Damian Lazarus - Interview to The Sun

LOVE him or loathe him, you can’t deny Crosstown Rebels label boss Damian Lazarus’s impact on clubland over the past decade.

Known for his enigmatic DJ sets, flamboyant fashion sense and offbeat podcasts, Lazarus has helped shape the careers of superstar spinners such as Seth Troxler and Jamie Jones.
This year marks his pioneering label’s 10th anniversary, a landmark that will be celebrated with a suitably epic world tour and a bumper three-disc compilation.
We caught up with Damian to discuss birthdays, brushes with bankruptcy and rebellious behaviour.

What inspired you to start your own record label? I’m guessing it wasn’t to get rich quick...

After gaining experience in the early 2000s co-running other influential labels such as east London’s famous City Rockers (home of Felix da Housecat), I decided it was time to branch out.
I wanted the creative challenge of running my own label and to continue promoting the most adventurous underground artists.

What are the financial realities of running an independent label, especially in the world of underground dance music?

It’s obviously more a labour of love than a decent money-making business.
Occasionally I sign a record that breaks through and we make ends meet.
Despite physical record sales being at an all time low, we manage to at least cover our costs with most releases.

What's the Damian Lazarus recipe for success?

Make, play and release music from the heart.

Name the record labels which have most inspired and influenced you?

The big indies Domino and XL are a source of inspiration because they prove you can have success and credibility, as are groundbreaking imprints such as Kompakt and Perlon which champion a more melodic style of electronic music.
 
How do you define the Crosstown Rebels sound, and has your move to Los Angeles from London influenced the label's musical direction?

Our signature sound is best described as future-thinking, melodic electronic music.
I have lived in LA for four years now, and as I regularly fly back and forth to Europe, the label has acquired a truly international flavour.

Do you prefer the laidback LA lifestyle to the London buzz these days?

My life in LA offers a more stress free environment than that in London.
I live in a rather isolated house above a beautiful park and keep myself away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
I also visit a Shaman in Mexico, which is good for my spiritual health.

Were there any times when you nearly gave up and shut the label down?

There were three occasions when I felt that the stress and workload had got too much, but I managed to find the creative juices and energy to continue.
Over the past decade we have lost a lot of money as a result of distribution companies going bust, but each time the talent of our amazing artists has convinced me to fight on.

Did you ever imagine you would make it to your 10th birthday and what does it mean to you?

It snuck up on me if I’m honest.
It was only recently that I took stock and realised we’d made it this far.
It’s a cliché but time actually does move fast when you're having fun!

How do you find your artists? Or is it just a case of wading through endless demos?
 
I have a knack of stumbling across the right people at the right time.
I do listen to demos, but my eyes and ears are always open waiting for a new talent to spark my interest.
You have to have something special to offer both musically and as a person to become a member of the Rebels family.

What’s your relationship like these days with two of your most successful signings Seth Troxler and Jamie Jones?
Are you supportive of their label projects or is there a rivalry there?

Crosstown Rebels is a big family that constantly helps and supports each other.
I am extremely proud of their successes, and consider them special people in my life.
As I learnt during my earlier career as a music journalist, there is no place for negativity in music.
 
What releases and parties should we look out for from Crosstown in 2013?

Our anniversary tour starts in February and there’s a big announcement coming soon about something we are planning in the US.
As far as artists are concerned this year is all about Infinity Ink, Ali Love, Art Department, Subb-an, Maceo Plex and Francesca Lombardo.
 
What’s the biggest change you’ve noticed in the music industry over the last decade?

While digital releases have revolutionised the industry, people are still dancing as crazily as ever and are just as hungry for the next new record - and that's where I step in.

Amirali's interview for i-D Online

Until recently Amirali was a little-known musician, toiling away on his productions whilst studying architecture at university in London. Then Crosstown Rebel’s visionary Damian Lazarus heard his music and signed him up.

With such a hefty vote of confidence Amirali’s profile was boosted instantly and he’s since produced his debut LP, ‘In Time’, and put together an hour-long live show which he’s taking on tour around the world. After seeing his brilliant show at Get Lost in Miami this year, we thought it was about time we met – and he’s been kind enough to prepare an exclusive selection of his influences past and present for your ears only.

