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I absolutely 10,000% make music for me that I get to a point where I'm so happy with it that I then expose it to the world and allow them to make their judgment on it and try to enjoy it hopefully uh or hate it.
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>> Yeah, but you can't control either.
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>> Chris, it's great to see you, man. How are you? >> I'm good. How are you doing? >> Yeah, really good. Welcome back with music.
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Um, you know, I'd say welcome back, but I mean, look, you're always busy, you know, between Blackbook and traveling in shows and this wonderful world you've created for yourself.
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This this idea of, you know, serving at the altar of quality house music, club music, and building around it, but it's different when you have an album, right? Just feels different.
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>> It's a lot more work than I expected. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And that hasn't changed.
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They told you that it would be quicker and easier, more efficient, but it's not. It's actually >> Yeah.
0:47
No, it was my idea, and then a couple of months in, I was thinking, "Oh, this is actually a really bad idea." >> Why? Which parts?
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Well, I guess, you know, I guess when I'm like I had a I had a vision of what I was I had a vision of what I was trying to put together >> and uh at the beginning I was like, "Oh, >> this vision's a little bit harder to uh to put together than I thought."
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Um >> Well, yeah, because building stuff is hard.
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>> Well, yeah, I kind of had a I had a a bit of a a vision of how I wanted to kind of like adapt my sound.
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>> Can you elaborate on that a little bit? >> Yeah.
1:16
So, I kind of had a I've had a good little run of I don't know how many years, eight years or something like that where all the music's been hidden.
1:25
It's been, you know, connecting.
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Lots of people have been playing it in clubs.
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It's been really effective.
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People enjoy dancing to it, listening to it in the gym, but whatever.
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And um but I also felt like kind of the stuff I'd been working on had been getting like progressively more simplified in in a good way, you know, like I think some of the best dance music is simple and and like direct.
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but wasn't as musical as I used to be.
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And I kind of recognized that and I real I felt like I kind of felt like I'd come towards an end of a cycle where that I just wanted to like just try and reconnect with a musicality and try and deliver it in a different way.
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That that sounds to me from someone who's made records in this world and and DJed in this world, but also more importantly interviewed a lot of artists who have done this that that that's kind of like a byproduct of road work, you know, cuz you know, you're playing things in front of crowds and so you know what the pressure points are and you know what's going to move a room to some degree. >> Yeah.
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>> And and when it's time to actually create something and make something that's a body of work, it's like well >> I'm pretty far away from the room now. You know what I mean?
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Like I'm not in the room at the moment.
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>> Making beats and bases that just like connect and you feel them in your body.
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um and making it work in a musical way with chord changes now.
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It's like it's something that was pro really prominent 15 20 years ago and it's become less and less prominent because it's actually really quite hard to do with today like the I don't know the way that people mix things and the sound that people the sound quality that people expect nowadays it's quite difficult to do and I I I had to take quite a while to like figure out how to do that myself. >> Yeah. Yeah.
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>> And that was the thing that I was kind of struggling with.
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But that was like I messed around with that for like the first year and then after about after about a year I was like, "Okay, I actually think I've got something here, you know, and that's where everything really started to take shape.
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I'd already written quite a lot of the tracks that you you hear on the album."
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And um >> yeah, cuz the creative work comes quick, but then like to to your point, what's the sonic template here?
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You know, how am I going to what how how are these sounds and therefore the songs going to actually relate to each other? >> Yeah.
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I mean I mean I I'm not going to lie.
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I I I definitely didn't I've seen I've seen a lot of people talk about that kind of like that interconnectivity between all of the all of the music that you know that's put on an album and I know a lot of people truly agonize over it.
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I didn't I'm not going to lie.
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I didn't I I I uh I I I essentially just had this belief that you know it would all be tied in by the fact that I've made it.
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It's kind of like it's my it's my fingerprint.
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my, you know, it's my signature and that that would carry through and, you know, I obviously focused on it towards the end when I listened to it and I was like, how's how's this all piecing together?
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And I felt I felt good and comfortable with it, but it wasn't something that like the whole the whole way through I was just like, >> where's that sound? Yeah.
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Is the sounding song for going to tie into the this this beeping song 12 kind of thing.
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I was I wasn't doing that.
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>> So, what did you spend your time if not not focusing on that?
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What took the most amount of time?
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>> It wasn't the writing.
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It was just the piecing it all together.
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That was the, you know, just making sure that I I did many, many, many revisions of some of the songs. Way too many.
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And honestly, it's like I was starting to think I was being ridiculous the amount of time I was spending on some of these tracks.
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But, you know, um I'm happy with what I've done.
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Like there was there's a couple of the tracks on there that I think must have done 10 significant like, you know, completely different versions.
