"When Muzik shut down, I really didn't think anything, but when Ministry Magazine did, I was quite happy. For a long time, there were many negative opinions towards the music industry and a lot of it had to do with what Muzik and Ministry magazine were perpetrating."

Articulate, intelligent and fiercely passionate, Steve Lawler is one of clubland's most outspoken and popular characters, in keeping with his old skool DIY ethos which has taken him from squat parties under Birmingham motorways to adoration on super-rich terrace at Space. As a no bullshit hard-working perfectionist who's always kept his eye firmly on the ball, he's watched his own career prosper and even flourish as labels, clubs and mags have imploded, not, he makes clear, to his own surprise.

"When Ministry magazine shut down, I thought it was well deserved," he continues.

"They were giving less and less importance to the punters and to the new talents, instead they went off on their own ego trip. Lots of those journalists would go to clubs, take lots of coke and care less and less about the music. For them, all that was important was what they thought was cool, the rest was just there to be slagged off.

Writing shouldn't be just about one person's opinion; it should be more about a reflection of what is actually going on. There should be a degree of responsibility in being a writer, because of the influence you can have on people."

On happier topics, Steve's also recently completed his second mix CD for Global Underground, Lights Out 2, a project he revealed he'd found considerably easier than the first one.


Skrufff (Benedetta Skrufff): How long did it take you to produce Lights Out 2 compared to the first one?

Steve Lawler: "It took me about six weeks, which is pretty normal for a mixed compilation, whereas the first one took me over four months. The reason why that one took so long was because, technically speaking, I did some very challenging things on it. I approached it as an experiment into the darker side of house music and I added extra production on virtually all the tracks, such as baselines, samples and vocals and I even played records at the wrong speed and then added them into the mix. However, six months on, even though I'd made a product that I was really proud of, I realized that nobody else had noticed the amount of work that went into it. The album in itself did well, but it might have done just as well anyway. I was too much of a perfectionist when I could have used that time to do other things equally important to me. I even lost a girlfriend from all the work I put into it."

Skrufff: The press release stresses that the CD's designed to reflect your DJ sets . . ..

Steve Lawler: "All the tracks on the CD are tracks that I play out and they all reflect what I do, that's what a mix album should be about. This is also part of a trilogy: the first CD was darker, trippier, and more experimental. The second one is funkier, dirtier, chunkier, sexier, made specifically for the dancefloor. The third, which is due next year, will represent the tougher end of what I do. When you put them all together, you'll have nearly eight hours of music representing what I'm about. When I do a CD, I tend to put a lot of pressure upon myself, probably I shouldn't, but it will stay there for the rest of my working career, therefore I take it very seriously. I want to get it right."

Skrufff: There's a few classics on the CD such as Jaydee's Plastic Dreams, how well do you think dance music is standing the test of time?

Steve Lawler: "House music isn't a phase, if it was, it would have been and gone by now. It's electronic music and will be here forever because we're living in the future now, when most music is made electronically. It's not difficult to make, anybody can make it, and it's made for everybody. It doesn't relate to a particular genre or aimed at a particular group, it transcends all that, and it's more universal than any other kind of music we've seen so far, because it's so accessible. The moment I've heard house music when I was 16, I was hooked. I still feel excited when I get a new record through the post."

Skrufff: Yet in the States it still has a hard time getting recognition. . .

Steve Lawler: "I've been going to the US for years, and one thing I've learned is that the population over there is mostly typified by Middle America values, which are very uniform and conventional. Hip hop and R&B are huge over there and will probably be huge forever because it's music from the suburbs and the majority of America is made up of suburbs."

Skrufff: America's club scene seems to be facing possible shutdown due to the RAVE act; how much have you noticed the scene changing in America in the last 12 months?

Steve Lawler: "I think this whole issue is quite amusing actually, in a strange kind of way, because in America, more than anywhere else in the world, the drug problem isn't in the clubs, it's in the streets. It's in the ghettos where they sell crack, cocaine, crystal meth, and heroin; drugs that aren't designed for socialising but rather to escape reality. The drugs sold in clubs are a minor
problem compared to what goes on in the streets, but the government has to be seen to be doing something about "the drug problem', hence the attack on clubs and dance music. For many years they've been trying to tackle the streets and they've failed miserably, so this is what they've come up with, since they know they can control the clubs."

Skrufff: Last time you chatted to Skrufff, in June 2002 Muzik magazine branded you electroclash because of one track; what do you make of the electro scene's renewed emphasis on clubbers dressing over the top?