How did you start making music? What first sparked your interest in becoming a musician? I’ve been playing the piano since I was about five. I had several piano tutors over the years and played classical pieces. My parents always knew that I had a very strong ear for music. I remember sometimes I wouldn’t play the pieces my tutor had told me to practice and I would end up just playing what I liked. So I was always involved and into making music even before getting my head into electronic. My father has always been into music too and I think he is the reason I am here now. My family and I moved to Toronto when I was about sixteen and it was there and then I realised my passion for making electronic music. I never made the decision to become a musician it just happened naturally.

When did you decide to add your own vocals to your music – did you find it difficult to start singing? The first track that I made and added my own vocals to is ‘Story Of Us’ which is included in my album and it was an experiment for me since I had never done anything like it before. I think my whole album was a complete experiment on my sound and myself. It seemed like I was testing myself in every way I could think of and I’m very pleased with the result.

What’s the inspiration behind your lyrics? Well, each one of my songs has something different to say. Some of them are sad, blue, and heartbreaking and some are happy and hopeful. The inspiration behind the lyrics came from the music itself, the harmony and mood of the tunes while I was making them. Like every piece of art, my own mood and state of mind played a significant role. There were days last year when I felt moderately depressed therefore affecting my music mood and shaping my lyrics in such a way.

Have you found it difficult juggling your studies in architecture with making music/performing? Sometimes it was really hard and hectic to keep up with them both. Architecture is an extremely demanding field of study. I had to constantly work on projects and assignments and meet tight deadlines but since I was already familiar with the subject from college, it was easier for me to deal with and I knew how to study and apply my skills to it.

What’s the best thing about performing live? Performing live is a whole different experience, it has a different beauty and feel to it. A dream of mine came true last week when I played Fabric room 1. It really was an amazing experience for me; seeing what the power of singing and playing keys and melodies live can do to a crowd. Playing in that room was like playing a proper concert. Months of work in the studio had been worth it within a matter of minutes. Luckily, so far, nearly every gig I have played has been great, but that gig in particular really stood out and was definitely one of the highlights of my career.

What are your plans beyond touring this year? Are you working on more music? From the time I completed my album which was four months ago, I wanted to get away from the studio and focus on my live pa but now I think it’s time to get back in the studio and start working on some fresh material. I’m currently working on a remix for my homeboy’s label ‘My Favorite Robot’, I’m also releasing two more singles on Crosstown.

soundcloud.com/amiraliofficial

Text: Marcus Barnes

DAMIAN LAZARUS - MIXMAG INTERVIEW

Damian Lazarus started his career in music as a journalist for Dazed & Confused, rising to the position of assitant editor. He then took his bulging contacts book to City Rockers, where he was head of A&R. Here he was instrumental in releasing two seminal records that gave rise to electroclash: Felix Da Housecat’s ‘Silver Screen Shower Scene’ and Tiga & Zyntherius’s ‘Sunglasses at Night’. In 2003, he founded his own label, Crosstown Rebels, the mandate being to release non-formulaic, cutting-edge electronic music. This manifesto led to the label growing into the global force of DJ talent we see today: Seth Troxler, Jamie Jones, Deniz Kurtel, and Art Department are all members of the Rebel Agency, the envy of house and techno DJs worldwide. As a DJ, he has mixed pioneering Rebel Futurism, Bugged Out, Sci:Fi:Lo:Fi 2 and Fabric compilations, all of which set the benchmark for electronic music at the time. In 2009 he released his album ‘Smoke The Monster Out’. True to form, it was a unique piece of work, infused with Damian’s devious sense of humour and vivid, childlike imagination: a clear statement in his belief that an artist’s personality should be heard on a record. Mixmag spoke to Damian a week before he set off for the Burning Man festival, Texas...

Are you excited about Burning Man?

Myself, Jamie Jones, Art Department, Deniz Kurtel, Magda, and Heidi are all doing a Crosstown Rebels party. I was there last year too, and I lapped up every second of it. It took me so long to actually go, but once I did I felt like I’d arrived at a place to fulfill my wildest fantasies and beyond. Chances are I’m going to turn into one of my alter egos for the full seven days. I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to be Damian Lazarus or not.

