Chris Lake: I avoid pre-arranged sets, I'd rather be dynamic

Following on from our preview of the Grammy award nominee's Manchester return (read that here), we've managed to hook in a few minutes with the man himself, to grill him about where it all started, what the future holds for him and his label, and his ultimate rave line up.

Hi Chris! Thanks for chatting to us. Are you looking forward to playing at Bitch on the 28th? 

Of course!  I love Manchester, and I can't wait to return.  I miss the UK, and this city always lets loose.  I have many great memories here

How do you find the UK crowd compares to say the LA crowd?

Well I know the British crowd well as I've played it so many times.  I'd say the British crowd is a little bit raw, and dare I say it more picky?  In LA the tastes are a bit different

What kind of set do you have in mind for the occasion? Or do you prefer to not have a fixed idea before you arrive?

I'm really not sure to be honest.  I'll just see what the vibe is when I arrive and take it from there.  I avoid restricting myself to a pre-arranged set, because one: that's boring for me, and two: it doesn't take into account the crowd that's in front of me on the night. I'd rather be dynamic

How did it all begin? Was there a certain night you went to, track you heard, or DJ you witnessed that made you rush out and buy a pair of decks or start putting together your own tunes?

Well I started producing before I got into house music, but not for very long.  I went to a small birthday party where someone was spinning progressive house - I was amazed and instantly hooked.  I heard all these tracks by Timo Maas and Sander Kleinenberg, and I freaked out.  It then shaped the sound of my own records, and a year or so later I was releasing my tracks globally 

Rising Music continues to go from strength to strength. Have you any new releases due out that you’re especially excited about?

Oh yes, lots!  We've got sick new material from Nom De Strip (below), Cobra Effect, TJR, Bart B More, Tommy Trash, Caked Up, Marco Lys & Anthony Attala, as well as myself.

It’s made a habit of breaking the careers of some seriously big names. Do you foresee the same for any of your recent signings?

Definitely. Nom De Strip & Cobra Effect (below) are going places.  You heard it here first. I know what's in the pipeline and it's exciting!

Are there any new works from yourself we can look forward to?

Yeah I've got about 15 different ideas I'm playing with at the moment.  I'm choosing what to run with next very soon.  

What is your summer looking like? Any festivals or gigs you’re particularly looking forward to?

Yeah I've been doing some fun shows already this summer.  I did a few Ultra shows last week in Asia which were amazing, and I just headlined a great festival in Hungary which had amazing energy, but I'm preferring to stick to club gigs this year as I feel it's a little more compatible with my sound right now.

And finally, hypothetical question… You have the power to throw the ultimate rave. You can play alongside any DJ from the past or present. Where would you have it, who would be on the bill, and what track would you play to define the evening?

Carl Cox
Danny Howells
Joris Voorn

Life complete.

Chris Lake heads up an unmissable edition of Bitch at Venus on Saturday night (June 28th). Grab your Chris Lake tickets here.

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