crowd, Art Department's Kenny [Glasgow] and Jonny [White] were robot-dancing. It was just pure vibes. And I felt at that moment really proud of what everyone has achieved."
So can the die-hards expect another ten years from Crosstown?
"The longest I ever really plan ahead with the label is around 12 months, so I have absolutely no idea," Lazarus admits. "All I can be sure of right now is that with the collection of artists we have at Crosstown and the unbelievably sick music we are going to release this year, I can confirm we will be around, doing what we do, for the foreseeable future."
Undoubtedly, though, whatever the years ahead may have in store for this groundbreaking imprint, the label boss and his crew have every reason to celebrate their success right now. And they'll certainly do so during their annual Get Lost Miami gathering at Ice Palace on March 29.
Anticipating that bash, Damian Lazarus shared his five essential picks from the new 10 Years of Crosstown Rebels compilation album.
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Andre Kraml's "Safari"
"This was one of the major defining moments for the label in the early days. The crazy lyrics in this track and the mental animal noises attracted me at first, and then when James Holden turned in his unreal remix, I think everybody realized that this label was going to be an important one."
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Deniz Kurtel's "The L Word"
"One of the sexiest tracks we released from one of the most artistic members of the collective. Deniz proved with her debut album that she was a true artist like no other."
Amirali's "Beautiful World"
"This feels like a record that would only feel right on Crosstown. Very accessible to all, yet very cool and edgy. Lyrically, it sets itself apart from most house or techno records, and is a celebration of our lives. I love the fact that the artist is from Iran, proving how diverse our roster of artists is."
Hiem's "She's The One"
"A brilliant project from the guys from Sheffield. I remember hearing this being played for the very first time in the main room at Space in Ibiza, and when the junglist bassline dropped halfway through, I saw a very bright future developing for what we were doing with the label."
Art Department's "Without You"
"This was one of the two tracks on Art Department's debut double A-side single release. Not only did this track launch the duo to superstardom, it created a whole new genre of its own, which many people attempted to replicate soon after."
Crosstown Rebels' Get Lost Miami 2014. Saturday, March 29. Ice Palace West, 71 NW 14th St., Miami. The party starts at 5 a.m. on Saturday and ends at 5 a.m. on Sunday. Tickets cost $70 plus fees via residentadvisor.net. Ages 21 and up. Visitcrosstownrebels.com.
Damian Lazarus: “The aesthetic is clear: to push the boundaries of music and art—while having fun”
If Crosstown Rebels is one of the defining underground dance music labels of this millennium—and, for the record, it is—then its head honcho, Damian Lazarus, is one of that scene’s prime movers. Last month, the imprint released 10 Years of Crosstown Rebels, featuring house and techno from the sonically diverse likes of Soul Clap, Pier Bucci, Tiga, Amirali and Mathew Jonson; on Friday, March 14, he’ll be joined on the decks by a collection of his labelmates when the all-new Verboten club hosts the Rebel Rave affair.
When you first kicked off Crosstown Rebels, did you harbor any expectations that the label would still be around a decade-plus later? I never really thought about it. When you begin a label like this, supporting underground music, it begins more as a hobby—one that you dream of turning into a workable business. It would be interesting to learn the average life span of labels in the electronic market, but I would suspect it’s around five years. Within our first few years, we had three distribution companies go bust owing us a lot of money, and each time I felt such a strong belief in the label’s future that I persisted and kept the dream alive. I’m happy to have reached this milestone.
Part of your record-biz background includes the creation of the City Rockers label. Do you think that experience helped prepare you for running Crosstown Rebels? Or do you feel that Crosstown Rebels’ longevity is more strongly attributable to the strength of the artists that you’ve chosen for its roster? Even before City Rockers, I started a label which was funded by FFRR; it was called Mind Horizon. This was where I first cut my teeth, in label terms. I think the experiences of that and City Rockers gave me a good basis to start out on my own, but you can never prepare for what’s in store. There are always so many interesting twists and turns with every release, and always so many different people and situations to handle. Trends come and go, as do people, and it is important to keep your reputation intact at all times. The strength of the brand plus the talent of the artists generally equals longevity and success.