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And then within that there's 20 30 different versions of that version. >> Yeah. Yeah.
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>> Um but you get there in the end.
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That's that's you know I just gave myself the time and um I didn't pressure I didn't pressurize myself to >> have to deliver something.
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>> Grace man grace to give yourself the grace to actually make what you want to make.
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And I think you know all great artists probably start without acknowledging that because it's like a race.
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It's a race to get your first thing done and it's a race to get out there and give it to people.
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But >> and the only pressure is really coming from myself.
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It's like, you know, I'm deciding what's happening with this.
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So there's no there's no kind of like commercial um I don't have this commercial obligation.
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I don't have someone sitting there going this this this needs to achieve this.
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This needs to be streamed this many times.
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It needs to generate this. I I don't care.
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I'm doing this for me and I'm doing this because I I love doing it.
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and I um and uh I just want to put out the music that I want to put out.
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It's pretty it's pretty cool.
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>> Is that part of the reason why Blackbook and these and this kind of infrastructure that you created ultimately for yourself and for others >> it it exists is because >> you wanted to remove yourself from that sort of underlying or overshadowing expectation from others.
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>> Yeah, that's exactly what it is.
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And um I just think I just feel more connected with what I'm doing when it's like it's funny when you kind of when you I've got experience of releasing music with record labels and um I found I found in the past I I I often felt like my somehow that my my love for what I'd made diminished when it went through the when it went through this kind of like almost corporate system.
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It kind of just I felt like it just kind of it felt like Yeah.
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It's like it just it just it just frayed my connection with the music a little bit and it's like >> um I do not feel that with this um with this project.
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It's really it's it's really it's a really nice feeling.
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>> Let's talk about the the origin of this album because you know you made N some time ago and you've been proactive and like you said you've had success.
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You you know you've done great collaborations, great original songs, built a beautiful industry and a beautiful world for yourself.
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Um, but you made an album.
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What why did you decide to, like you said, initially you were like, "Oh, maybe a bit off more than I could chew. Here's another."
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What before that realization, what where was the fire for you to do this in the first place?
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>> I've grown up with uh having a love affair with the power of a dance single.
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I just think it's like I think a great dance record can be just uh create well any record can just create such a moment for people.
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But I' I've I' I've always loved what can happen in a in an event, in a club, in a um and how one song.
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I've got so many memories of when I was a kid, you know, when I was growing up of like, you know, going to events and there being that one song that just like you just got this such a distinct feeling of how it how how that song made you feel.
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And I kind of um I've always loved trying to make songs that could um give other people that feeling um in their lives.
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So I've always just really been focused on singles.
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It's just been I I I love it.
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And uh and whenever I kind of explored the idea of doing an album or putting something together, I just never really felt like I had something significant to a significant reason or some or something significant musically to give.
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Up until recently, I just I don't know like the last few years I realized I've been doing quite a lot of stuff.
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You know, I've been working with lots of people.
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I've tried I've tried lots of different things.
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cuz I feel like I've I feel like I've got a vision of something that I can put together that's got variety that um that I could call an album that doesn't feel like um a compilation with the name of an album. You know what I mean?
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>> You summed it up beautifully, Chris.
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It's like you did it for you. >> Yeah.
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No, I I 100% did it for me.
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I'm completely selfish in that regard.
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I absolutely 1,000% make music for me that I get to a point where I'm so happy with it that I then expose it to the world and allow them to make their judgment on it and try to enjoy it hopefully uh or hate it.
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>> So, and that's that's really what it that's really that's really what it is.
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And it's uh but I I I you know I think there was a little peri there was a little period in my life where where I kind of like got astray in my career and and and maybe I didn't I didn't hold to those values quite as strong. >> When was that?
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>> That was probably about 10 I think I I'm a bit hazy on like that that period.
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But it was really like in the in the EDM boom days.
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That that was like that was kind of a a bit of a confusing time for me.
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Um >> and can we talk a little bit about that because I was in that in the thick of that.
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I was I had my I had my little you know I was running the running my little part of the road on that with everybody else touring and and and it was ahead of time and >> it was a strange time actually when I think back because it's quite quite kind of like actually quite >> there was there was some really exciting things that happened in that time.
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There was some very big and profound things that happened in events and the music got very big but it almost felt like it just killed a whole area of the scene. I I really felt it.
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everything that I was doing, I actually felt like, "Oh man, is this this like is this done?
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Is it like and >> Oh, dude, I can tell a quick story.
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I was on a on an Australian festival tour and we were I was on a stage and it was a more bass heavy stage and it was successful and there's a lot of people in front of it and there was a stage next to us. I'll just say his name. It was James Murphy.
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He was running it had a DFA stage next next door.
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This is before it was right at when everything was peaking.
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I know James pretty well. I'd finished my set. I was behind the stages.
