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The UK producer/DJ talks to us about how he got his start, the evolution of EDM and his dream gig.

Producer and DJ Chris Lake makes a brand of EDM that honors the genre's house roots while still breaking out in new directions. His original tracks like new single "Stomper" and bevy of frequent remixes pulsate with the intention to please dance floors. Often he's referred to as Scottish, owing in part to BBC radio legend Pete Tong saying Lake was "the best thing to come out of Scotland since Mylo." It's not entirely untrue. Lake built his early career on the dance floors of Aberdeen, Scotland before breaking out globally. Riding on the high of a release on Ultra Music and with a string of European dates playing in electronic music capitals like Ibiza and in the UK, Lake fills us in on how he got his start, the key to winning over a crowd and the evolution of electronic music.

Hometown: Norfolk, England

Homebase: Los Angeles, CA

How did you start in production? Was it a natural progression from DJing? Which came first?

I moved to Scotland and met a friend who was already into music production with some very fancy looking keyboards & it fascinated me, so I got into it myself, saved up all the money I could to buy my first pieces of equipment and took it from there. DJing came shortly after and it definitely felt like a natural progression for me but this began to absorb every moment of my life from my mid teens right up to today. Music is my life.  

How long does it take you to produce a song? How do they start? Is there anything you try to channel?

It really depends. Some ideas just come together so quickly but others are much harder work and take longer to shape into my vision, or something that I'm happy to let people hear. The main thing I try to do is have fun and enjoy the process. It's very easy to get frustrated in music creation, but it rarely helps the record.  

How do you approach a remix/edit?

Again there is very rarely one approach for me. I will usually strip the record right back and find a new way to put it all back together with my own twist. Sometimes I take that too far though and completely decimate the original to the point that if I didn't tell someone it was a remix of a certain track, they'd never know (my recent remix of Five Knives - Savages is a perfect example of this.  

Is there any song that you treat as a secret weapon during your DJ sets?

My edit I did of Prince—"Funknroll." It's a weapon and I wish I could release it, but Prince is a hard person to clear anything with. 

What are the best ways to read a crowd?

It's just intuition. I still just try to hold confidence in my craft and the direction I can take a set in.  I believe in my records and when I play I'm confident each record will work. I don't have to back track very often!

For someone curating the playlist for a house party, what would you advise?

Have fun, be different and put your own twist on the playlist. It doesn't have to be a super known record to be an effective record. 

What's been one of your most memorable recent sets?

Hmmm. Some of the smallest shows I've played have been the most fun. I love playing in intimate rooms and just generally rocking the shit out of the place! I love playing though, so I'd be doing a injustice to all the great events I've played over the years by choosing one.

How would you describe the evolution of dance music around the world these past few years, especially as someone coming from the UK/EU?

I think there is so much fantastic music out there and it's a truly unbelievable time to be a music consumer! Okay, the scene is very different, the curation process is very different (I miss the good record stores that would help filter the poor records so you only got the good stuff that would work for you), but I think it's improving all the time. Blogs play a very good role in finding good new music. Social media of course if super powerful too.  

What would be your dream gig? 

I think I'd love to do a show involving a pyramid in Egypt! I think that would be awesome.

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