Here in New York, spring has fully sprung. The buds are blooming, the bees are buzzing… and perhaps most importantly, outdoor party season is here, with a slew of rooftop soirees, boat throwdowns, and festivals big and small on the way. We are so ready.
Speaking of festivals, the veteran Chris Lake has certainly played a lot of them over his years, including his and Fisher’s own NAFF series of gatherings. When it comes to the kind of house music that can set a massive crowd off, Lake is one of those artists who’s helped to set the standard — and he’s been doing so for two decades now, outlasting short-term fads by doing his best to stay true to himself in an industry that can easily steer a producer in the wrong direction. The UK-born, LA-based DJ and producer recently sat down with DJ Mag to fill us in on overcoming his (few) missteps, his steady approach to his career, his Black Book Records label and more.
Octave One’s Lawrence and Lenny Burrell know a thing or two about festivals themselves. The Detroit natives, now based in Atlanta, have been setting them afire with their full-steam-ahead live sets for years, but their new album, ‘Never on Sunday’, sees the pair offering up a muted and emotional side of Octave One. As the brothers prepare to play their hometown’s Movement gathering and a full summer slate of gigs, they spill the beans on the album’s sound, their love of playing live, and why, after more than three decades steeped in techno, they haven’t even thought about calling it a day.
A sneak peak at Black Artist Database’s new label, interviews with the envelope-pushing producers Clark and John Talabot, a look back at Neneh Cherry’s debut LP ‘Raw Like Sushi’ and RP Boo’s genre-defining track ‘Baby Come On,’ a dive into how ambient music can aid mental health, reviews, techno news and plenty more — it all awaits.
Bruce Tantum
Editor