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James was running past to use the portaloo he was on with.
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I remember who he was DJing with.
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I said, "How's it going, James?"
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He's like, "Selling milk on a hot day."
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Went to the toilet, came back out, went up and finished a set. And I was heartbroken.
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I mean, it was funny as cuz James is just funny as as you know.
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>> I've never heard that, so that's really funny.
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>> I was It was just f But it was so funny.
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But there was a little bit of it that like then I went up to see my friends up on our stage, which was having a moment because that's everyone has a moment.
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I was like, I feel kind of shitty.
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Like, cuz I love what's going on over in that stage.
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And sure enough, there's no one.
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Now, obviously, this is the beauty of life.
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6 months later, everything changes. >> Yeah.
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>> And he's right there on top. But it was crazy. You're absolutely right.
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It was like you, it was almost like you had to make a choice.
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And that's not what clubs are about. >> No.
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And and I I defin at that time there was like there was there was a there was a bunch of things that were going on.
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I I didn't have this confidence in I didn't actually have this confidence in my in my ability and my production at the time.
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I just was like I was struggling to get things to sound the way that I wanted to wanted wanted them to sound and I was working with to to get that to get a sound that I was looking for.
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I was working with um other producers as well um to to help me and I really like I really ended up diluting what I um what made me me.
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Um I it's almost like I felt uncomfortable with my own mistakes and my own you know not everything has to be perfect.
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I just felt uncomfortable what I was doing and I was looking for help from other people and I and I and then I also in that in that relatively short period I I I did something that I haven't done I I didn't do before and I definitely have not done since and I'll never do again.
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And that was I listened to other people's opinions about what I should be doing with my career.
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And it and and and >> it was a really it was a massive learning lesson that if you had have spoken to me five six years ago, I wouldn't have wanted to talk about because it still it felt like something I was still working through and trying to like um >> kind of overcome.
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But I now look back on that period as one of the best things that ever happened in my life.
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Um because I really didn't love what the some of the stuff that I done.
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It wasn't it wasn't terrible, but it's just like I didn't love it.
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It didn't feel like very it didn't fully feel like me.
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And it gave me this it gave me it gave me it got me to this point where I felt like I have a choice to make it.
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I can continue down this road or I can I can um and be unhappy with what I've kind of like built under my own name.
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>> Will everyone will everyone b like like wants you to like support it all the time. Play those songs again. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
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Or or I could just abandon it and start a new project, which there's a lot of people in that time that did that, which is >> probably the right decision to do.
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Um or, you know, just try and make things better than what I what I'd done before.
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Um I chose that because at the end of the day, my real name is Chris Lake. That's that's me.
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And I felt I felt I just didn't feel comfortable with abandoning me, so to speak.
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So, I took the really hard decision of uh I was like I looked at all of my most popular songs and I'm like I'm just going to have to make better music.
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>> So, I tried to and that's kind of a you know tried to rebuild my whole career said no to so much stuff which was very very difficult.
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>> Chris, what was the criteria for no back then?
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Like like what what constituted a no?
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>> Is this is this given the right impression for for my music?
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Am I am I am I is this is this the right platform?
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Um, and it was really the basis of all of my decision- making since and and and and all the decision-m that I will make for the rest of my life.
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Um, I do everything for me, following my following what I think is right for me artistically and you know for for fulfillment.
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I make no decisions based on money.
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>> Um, I find it really easy to do now.
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like, you know, don't get me wrong, I'm lucky at lesson like, you know, I've um things have gone well, so I don't, you know, I've kind of I'm in a position to make quite difficult decisions um easily, if that makes sense. >> Yeah. Um >> yeah, it's clear.
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It's you have a clear path. >> Yeah.
14:44
But, you know, that that kind of like that that that's sort of like that's where, you know, Blackbook comes in and uh you know, self-releasing a self-releasing an album, self-unding it.
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Um if you can't back yourself, I mean, why would you expect anyone else to back you? >> You're not alone.
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I mean, one of your contemporaries, one of your friends and peers, someone a collaborator, you know, I mean, Sunny is >> literally came out of the exact same situation where I could not have climbed higher >> No, >> on the mountain.
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And when I saw him, when he finally came down to the ground, he was like just fried.
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>> And it took him years.
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>> He won't mind me saying this.
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It took him years to go and figure out how he wants to show back up. >> Yeah.
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>> Healthy, making the best stuff he's ever made, happy.
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Ah, he's he's phenomenal. >> Thriving.
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>> Yeah, he's he's phenomenal.
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I was with him a couple of days ago.
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We were talking to actually talking about exactly that. >> Yeah. Just thriving.
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And it it makes me so happy cuz I mean I toured with that guy a lot >> and it felt like ah he you could see from the crowd everyone was just like, "Oh, he's got it all."