There’s a wide range of artists on Crosstown Rebels, but do you feel that they—and you—share some sort of common aesthetic? And is that something you’ve consciously developed? I like to think—and am told by others from time to time—that the label has a certain undefinable quality. There’s some kind of X factor, that when you hear a track, somebody might say, “It sounds like a Crosstown record.” I think we move through different periods of exciting times in the underground, and sometimes these styles might become more populist—but I am not one to cash in on these scenes. I prefer to help develop them in the beginning.
One thing I’ve always liked about Crosstown Rebels is that it’s maintained an “underground” vibe—however you’d like to define that—while putting out music that most anybody vaguely into dance music can relate to. How do you manage to straddle that line? I think it must be down to my personal tastes, as I am the one and only person who decides what to release. I guess I have always balanced my love of, and interest in, both underground and more mainstream music, and you can hear that in my Lazpod radio shows. From the beginning, I realized there were many cool underground labels that specialized in a particular sound, but very few that you could depend on in a broader sense.
Do you look at Crosstown Rebels as being more than a record label nowadays? It almost seems to be a collective or movement of sorts, as much as it is a label. Yes, I think it’s grown beyond just being a label; it’s more a creative collective of DJs, artists, producers, event organizers and promoters, filmmakers and fashion designers. The aesthetic is clear: to push the boundaries of music and art—while having fun.
It must have been difficult to distill ten years and scores of releases down to one anniversary compilation. How did you go about deciding what would end up on the comp? Our label manager, Leon Oakey, and I discussed it all at length over a few drinks. I think we came up with a very solid and enjoyable three-CD selection which gives a great overview of the last decade.
You’re coming to NYC to helm a Rebel Rave bash to celebrate the comp’s release—who’s joining you in the booth? We have the amazing Francesca Lombardo; the mighty Venezuelans, Fur Coat; and new Crosstown signing Ida Engberg. This will be the opening of the new Verboten club in Brooklyn.
That’s right! Have you ever broken in a new club before? I don’t think I have, so this will be an honor. There are some excellent clubs in New York, and I feel I am forever checking new ones out and seeing where I feel most comfortable playing, so this is a great opportunity to see how this one is at the very beginning. I saw the place as an empty shell and could feel the potential vibes, so I’m positive about how it will be.
Do you expect that you’ll be putting together a 20 Years of Crosstown Rebels someday? The longest I ever really planned ahead with the label is around 12 months—so I have absolutely no idea!
Rebel Rave is at Verboten Friday, March 14. 10 Years of Crosstown Rebels is out now; catch Lazpod at lazpod.com.
Damian Lazarus: 15 Things That Have Influenced The Crosstown Rebels’ Boss
Over the past decade, Damian Lazarus has seen his label Crosstown Rebels grow to become the preeminent independent label in underground dance music. Striking the perfect balance between avant garde experimentalism and big-hit accessibility, the label celebrated its 10th anniversary with a four-month world tour at the beginning of the year that included stops at Fabric in London, Panorama Bar in Berlin and Miami for Winter Music Conference.
In addition to running a label and DJing across the globe, Lazarus has found time to release a little of his own music. His debut album, Smoke the Monster Out, was released on Get Physical Records in 2009, followed by a series of solo and collaborative singles: “Different Now,”“Rise Before Zod” and“Robot Heart.” On Sunday (June 23), Crosstown Rebels Presents Get Lost will take over the Neon Garden stage at Electric Daisy Carnival, where Lazarus will be joined by label mates Jamie Jones, Art Department, Infinity Ink, Subb-An and Francesca Lombardo in addition to Pete Tong and Sasha.
Lazarus’ success is due in large part to his wide-ranging and idiosyncratic interests in music and beyond, which has allowed him to stay ahead of the curve, unearth emerging talent and throw some of the coolest parties on the planet. Here, he takes us through 15 of the biggest influences that have shaped him into the A&R wizard and great curator of music that he is today.