Does this tie in with your penchant for fancy dress?

I do like playing dress-up. I think it harks back to when I was a kid and I was cast as the wizard in The Wizard of Oz. But at Burning Man it’s interesting because you’re at one with the elements in the desert: ridiculously hot by day and stupidly cold by night. In between you might even get a sandstorm. I’m thinking a long and flowing desert dress will do the job.

Last year was your first time?

Yes, when I was working at Dazed & Confused I got invited to go and review it for the magazine but I had a family commitment and couldn’t go. I’ve regretted it ever since. It’s an arts festival, not just music. Thousands of artists creating a community, a universe even, but with some order amongst the chaos.

Where do you stand on the US dance music explosion? You recently tweeted about the horrors of caps with ‘dubstep’ on.

The problem with America is that there isn’t the history of rave that we have. As a nation, they didn’t have the underground M25 and warehouse scenes, so they’re coming in from a different angle. The kids in America are coming to it via the commercial dance bands, psy-trance and what they call EDM as opposed to house and techno. It’s a case of slowly and surely showing people where we’ve come from, so it’s not such a culture shock. That’s what I’ve tried to do with the Rebel Rave films: show people what we bring to a party.

Why does it matter if people aren’t into what you’d say is ‘good’ music?

Well, it doesn’t if you’re not interested in hearing fresh new music. In that case you’re not going to come and see us. That’s fine, go see the same old faces and names, but personally I like new exciting music. I’m never worried about drawing the ‘wrong’ crowd, because if they’re wanting to put their hands in the air every two minutes they ain’t going to last long.

Any interesting adventures recently?

I just did Peru and Santa Domingo in twenty-two hours.

How did you cope with that?

I drank a lot of Jägermeister before getting on the plane. The lonely life of a travelling DJ!

We would have thought you’d have an entourage!

I’ve got a dog that travels with me quite a bit, Nikito. He’s half sausage dog and half Chihuahua. He’s fucking cool. I took him to a gig in Mexico the other week. Obviously he had to stay in the hotel. It’s a bit like having a child, actually. I never realised how much energy you have to give to a dog. I like it. I’ve also got four cats. I’ve never really been into dogs, but I saw him in the animal rescue that I volunteer in.

You looked into his eyes and you knew he was the one.

Pretty much. Puppy love.

What have we got to look forward to from the Rebel camp?

Our current roster of Maceo Plex, Jamie Jones and Deniz Kurtel have all had an incredible year, but also we’ve got some new talent coming in. Look out for Amirali. You can hear his first track on ‘Get Lost 4’. Plus we have two guys from Venezuela called Fur Coat and a new act called Mother of Seven.

Where did you find these guys?

I’m on it every day. I’m always being sent new music, talking to friends about new projects; it takes up all my time, but the payoff is I find some great new acts.

The position you’re in, at the fore-front of cutting edge music – do you ever find it stressful to have to be ahead of the game?

Of course. Fortunately, I’m still really driven. If I wasn’t I couldn’t do it, but I’m proud of my label and the people I work with. We’ve built a strong family. We party together, go through issues together. It’s important to me.

You were assistant editor of Dazed & Confused and then left to pursue a career in music. Our very own Gavin Herlihy left Mixmag and is now releasing tunes on Cocoon. In your experience, do most music journalists want to be DJs?
 No, but I think there are a lot of wannabe DJs and musicians who become music critics, and they don’t always see the value in writing creatively about music. There are a few great writers out there, but most people take ‘route one’ when writing an album review or an interview. Personally, I’m about thinking outside the box and poking around in the psyches of DJs. People talk about the lack of personalities in dance music. But I think maybe it’s a case of the journalists not asking the right questions.

How have we done?

You’ve delved. But for example, after reading my tweets you could’ve sent 100 of them to a psychiatrist and seen what he came back with.

Hey, psychiatrists don’t come cheap! But it’s a good idea, we may use it... Imagine an imaginary ink blot. What do you see?

A butterfly.

What does that say about you?

I wish I knew!