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And I'm like, I don't know. >> I don't know.
15:46
I mean, there is an invisible wall between the perception of what it is like out there succeeding versus what success feels like.
15:53
if you haven't built it right.
15:57
>> That's a really that's a yeah, that's a really good point, >> you know.
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>> And um yeah, I actually feel I'm actually quite surprised when I speak to some of my some of my colleagues as well.
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I don't feel I feel there's quite a lot of artists out there that haven't figured that out either. >> Yeah.
16:09
Well, because it's intoxicating.
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The thing is it's really intoxicating when when everyone around you is like, "Hey, it's working."
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You never stop to ask if it's working for you. >> Yeah. Yeah. 100%.
16:18
>> That's how that's how you end up being Chris Lake today with a brand new album after all this time, but in a way that you want to do it. >> Yeah. 100%.
16:24
It's uh and that you know that's another part I kind of I just wanted I really wanted to enjoy the process.
16:30
Um and uh I I really focused a lot on collaboration.
16:35
>> What do you love about collaboration?
16:37
>> I just I love the energy that you get from different people.
16:38
There's there's like a I also find it like a bit of a there's like a little bit of a challenge there as well.
16:45
Like especially when it's quite common to you know be connected with an artist that you you're familiar with their work.
16:53
You're a fan of their work but you've never met them.
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You've never connected and >> it's a trade. >> It's Yeah. Exactly.
16:58
But it's like it's also >> a bad thing but it's a trade.
17:02
>> Well yeah and and like but you're still two humans.
17:06
you got to interact with each other and there's like uh >> that's where gets good. >> Yeah.
17:10
It gets really gets really interesting and like um that that interaction can be very very different depending on the you know the personality and the the workflow of that person.
17:21
And I I really enjoy the challenge of trying to understand quite quickly how they work, what makes them tick, what makes them uncomfortable, what makes them close up, what makes them open up.
17:31
And um that I love I honestly I love that.
17:34
You love being in the room. >> Yeah, it's great.
17:37
It's really It's really really >> because you know there's no surprise to you or I and maybe to some quite a lot of people listening to this this conversation or watching it that you know a lot of these collaborations are done via we transfer dude.
17:46
It's like you're not even in the room you know cuz everyone's traveling moving especially in club culture. >> Yeah.
17:51
Well when you know when I was really young that was that was common cuz I when I really started first making music I was living in the the northeast of Scotland very remote.
17:59
You're from New Zealand right? >> Yeah.
18:01
Were you in a remote part or were you in a >> I'm from Oakland but I know what the remote I know what remote Scotland looks like and I've been to remote New Zealand. >> Yeah.
18:08
So it's sort of like um I that was one of my only ways to actually collaborate in the really early days.
18:13
I I understand that method.
18:15
It's like and it definitely has some it's got some pros and cons.
18:19
You can make you can make songs happen.
18:21
You can you can do things.
18:23
But the real magic is when you actually really get together with someone. And uh I loved that.
18:27
It was it was absolutely fantastic.
18:29
I had so um had a I I had the best time working on this.
18:32
I luckily I had the forethought as well of um having having a friend uh film most of it as well.
18:42
So I actually qu like for once I actually captured a lot of what actually happened in the studio.
18:46
It's really nice to look back on and uh have some memories of it and watch like the the the moment when the the spark happened and all that.
18:53
So >> you seem really good, man.
18:54
And I mean, you know, what a great life you've built for yourself, but also to come out the other side and want to open people up to your process and even have a process to make an album and, you know, just to realize at this point having having achieved a lot and become yes, the kind of artist that inspired you, you inspire others now, but to be able to say, man, this is a whole new era for me.
19:13
Like I get to I get to make albums in a different way and I get to invite people to c to to like capture it and like >> Yeah, it's pretty cool. It's cool. >> It's cool. Well, let's see.
19:22
They might not be inspired when they hear it, but >> No, that's that's one thing we don't have to worry about is the quality of the music.
19:30
You know, I think that we never have with you.
19:31
And that's that's why as tough as it was for you to turn that that tanker around in the ocean, you know, you've always had the ability to to to create great dance music.
19:38
I mean, that's something that people your quality is and consistency is something that people come to you for. >> Thank you.
19:47
>> No question about that. >> I like that. >> Yeah.
19:49
So let's talk about the early inspirations and the songs that did move you about 10 15 minutes ago.
19:52
You talked about those one songs that changed your life.
19:55
You went you went home and that became part of your life's playlist.
19:57
So what are some of those songs?
19:59
I mean I could tell you let's do a starter started for 10.