1. My Grandfather He was pretty instrumental in getting me into music when I was very young. He was a massive fan of musicals, like old London musicals or Hollywood musicals. He would spend all day listening to scores, which really rubbed off on me. He gave me a really good foundation for appreciating all sorts of music, because if you start with something like that, you appreciate the formation of songs, melodies and the beauty of music.
This kind of ties in with my family and grandfather. There’s one track from Oliver! called “Reviewing the Situation” that I’ve been known to play. On my first solo album, Smoke the Monster Out, it was really important for me to have it reflect as many of my inspirations and influences. I made this one track called “Finding It Hard” [that sampled “Reviewing the Situation”].Unfortunately, they wouldn't give me the rights to use the song, so we gave the track away for free.
When I was a teenager they were, for me, hands down the best thing since sliced bread. They were a trio from London and they were heading that kind of U.K. soul movement. They had a couple big hits, “Hanging on a String” and “Magic Touch,” and they were produced by a guy named Nick Martinelli, who was responsible for a lot of U.K. soul bands at the time. That combination of electronics and soulfulness was something that really did it for me when I was young.
4. Pirate Radio I used to kind of get most knowledge about new music from listening to pirate radio. It helped me discover certain raves and parties when I was younger. Every weekend you could turn the FM dial pick up 20 or 30 stations, playing everything from jungle, to garage, to house and techno to hip-hop. They’d have to move around, because their antennas would get spotted, and the police would shut them down. So they’d go off the air, move to another location and pop back a few hours later.There’s a rawness that you don’t get anywhere else. It’s completely honest and unscripted; anything can happen and anything can get played. You feel like you're a part of a movement when you’re listening. Later on, I was invited to be a drum and bass DJ on one of the best pirate FM stations, which was a dream come true at that time.
5. Jah Shaka
Jah Shakah, Credit: Facebook
The reggae scene in London was really happening when I was growing up. As I started to discover the roots of dub and reggae, there was this one DJ, Jah Shaka, who built this amazing sound system that was essentially a one deck, like a cabinet of sound. I went to a couple of his raves that were really kind of dark and proper underground—you couldn’t breath from the marijuana in the air. I just remember being absolutely blown away when I discovered that for the first time. Some of my deepest, darkest moods are there. A completely different culture to what I do now as a DJ, but I think the influences and inspiration from that, you’ll hear sometimes, when I’m playing, especially when I kind of try to bring in that kind of element of that deep, dark, head-nodding sound.
6. Alejandro Jodorowsky
Well, for me, he’s the ultimate—he inspires in absolutely everything he does, from his movies, to new soundtracks, to illustrating cartoons for Mexican newspapers, to tarot readings and to psychomagic. I think The Holy Mountain is one of the most beautiful movies ever made. Super weird, one of the weirdest movies ever made. They even hold weekly psychomagic in this Parisian café, to really do it in the moment. He’s relentless in his pursuit of art, and a huge inspiration for me really.
I’m just so touched by this guy who was such a troubled soul, yet made the most incredible music and was really an icon to so many people. I mean now, you can hear that all time. But there’s something about his ability to write the most amazingly beautiful music with great guitars in a way that’s extremely difficult. The gentleness of his music kind of helps me to calm down from a week of touring and playing house and techno—any number of these tunes will just immediately bring me back down to earth.
8. Lenora Carrington
She’s one my favorite painters. When I was a kid, I used to love stories about animals that talked and her work kind of personifies a lot of my love for these weird things. People are like animals in surreal scenarios, like strange cats and people with weird eyes. She manages to put them in these ultra-weird environments in such a gloriously colorful way. But her life is very interesting—she was from the U.K. but lived in Mexico, and was friends with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera and was engulfed in that whole crew.
