Laidback Luke Interview

Possibly one of the most humble DJs in Dance music, Laidback Luke, stepped away from his busy touring schedule to discuss with BBM the ever-evolving Dance music scene, his successful record label Mixmash and being a four time Kung Fu gold medalist.

Hi Luke, how are you today?
I’m very good thanks. Struggling with a bit of a cold though so it makes producing on the road a bit hard as it affects my hearing. But other than that enjoying life!

‘Blow’ is attracting widespread attention online, how did that track come about?
Martin and I were touring in Australia. He rented a studio there for the week to work on new music.
I actually heard a version one of ‘Hey Now’ there! We decided for me to join in the studio for an afternoon and we made the first version of ‘Blow’.

What do you prefer – Djing and touring or creating music in the studio?
I’m a producer by heart. So my first love is actually creating music in the studio. I love being home. And I love just being locked up just working on creating something new. I love performing too, don’t get me wrong. But producing comes first.

What is your opinion of the Dance music scene today? How much, if at all, has it changed from when you started out?
I got into this scene professionally in 1995. It was more of a cute little hobby type scene. A lot of people in it for the passion and love for it. We didn’t have superstar DJs back then. You were just in it because you loved the music and you were a geek. It’s become a very big and serious scene now with a lot of money involved. I still love it though and love what I do.

What has been the highlight of your year so far?
My number one show for now was EDC Las Vegas. I always try and name my number one show of the year. Everything needs to be perfect pretty much. How I feel in the booth, how my set evolves, the crowd and the energy of the crowd. Even the temperature and the stage/setting is involved! Other than that, winning four gold medals at the World Championships in Kung Fu this year was incredible as well. A lifetime achievement.

What made you set up your record label Mixmash?
I wanted to have a platform for all the talents I stick my time into developing through my forum and Twitter. A bunch of them obtained a professional sound very quickly and it would be nice for me to push them further than only being able to give them tips and tricks.

You recently revealed a bunch of new signings to your label, do you actively seek out new talent to add to your label?
Absolutely! But I don’t seek out. A lot of professional artists get sent a lot of demo’s. I only really invest my time into checking them out and giving back tips and tricks.

You interact with fans at a ground level with your forum, do you think it’s important to give fans something back?
Absolutely, it’s very important to me. Actually, it strikes me how artists just go out and think they are the best thing that has happened to humanity. I love what I do so much, I try and cover all bases. My forum and my social media community is more to me than just a talent pool or gaining followers. It’s about being able to inspire and connect people. The joy and faith my music brings is what I also try to achieve as a human being. Something I’ve never consciously thought of, but something I do naturally.

What piece of advice would you give any of your fans who want to become a DJ?
Begin very simple. Start building a little data base of tracks you like and tracks you’d want to play. This will be your first taster as to see if you like it. Another part is to start learning on how to produce tracks, as this will get your name out as a DJ. Here you can start out simple as well. First, start on trying to make edits of songs. Just try and rearrange you favorite song. Then start mashing up, find a vocal you can add on top of your favorite song. Then you can start adding your own elements to your mashup and get more into bootlegging or remixing. From there, it’s a small step towards finishing your own track.

What are your plans for the next year?
I’m very eager to have some big tracks out. I’ll try and crossover again more than this year. I’m planning on investing more money in amazing videos. My one dream still is to have a chart stomper, and I mean national charts not DJ charts. My luck hasn’t been very good at that, so it keeps me very motivated to pull that one off. I hope 2014 will bring me a lot of shows and great memories again.

Quick fire round to get to know you better…

What was the first CD you bought?
It might have been a CD single of Michael Jackson – Smooth Criminal

Where’s your favourite place to go on holiday?
I always take the whole family to go to Ibiza. We enjoy the quiet side of the island as we rent a big villa and just lay low for a week.

If you could be successful in any other profession, what would you choose?
Kung Fu is my second life, when I get older I will try and open up a school one day.

What’s your worst fear?
To waste my life away, I hate feeling useless.

If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
I’d love to see myself as a lion or dragon but my wife calls me a monkey and I’ve been
called a chipmunk before!

Thank you Luke!

By Bryony Curtis