20:01
started for 10. Like for me when I was a kid and I was discovering clubs as a teenager and being snuck in and being allowed to work the lights cuz I wasn't allowed to drink and just cuz I wanted to get close you know it was like lfo and then it was like you know phase 2 reachin you know that just
20:18
like is this house music is just sounds like gospel to me it sounds like soul music like what the like that to me was such a golden time because I felt like people were searching for safety and community and understanding and acceptance and house music was the perfect canvas to paint that paradise. >> Yeah. I I God, there's so many songs. >> Yeah.
20:36
I I God, there's so many songs.
20:38
I'm trying to remember all the names of it.
20:39
I I I kind of like the early songs that I really fell in love with were like um >> I loved stuff by Tim Mass.
20:48
>> Uh I just loved what he was doing. It's so so good.
20:50
And um >> uh Sandra Kleinberg as well.
20:55
I loved I loved I loved all of his early stuff.
20:57
It was really really cool.
20:58
The Four Seasons EP >> Yeah. was massive for me.
21:01
Um I I was big into like the Sasher and Digweed world.
21:04
I loved I loved all of that when I was in the um when I was in Scotland, northeast of Scotland. >> Can you swear? yeah. >> But nowhere. >> Yeah.
21:14
>> Um and I had a dialup internet connection.
21:17
It's actually really funny.
21:19
I was like I was in I was in >> the memories I have like my family >> anxiety inducing hearing that noise.
21:26
>> My family will know this.
21:26
Like I had this 40ft telephone cable to connect my PC in my bedroom.
21:33
And honestly, the kids that are watching this right now will have no idea what we're talking about.
21:38
But I would take that cable, it would be plugged in to the one telephone line, which would mean no phone calls could be made. >> Mhm.
21:47
>> I would connect to the internet.
21:49
>> If you're if you're a 20-year-old and you've got no idea what we're talking about, just search the dialup internet noises.
21:55
you would have 20 to 30 seconds of these noises before you got connected.
22:00
>> It's actually kind of gangster.
22:00
I mean, there was some like some serious key changes going on.
22:04
It was absolutely It was like R2-D2 porn.
22:06
And um >> and basically >> um I would connect that cable.
22:11
I would connect to a uh AIM messenger or MSN Messenger.
22:20
And I didn't know how to I I well this is before the day this is before the days of Dropbox. >> Yeah.
22:26
>> Uh this is before the days of Dropbox and Wii transfer and things like this.
22:27
I would I didn't know how to store a file and send a link to someone to or like an what was it? FTP. Was it FTP?
22:35
I didn't know how to do it.
22:37
So I would have to send an MP3 to individual DJs.
22:39
This is when I was sending music out to people.
22:44
Um I don't know how I think I've veered off from your original question. No, this is perfect.
22:46
But um I would send the file and because I was making long progressive house songs they would it would be about 12 to 15 minutes 12 to 15 megabyte file.
22:59
>> It would take >> 3 hours.
23:00
>> No it was it was less.
23:00
It was because it was 56k modems. Cutting edge technology.
23:04
>> Oh You >> um it would take 1 hour per transfer. >> Okay.
23:11
>> If my mother my father or my sister picked up the phone. >> Yeah.
23:16
just just breaks the whole thing.
23:18
>> It broke the whole connection. >> Well, yeah.
23:19
What about the ones but what about the ones when you're 52 minutes in to go and then it's like >> this is what would happen and I'd be sending a file.
23:27
I'd be sending a file to like KL Cox or or or Sasha and I'm trying to think like an artist that you maybe know now son of Kleinberg or whatever.
23:35
I'll be sending >> surely was sending them to Tongi as well. You must 100%.
23:38
I'd be sending to all of these guys and um and then it would just die and it was just painful >> and like your world's come to an end.
23:45
That's the crazy thing about youth, right?
23:46
You think you have no time when you have the most amount of time.
23:48
Like I remember when I was young and if something like that didn't happen, I'd just be like, "That's it.
23:51
It's never going to happen."
23:53
It's like, "Bro, you're never going to have more time than you have right now.
23:55
Every day you're losing time.
23:57
What are you stressing about?" >> Yeah.
24:00
I can't even remember what your first question was, but it was great talking about dialup internet. love that.
24:03
anxiety inducing for me as well because I remember it just was it the internet used to laugh at me because I just wanted to be out in the world so badly cuz New Zealand felt like miles away from everywhere.
24:17
>> I think we've got we've got a connection there. >> Yeah.
24:19
And I just wanted to be in it and I I was blissfully unaware until the internet started to show me.
24:26
>> And then I was like, "Oh, It is all happening. >> I was right.
24:29
I I need to get out there."
24:32
you know, and that was the beginning of it all, you know, from the internet point of view.
24:34
And now, of course, it's like super fast.
24:35
So, let's talk about how you've adapted and how you use the internet and how you use that with Blackbook and how you actually go out there and and how you use modern technology in order to work with efficiency, but also work soulfully.