Steve Lawler: "As far as the clothes are concerned, I love all that. The whole concept is to go out and have a good time, whoever you are. If you're a bloke who likes to go out dressed up and in high heels, that's great. When you go to a club, it's entertainment time, it's show time, you can let your problems and your worries go and be who you want to be. In America, you have five days a week accountants who love to go out dressed as trannies (transvestites) at the weekend and I think that's fantastic. I encourage people to be themselves, because the further away from reality you can be in that club, the better it is. You may know a club in Florence called Tenax, I played there last week, it's one of the best clubs in Europe. It's full of gays, straight, transvestites, trendies, and normal people too, all together having a good time. That to me is what clubs
should be like."

Skrufff: Do you ever think of dressing up yourself?

Steve Lawler: "No, I never do because I'd look like a complete idiot. Image is important to me to a certain extent, I tend to wear designer clothes, but it doesn't matter if a DJ wears a baseball cap or is covered in gold. And anyway, being about four foot tall myself, when I stand behind the decks how can I expect people to notice what I'm wearing?"

Skrufff: Promoters at Ibiza clubs like Pacha recently admitted they're aiming at richer clubbers, do you see yourself moving in that direction, playing to older, wealthier clubbers or are you more after younger audiences?

Steve Lawler: "I like them both and I'd like to think that I appeal to both and certainly, I wouldn't choose to play to either one or the other type of audience. If I had the choice, I would have them both. As long as I can create a vibe and enjoy myself, that's what matters to me. I see DJs as those who have the tools to create a mood and an atmosphere, and whether that's directed at younger or older audiences is irrelevant."

Skrufff: A part from the music, how do you practically create an atmosphere?

Steve Lawler: "There are particular things that I do musically within my set that I know will help to create an atmosphere. Also, if you make the room darker firstly, it will enhance the disco and strobe lights, and then it will intensify the sound. The less people can see what is going on around them, the more they'll get locked into the music."

Skrufff: How much time do you still spend in Birmingham, is it a place you're proud to be associated with?

Steve Lawler: "It's not a question of being proud, it's just that I don't seem to spend any time there any more. I'm never in one place any longer than a few days. I have a villa in Ibiza, I'll soon have a place in London, and usually I'll go away on tour, come back for a few days, spend a couple of days in the studio in Birmingham, maybe a few more days in the studio in Ibiza, then it's the weekend and I have to leave again. That's the way my life is at the moment, I still have nowhere I could call home, I guess."

Skrufff: Do you still hang out with many old mates?

Steve Lawler: "Oh yes. I have known my group of friends since I was 17, there's one guy in particular, I have known since we were teenagers, who's my best, best friend and I was best man at his wedding. I hadn't been able to see him for a whole year, since I was so busy, and I've just recently started seeing him again by inviting him over to spend a few weeks with me in Ibiza. I cancelled four dates, something I'm not known for, to be with my buddies again. I needed to change my priorities and I had a great few weeks with them, something I hadn't done for a long time."

Skrufff: You seem very driven and hard working, was there one moment or event, which made you decide to go for it full on?

Steve Lawler: "Yes. When I left school, I started going to illegal parties, experienced the whole acid house thing, then bought some decks and started my own illegal parties so that I could play my music out to people. Then at one stage in my life, there was a girl I was going out with for three and a half years, my first love if you like, then we broke up and it really broke my heart. Within that dark period, I threw myself completely into my work. I was determined, driven and 100% focussed on turning my passion for DJing into a career. Usually bad things that happen in life, bring a major life change, often for the better."

Skrufff: Have you bumped into that girl since?

Steve Lawler: "I have done a few times."

Skrufff: I bet she knows she's made the right choice in ditching you. . .

Steve Lawler: "You can say that again. When I was going out with her I couldn't even afford a drink, and a few years later my financial situation had changed drastically. It put a little smile on my face."

Skrufff: Is she a fan of yours today?

Steve Lawler: "Not at this stage."

Skrufff: Let me guess, is she married with kids perhaps?

Steve Lawler: "Nah, I think she's still waiting for me to come back to her - just kidding! I still bump into her occasionally, because she's the sister of my best friend's wife, the one I mentioned before. The one thing that is funny is that her parents, whom I used to get on with very well, are still really gutted about the whole break-up. They say they always told her I was going to become really
successful one day."

Steve Lawler's Lights Out is available now on Global Underground.

http://www.globalunderground.co.uk

Benedetta Skrufff