9. Tulum
About nine years ago, I got invited by friends come to play a New Year’s Eve party in Playa del Carmen, [Mexico]. And after the party we were invited down to this place called Tulum. And I just fell in love with it immediately. Over the years, I just spent more and more time there. I probably go three or four times a year. It’s the place where I feel most grounded and connected with the universe. The sky at night there is so clear, and you’re very close to ruins and the history of the Mayan people, which is a very grounding experience. It’s a great place to write music. It’s a great place to listen to music. It’s a great place to feel. I just love this part of the world.
10. Mysticism and Magic
I think this ties in with Jodorowsky and places like Tulum, but I’ve been very interested in witchcraft and the dark arts for many years, buying every possible book I can find on the subject. I like the idea of actually being able to create magic, and I try do that as an artist—playing around with people’s minds a little bit, and banking off the persona of a mad magician sometimes. In later life, I see myself as a weird old hermit living with broomsticks and messing around with alchemy and making gold, peeling roots, mixing herbs, trying strange elixirs and having people come to me for some advice about weird shit.
11. Burning Man
Burning Man, Credit: John Dill/Crosstown Rebels Facebook
It’s been a bit of a game changer for me. A lot of times with the label and the parties that we do around the world, there’s a lot of organization and a lot of that pre-planning trying to gather the right people at the right time. But for one day a year that [vibe] gets created on its own. It’s almost a meeting of like-minded souls. I’ve been given an opportunity to create this party with the Robot Heart guys that is possibly one of the best things that I have in my life right now. I mean, it’s so special, and it’s the moment where I get to make all the dreams come true. I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it. Burning Man has given me an opportunity to explore myself and get the large grips on who I am and why I do the things I do. I highly recommend it to anyone that’s remotely interested in making themselves a better person.
12. Jake and Dinos Chapman
Two creative visionaries that just feel so cutting edge, and [their work] has this element of danger and weirdness that I love. When I used to work at Dazed and Confused, they gave us one of their face pieces, a kind of weird mannequin. And one day after work, a few of us had some beers and we’re kicking a ball around, and someone smashed the statue and it broke. Thinking on my feet, I thought, “Oh, I should probably grab a piece of this.” So yeah, I actually own one of the small penises [Laughs]. I have it on my mantelpiece at home. It’s far cheaper than buying one of their pieces these days, that’s for sure. [Laughs]
13. Federico Felini
Clowns play a very big part in my life, and there’s one scene inThe Clowns that is one of my favorite movie scenes of all time. I would have loved to have been on the set. The attention to detail is just striking, with people coming in and out of the various corners in costumes, the bizarre performances and all these artistic moments. I hope he doesn’t mind that I nicked it in my “Different Now” video. The great thing for me is there are a lot of people around the world who think I actually made it [Laughs]. Bizarrely, I kind of find that the scene works really well with the track. [Ed: This is especially true at 3:48 when the words “I can feel the force of your eyes” are matched with a zoom-in on a clown’s face!]
I came from soul and funk, and that was my music. Slowly but surely, that soul and funk was appearing in electronic music. And then I started to get into darker, more experimental sounds, especially jungle. Jungle was massive for me. That led to going to club events like Metal Headz Sunday Session Club Nights at the Blue Note. Everyone in that scene would say that Photek was the man, hands down. He is the producer’s producer. And in the creation of making this futuristic music, he brought in these elements that were lacking—the whole kind of samurai sound, and the art of Zen. He was just far beyond most producers making music in that scene. I would be very proud of my achievements if I were him.
15. Terry Callier
I was very sad when he passed away, really shaken by it. I’d met him a couple times, and this guy was an unbelievable talent. He could have easily gone the same way as Nick Drake and never been discovered, but his music was discovered very late in the day, and the way that he reacted to his newfound success had such beauty and grace. And his live performances were just breathtaking. He had an incredible voice. Before he died, he managed to make some music withMassive Attack, which I think is very fitting, those two artists coming together to make something amazing. It sounds a bit cheesy, but his music will definitely live on for me. I will never let his music go.