24:48
>> Actually, me and Skrillex have got quite a quite a thing in common.
24:49
Well, we both you both use MacBooks, but the um man, the iPhone microphone, >> yeah, it's great.
24:56
>> It's one of the best things that's happened in in in music. >> Dude, voice me.
25:00
It's the best microphone you'll ever have >> because it's the closest one to you. >> Yeah. Yeah.
25:05
>> And uh there's there's so many um there's so many bits of vocal >> from the from voice notes in Yeah. It's fantastic. I absolutely love it.
25:13
So >> I've heard some great stories about that, man.
25:15
I I someone told me I don't really want to quit cuz I I just if I get it wrong, I get it wrong.
25:18
I heard I heard that Beyonce was recording lyrics like take like overdubs on a phone on a plane hours before Renaissance came out.
25:28
Just a quick a quick damn we I feel like I need a harmony. Send it in. Bam. Re remaster it.
25:33
Like that's that is cool. >> Mhm.
25:37
>> I hope that's true cuz because not just cuz it's a phone and it's Beyonce, but just the fact that you can just create create to the very last second.
25:46
>> I could be riding anywhere now.
25:46
Um you know the power's in, you know, just a little square in front of me.
25:51
Um able to write anywhere and I absolutely love that.
25:55
I think it's one of the best things ever and that's a huge part huge part of the album.
25:57
part of the album. Um, you know, massive um massive tool that I've used being able to actually travel with essentially with my studio in the in the bag >> which you when you reach a certain level of maturity in your career um regardless
26:09
of age uh is a is a beautiful thing because you want to be able to do something with all those hours but that you're not you're not you know it it's I mean when I figured out that that's what I should be doing I couldn't wait to get back to my room to keep tinkering away on something. They have
26:21
They have to drag me away to get me on the stage sometimes.
26:24
you know, but I I want to talk a little bit about um about your your road journey and I talked to about select DJs who have been doing this who I respect their opinion about this because not to put a a dampener on things but it is just a reality of life that we've we've >> some people really struggled have struggled with that that work life balance.
26:42
We've lost people >> like really good talented people >> then and that definitely didn't help.
26:50
Um, so let's just talk a little bit about how you've been able to build a life for yourself and not be in service to that life in order to justify it.
27:00
>> I've had good people around me like really trying to encourage me to like keep having a temperature check on everything that I'm doing.
27:07
Just make sure that I'm not overdoing things.
27:08
And um I've just been I think I've been really lucky thatve I've never wanted to like take every opportunity and every show and and and really try to understand my own limits.
27:21
I work hard but like I find travel really really really drains me. Really drains me a lot.
27:30
Um, you know, I I I really try to live healthy, look after myself, and um, but still there's just something about getting on those planes that just absolutely drains you.
27:41
And then the shows can be exhausting, too.
27:44
But um so I really try to I I think one of the things that's happened in the last 10 years is is this honestly this just really sucks for a lot of people but like who who want to go and see me but I I just I don't I find it really difficult to be a global artist and tour the whole world.
28:05
I just it's it feels I can't do it all the time.
28:09
I can only do it in little like I I can only go outside of the continental US um >> so many times a year.
28:18
>> Um you know, I've got family.
28:18
I've got I love working in the studio as well.
28:22
That's that's a big thing that fuels me.
28:24
Um and I don't like being away from home too much.
28:28
It's just like or you know for overly extended periods of time.
28:32
Whenever I've done it in the past, that's really where I found the cracks start to show for me. Yeah.
28:38
>> So, I really just try to like um I try to limit it and it it's definitely it's definitely frustrating because it's like, you know, there is a big world out there.
28:46
There's lots that you can do, but I I just I'm just one person.
28:47
There's only, you know, only 24 hours in the day just like everyone.
28:52
>> I've talked to DJs that have been the number one DJ in DJ magazine and mix magazine for like six years.
29:00
And when the spell is broken, we've had a conversation and they're like, "It's brutal out here." >> Mhm. >> Yeah.
29:09
>> Like you have to work so hard to achieve. >> Mhm.
29:14
>> And I think everyone gets to a point if they're lucky where they take a step back and make the decision you made, which is like, you know what, man?
29:19
What is life like when this is around my life and not my life? >> Yeah. Yeah.
29:26
That's that's really how I um I just try to make it work for me rather than me work for you know the expectations of me.
29:36
>> You know what as well and this is something I think that we could all learn from that too which is a little bit of restraint little bit of no is kind of good for the relationship between us as fans and you as an artist. >> Yeah.
29:46
>> Because we kind of want to look forward to it and when it's just everywhere all the time it takes takes a little bit of that away. >> Yeah, I guess so.
