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All Music Guide:
Steve Lawler worked his way to the top of the British dance scene before taking his dark, tribal style of progressive house internationally, spinning at all the world's biggest clubs, from Ibiza to Miami. Lawler's mix albums, including reputation-establishing entries in the Global Underground series, consistently included the latest big hits alongside hard-to-find favorites of his that made his sets so unique. More than anything, Lawler's mixing consistently emphasized house music, in particular the progressive side of house. And he was often known for his emphasis on big, dark, tribal drums -- lots and lots of drums -- that anchored his multi-hour DJ sets.
Born in the Midlands of England, Lawler took an early interest in electronic music, particularly Depeche Mode. More than anything, however, the bursting late-'80s acid house scene drew him deeper into the music. It no longer was an interest; it was a lifestyle. He began listening to local pirate station PCRL and frequenting warehouse parties. Between 1990 and 1994 he put on a series of illegal parties in a disused tunnel under the M42 and then made the jump to Ibiza, where he met Darren Hughes of the British superclub Cream. Hughes was impressed by Lawler and offered him the chance to spin at Cream. Before long, Lawler held a residency there and, in turn, entered elite status among his British peers.
With every passing year, Lawler's popularity grew, and he soon adopted the jet-set lifestyle, spinning everywhere from Space in Ibiza and Zouk in Singapore to Groovejet in Miami and Twilo in New York. He entered the mix CD market in the early 2000s with his Dark Drums series and, more visibly, some entries in the Global Underground series. Moreover, he began producing tracks, one of the most noteworthy being "Rise 'In" for John Digweed's Bedrock label in 2000.
Wikipedia:
Steve Lawler is a British house music producer and DJ born in Birmingham, England. He has held residences at many popular dance clubs such as Space, The End and Twilo. Because of his successful performances at Space in Ibiza, he has been nicknamed "King of Space". Lawler has released several mix albums and is especially well known for his Lights Out series featured on Boxed. He currently runs the record label Viva Music. He also founded the now defunct Harlem Records.
Biography
Steve Lawler originally gained interest in the music scene around the age of 16, listening to pirate radio stations. Beginning at age 17, Lawler staged a series of illegal parties in a tunnel under the M42 motorway from 1990 to 1994. After several parties, the event began to regularly attract over 500 people and eventually earned Lawler appearances at proper clubs.
Lawler's "big break" came in 1995, when DJ Jason Bye asked him to play daily at Ibiza's reputed Café Mambo of San Antonio "Sunset strip" fame. Here, he met Darren Hughes of the nightclub Cream, who signed him to a residency at Cream. In 2000, Steve started his new residency for Darren Hughes, at the infamous Club Home, where Steve Lawler held his own Friday nights Deep South which he ran for 1 year only. He also released the single "Rise In" on Bedrock Records, which featured vocals from the Reef song Mellow (and previously remixed by Prince Quick) and reached #50 on the UK Singles Chart and #15 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play. This same year, he was asked by Boxed to mix the third entry in their Nubreed series, Nubreed 003. After his Nubreed release, Lawler approached Boxed with the idea for the Lights Out series. In 2001 Lawler started a night in his hometown Birmingham called the Midweek Session, this was run for 12 parties only, running monthly on a Thursday night. Lawler returned to London in 2002 with the beginning of his "Harlem Nights" event at The End, which has since been changed to "Viva" to reflect Lawler's label VIVa MUSiC. Lawler founded the digital record label Viva Music in 2005, citing as a reaction to the increased sales in MP3s relative to vinyl and CDs. Lawler himself stopped using vinyl in live sets, exclusively using Serato/CDs.
Lawler's wife Daniela appeared as a contestant on Come Dine With Me on Channel 4 between 22 and 26 November 2010.
Musical genres
Lawler describes his style of house music to be "deep" and "sexy". Others have echoed his sentiments, comparing Lawler's music to disco in terms of attitude. Though he's often named a Tech DJ, Lawler says that he prefers not to fall under any particular genre. Lawler's music is House and Techno, but Lawler maintains that he is against the 1980s electro revival, describing it as "shit in the first place". Of the music Lawler plays, he is known to perform his own edited versions.
Influences
Rather than any particular genre or musical groups, Lawler says that his brand of dark house is influenced more by "vices" and dark experiences. He does, however, claim his biggest inspirations as Depeche Mode and The Doors, citing their dark lyrics and atmosphere. Lawler says that the DJ that was most influential on him was Danny Tenaglia, admiring his passion and dedication to DJ-ing and clubbers.