CRANKING UP THE HEAT WITH CROSSTOWN REBELS

Ask anyone who the best independent electronic UK label is and those with eyes and ears will pick Crosstown Rebels.
London-born Damian Lazarus has always been an instrumental member of the dance music community – he was responsible for bringing electro-clash to a wider audience when he signed its reigning anthems, Felix Da Housecat’s Silver Screen Shower Scene and Tiga and Zyntherius’s Sunglasses at Night, in the early noughties.
But it is with this later imprint that Lazarus has captured the ears and hearts of underground electronic music fans around the world. Since he relocated to Los Angeles in 2009, Crosstown Rebels has become an unstoppable futuristic dance force, with ice-cool house-driven acts like Jamie Jones, the Visionquest collective, Art Department and Deniz Kurtel.
This month they’re doing their best to set it all ablaze as they head for the Nevada desert, to Burning Man, next week. But not before they throw another of their legendary Get Lost parties at The Music Box in Hollywood on Saturday. And, of course, there’s a new Lazpod to prepare you for it all...

Hi Damian. What are you doing at Burning Man this year?
Last year, the first time we went, we had some friends that were getting married in the desert who had organised a camp for everyone. But this time I decided in my ultimate wisdom that we should build our own camp. I’ve got 80 friends from all over the world joining us and helping to build it. We were inspired by the movie ‘Liquid Sky’, which is a very bizarre 1980s New York-set fashion movie: it has some amazing outfits and incredible dance moves and we’re recreating those and the set. We’re also doing a ‘Liquid Sky’ versus the Robot Heart party – Robot Heart are from San Francisco and they have a $1.5m soundsystem on the back of a truck. That’s going to be with me, Jamie Jones, Deniz Kurtel live, Art Department and the full Crosstown Rebels crew.

It sounds like quite an undertaking...
It really is. This has been 365 days in the making. We started getting it together as soon as we got back from Burning Man last year. I also started to formulate the next Lazpod, which came out this week: it’s my ode to the desert. There were a few people that were going to come with us this year, actually, like Richie Hawtin and Ali Dubfire, but they both bottled it! A week in the desert isn’t for everyone, it’s like living with and being at the mercy of the elements, and you have to be really prepared.

It doesn’t seem like many discerning electronic artists have played there in the past…
 First of all, it’s an arts festival, not like a music festival. Musically, the place never seemed to be that bothered about pushing music. It’s only a few of us party people, those who like to experience something different, that have been going. I think Lee Burridge was going out there a lot and he was really instrumental in getting me to try it out. And we’re now starting to bring our crews and put parties on. Hot Natured, Wolf + Lamb, Visionquest – we’re all doing something this year at Burning Man.

Are you doing anything special in your camp?
We’ll have art installations, a soundsystem, a free cocktail bar, a hammock forest area, a golden pyramid in which this guy, Dr. Whiskers, is going to hold an advice surgery and Mr C is doing morning meditation classes. I know it sounds really hippy but you’ll have to see how it’s being presented: it’s all really futuristic shit.

And Get Lost is the warm-up. How has that party become so legendary?
I started Get Lost six years ago in Miami – I wanted to have our own party for the Winter Music Conference to represent the sound of Crosstown Rebels when we were just a young, fledgling label and it has grown to become part of the staple diet of the underground parties at WMC. The original idea of Get Lost was very heady, very trippy – it came after a summer of, err, experimentation. So for this one, we’ve got a new venue, The Music Box, which is the old Henry Fonda theatre in Hollywood. I’ve been working with three different artists for it: the third person is creating a custom-made DJ booth for us to use. He made me something before with monsters in cables and weird taxidermy coming out of the DJ booth and smoke machines behind it. It’s just the attention to detail that makes this party really special.

You’ve said in interviews that Crosstown Rebels sets the agenda for the future of dance music. What does that look like right now?
It’s exciting. I’m about to introduce three or four brand new acts, artists that people have never heard before, that I’ve signed. So while we’ve still got our key artists on board making music – there’s going to be a new Jamie Jones album next year, something from Deniz Kurtel and Art Department together and there’s a new Maceo Plex album coming out – I’ve got these brand new artists with albums about to drop too.

What does it take to become a family member?
You have to have a good smile!