29:54
Haven't thought of it that way, but yeah, I think um yeah, >> I mean, you haven't thought of it that way.
30:00
You gave way 18 years for this album, mate. >> Well, it's here now.
30:07
>> So, now you've got this album and to your point, you know, you don't have to go out there and conventionally market or promote this or tour around this record if you don't want to.
30:12
You're ultimately in charge of your own time, but you made this beautiful music.
30:14
Um, you may not tour globally, but but um how is it going to change the way that you show up now?
30:21
Yeah, I have I have been a dance artist kind like you know working doing singles and touring all year available all year kind of like kind of uh always on the road and I I I do want to change that.
30:33
I want to I want to make it more let's just say seasonal or or you know working in cycles.
30:36
Um I think >> he does that well.
30:39
Prid does that really well.
30:40
I think he does that really well.
30:43
He's like when I'm here I'm here and you're going to get all of me. >> Yeah.
30:46
>> But I may not be back for a while. >> Yeah.
30:48
I want to connect a bit more to that.
30:50
So, and I've never done it.
30:50
It's quite a big quite a big step for me, but that that's uh I think that's one of the things I'll do um off the back of the album.
30:57
I'm honestly like I'll tell you the other funny thing as well is like so maybe this is a byproduct of self-releasing it as well, but there's so much work has gone into the release of this album.
31:08
Um when we were coming up to the the uh the actual release date, they got the group chat with all the all the team, you know, everyone that's working on it.
31:18
I'm just like I've loved preparing for releasing this album so much.
31:23
I'm actually going to miss >> the fact that it's it's forthcoming. >> You know what I mean?
31:28
It's like we've really enjoyed the process. It's been really fun.
31:31
>> Well, let me share with you the great quote from my friend Damon Orban who's going to this is going to make you so happy.
31:36
Here's the good news about about that coming to an end.
31:38
And I'll do it like Damon does it.
31:40
You get to make another one. >> Yeah.
31:42
Ex Honestly, that that's actually what's been running around in my head.
31:44
I'm like I'm thinking about the next one. It's It's funny.
31:49
>> Holy Triple album Life from Buudacan coming soon.
31:50
Not going to be able to stop you.
31:52
Um, dude, it's I'm having such a good time talking with you, you know.
31:56
I I don't think we ever met in part. >> No, we didn't.
31:59
>> But I'm really enjoying the fact that that that we're meeting on on on, you know, right here in this in this time in your life.
32:04
Um, >> well, thank you for having me. >> Of course. And, you know, I'm done.
32:07
I want there's a few more things I want to talk to you about.
32:10
I've got to talk about the radio in a second, but um I want to talk to you about like your ability to um to work with certain types of people who are who are who are on paper different to each other.
32:19
You know, you you're you're a connective tissue.
32:23
Like Fisher and Sunny would get on beautifully as people, but are fundamentally pretty different characters.
32:29
>> Chalk and cheese, >> right? Chalk and cheese.
32:31
>> So, you know, I'm not going to character analyze them, but you know what I'm saying.
32:34
So, so what do you look for in somebody like because on the one hand you got this beautiful Australian who's a mile a minute also pretty deep >> and you got this guy Sunny over here who's really like sh quiet move stealth but is also pretty gregarious when you get to know everyone's kind of paradox. >> Yeah. No, no. I I it's weird.
32:53
I I kind of um you know, I've got there's this there's three guys in my life that are like my um my my my nearest and dearest. Um Fisher >> Mhm. >> Um Chris Lorenzo. >> Mhm.
33:11
>> And Mickey Slim, a DJ from the UK.
33:11
Like three these three guys are like my my my best mates.
33:17
>> They are absolutely mental.
33:17
I'm like they're absolutely mental.
33:22
>> Doesn't that mean I'm getting to this?
33:23
This is what I'm getting. Why? How? What? What the attracts you?
33:25
You're a levelheaded guy. >> Well, you know what?
33:28
They're always like they all call me.
33:30
They're just like, "God, Chris Lakey, You're a boring bastard."
33:35
>> Yes, I'm like, you know, we're so different, but we get on so well.
33:38
Um, and yeah, but like, you know, that's that's examples of like my my my closest people.
33:45
But yeah, you know, like, you know, Sunny's completely different. He's we're really close.
33:50
Um, Bonobo, super gentle and very, very kind. Lovely, lovely dude.
33:56
>> I swear last time I was s DJ, I was behind him in the living room in LA and he was he's so lovely.
33:59
I could have gone up and scratched his record with my shoe and he would have been like, "Great scratch, Zane. He's such a nice guy."
34:06
>> Well, he would have said sorry to you.
34:13
>> He's such a sweetheart. >> Yeah. >> I don't know.
34:14
I I'm not sure why I'm not sure why it works, but I kind of like I don't know. I just I just enjoy it.
34:18
I just enjoy working with people. It's fun.
34:23
But, you know, it's definitely led by It's maybe led a little bit by fandom as well.
34:28
Like like these people that I love what they do. It's great.
34:32
It's just It's just sort of I'm just being a kid really.
34:34
I'm just getting to like work with people that I think are more talented than me and I get to mess around in the studio and make some bleeps and boops and >> it's brilliant. >> Yeah.
34:44
But it but it, you know, it's a beautiful it's the right way to look at it.
34:47
But then you put it out there and it becomes the memories for people.
34:49
It's the thing, >> you know.
34:52
I'm seeing it happen in real life and people in my life are old now and watching the way music relate. They relate to music.
34:56
It's it's all it's all frequency to memory, man. It's beautiful.
35:00
>> Uh chemistry, not just the name of an album.
35:01
It's also the name of the radio series that you're doing with us, man. We appreciate it. >> I see. You see the connection. >> Of course. Of course.
35:06
It's right there on the cover.
35:07
And uh so you know which is which is I mean it's it's a different it's a different radio experience than we normally do at Apple because it's there's no expectation for you necessarily to kind of create this kind of extra creative real estate outside of what you normally do.
35:20
You just get to curate and bring people in that you love and do it and make it tasteful. >> Yeah.
35:25
>> So how has the experience been for you?
35:27
And and obviously I love Apple Music Club because I love the fact that the music never stops and it's a genuinely authentic mix experience. >> Yeah.
35:33
It's just uh look I I again I there's there's nothing there's nothing too deep to this for me because there never has been with music and mixes.
35:42
I just like the way I look at it.
35:49
>> I love just mixing tunes together that I love and I think are sick.
35:52
It's really it's really quite simple.
35:54
I just like I just try to you know I I just get together a bunch of songs that I love and uh and put them together.
36:00
May maybe I'm oversimplifying it a little bit, but that's just what it that's that's what it is to me.
36:06
Um I I keep it quite simple.
36:09
That's what makes it fun for me.
36:11
Um I I'm doing three mixes on the series. Um one of them is MPH.
36:14
He's one of the >> he's a strong he's he's a strong collaborator on the um on the album.
36:21
He's actually like he's he's artisted on uh Reach for You, but he also helped me a little bit on chemistry.
36:27
He he did some additional production on chemistry.
36:31
He did some additional on Oh my god. Memories. And >> that's ironic.
36:38
>> And yeah, I ironically. Yeah.
36:38
And then um Broken Hearts. >> Yeah. Yeah.
36:43
>> He really he was great.
36:43
He was great to work with.
36:45
But I I I highly rate him as a producer um and as a DJ as well.
36:49
And it was I he he felt like a very automatic choice for me to add on.
36:55
Um second was Kelly Lee Owens.
36:58
I I don't know if you've ever heard uh her stuff or her her album that came out last year. She's so cool, man. I I love what she does.
37:04
She's a really talented producer. >> Yeah.
37:07
>> Um and yeah, I I kind of like I was I was keen to get people that were involved in the uh in the making of of of Chemistry the album.
37:16
Um so I asked Kelly and she she agreed.
37:20
So she put together a great mix.
37:21
And then the last one, Bonobo. >> Beautiful.
37:24
>> I might be the biggest Bonoba fan on the planet. He's so good though. >> He's so good. >> He's so good.
37:31
Um, >> man, thank you for for writing with us on Club and and thank you, Chris, for for just bringing a sense of like depth and consistency of quality to what you've done.
37:43
like as somebody, you know, I would go searching for new records to play when I was DJing a lot and you were someone that I would just I would listen to 10 seconds of it and I would download it without even thinking about it cuz I knew it was going >> Oh, that makes me happy >> to do what I wanted it to do in my set, right?
38:03
And there's only a few people that, you know, you can really rely on to kind of consistently do that.
38:07
to kind of consistently do that. like I have my few like I love I love Malay and I love people like that who just bring >> a certain something >> that's what I want for that moment right and you're definitely one of those people and I I love what you built you know you've built a really great mature
38:21
infrastructure around your your passion with blackbook and you know you're doing it for all the right reasons man and really we know why why why club culture matters yeah of course it's going to have moments where it's going to be a huge commercial priority for people and a lot of money on is is kicking about but it's not why you got into it it's Why? >> No, no, no. I can't even believe I've >> No, no, no.
38:39
I can't even believe I've made a dollar out of this.
38:41
I' like honestly like it's it's crazy.
38:42
I I've just I've never done it for that.
38:45
So, um it's it's a blessing. It's really cool. I can't I'm 42 now, man.
38:51
I can't believe I'm still doing this. Is amazing. [Music]