Laurence Guy talks about his origins, massive bass and how he would define that UK House sound ahead of his visit for Øyanatt
There’s just something about a massive bass-line that strikes an indelible chord with us. Whether it’s on the dance floor, in a set of headphones or on a car stereo, if it hits right it touches on a primal level and from House music to Hip Hop, it’s become a vital element to modern music. It’s particularly important when it comes to UK producer and DJ Laurence Guy. “…no one can resist a fucking massive baseline,” he claims over an email.
Hailing from Bristol, Laurence Guy’s productions and DJ sets have been known to focus on those lower frequencies with a penchant for the deeper ends of House music. Two albums and an impressive discography of singles, EPs and remixes has made Laurence Guy a distinctive voice in this arena. He’s released on esteemed labels like Future Classic, Shall not Fade and Good Company while touring the world as a DJ.
Built from samples dug in unlikely places and brought together in soul searching dance arrangements, Laurence Guy‘s music is vivid and elusive. His two LPs particularly carve an emotional channel through complex rhythms and that all-pervasive bass to arrive at something deep and mirthful.
His very latest 12” U Go finds Laurence in a pert mood, with Disco strings and a thumping bass seeking out the centre of the dance floor. It’s a summer hit in waiting and if it hasn’t yet, it’s going to catch the ears and feet of the festival season about to get underway.
It’s in this context we’ll receive Laurence Guy as he and dublon take on Øyanatt in a couple of weeks. With that pretense we set out some questions for Laurence. We talk about his music, Djing, sampling and how he would define that UK House sound.
Hello Laurence. Where are you at the moment and what’s playing on your speakers/headphones?
Right now, I’m in London and I’m blasting Bobby Womack on the speakers!
What’s your guilty pleasure when it comes to listening to music outside of the club context?
Haha there are so many, I have a playlist called “To Sing in The Shower” and my favourite from that is Wayne Wonder – No Letting Go! I also love a sing along tune like “Inner Smile” by Texas or “Babylon” by David Gray.
Are there any other unlikely styles of music or artists that have made it into your realm of influences when it comes to making music or Djing?
I mean genuinely everything is an influence to me, I’ve spent everyday of my life for the past 20 years just scouring the world for music I haven’t discovered yet…
What was it about House music that resonated with you?
House music to me really felt like a more liberated crowd, friendlier, a more welcoming attitude. It also felt in terms of DJing that there was a much broader pool of music to choose from….being a House DJ is almost more about an attitude/approach than just strictly playing house music. It’s a way of playing, but it can encompass so many different moods, genres, years, that it’s just such a fucking buzz to me!
At the time of writing these questions, you just released U Go. It’s a thumping summer track with some very catchy samples weaving through that impressive bass. Tell us a little about how this track came about.
This track actually started its life in a session with Denis Sulta….we made a couple of tunes and the first version of “U GO” was one of them. I then sampled a section of that tune and kinda turned it into this one. Ultimately me and Denis decided it felt more “Laurence Guy” than a collab so I continued it on that path…
U Go has an energy that is somewhat different to those deeper tendencies we’ve come to associate with your music. Was there any significant change in your approach to this one?
Honestly I’ve been trying to write more banging tunes for my entire career, everything just usually comes out a bit more delicate haha. I’m happy I’ve finally got my head round making fun dance floor music that still keeps my emotional edge.
You mentioned sampling a track from another session. Your tracks always have some kind of sample at its core and this one is no different with those strings and the vocal. How did you get into sampling and what do you usually look for in a sample?
I got into sampling back when I was listening to/DJing drum n bass….artists in the Liquid DNB scene like Calibre, Marcus Intalex etc inspired me to start digging into sampling soul music etc. When looking for samples I don’t really discriminate, I spend hours in the shop grabbing records that look interesting, or artists I’m aware of, or even by checking the back to see who’s playing what instrument can give you an idea if something will be good. Then it’s just a case of listening through and trying to catch a moment in the track. Now I’ve been doing this so long it almost feels like records jump out at me and I don’t have to do too much thinking, it’s more instinctual at this point.
I read in an interview from a few years back that you’re very hands-on with your sampling techniques, using physical records and layering things in real time. What does that tactile approach bring forth in your music?
When making music I like to be as immediate as possible, constantly making final decisions and moving on. For me this process allows me to get into a flow state where I’m not thinking about it intellectually but just feeling it from my gut. I also have an extremely short attention span so if something grabs me and engages me I can usually trust that it’s a good idea, so I need to get it finished as quickly as possible.
Talking about processes; what was the biggest evolution in your work between your first album, Saw You For The First Time and your second, Living Like There’s No Tomorrow But Killing Yourself In The Process?
Saw You For The First time was made for the most part on my laptop in a tiny rock climbing shop where I was working at the time…I’d work on the tunes in between serving customers. Living Like There’s No Tomorrow started on my laptop but was finished in a full on studio with musicians, singers etc etc so it was a much bigger scale!
That way of making music is closely rooted to the origins of Djing too. How does Djing and production overlap as creative outlets for you?
They both serve the same purpose for me ultimately. It’s about expressing all the things I can’t express in my day to day life…..be it frustration, joy, sadness, love, whatever. In my music I’m expressing it in the choice of samples or melodies and in DJing I’m expressing it through records and performance.
When it comes to digging records for sampling and DJing, I assume there’s quite a big difference. What do you look for in either case?
The process is the same, I just go to different shops depending on what I’m looking for! It’s all about finding records that you connect with and you find interesting, so this is the same for me whether it’s to play or to sample, but obviously when it’s to play I’ll be looking in the house section instead of the jazz section.
What are some of the current highlights in your record bag for DJing?
Biggest one atm is Max & Brian – Dancing & Romancing – pure French touch gold!
UK House; there is something unique to that sound. When you’re thinking of House music from the UK and more specifically Bristol, what do you believe sets it apart?
It sounds basic, but I think the main thing that sets it apart is the bass element. Even in house music in the UK, the bass sounds and basslines often are the most important part of the tune, they have to sounds massive and have that kinda “rude” attitude that’s also associated with Dubstep/DNB.
It doesn’t always travel beyond the UK, so if you’re playing to an audience that might be unfamiliar to that sound, how do you introduce them to it?
In my experience, especially nowadays, that UK sound has become quite a universal thing so i translates super well everywhere…no one can resist a fucking massive baseline.
With that in mind, do you have any idea how your set at Jaeger might unfold?
Playing with Dublon I think I’m gonna tap back into some of my soulful house collection for the first half and then introduce the UK flavour in the second, can’t wait!
Thank you for taking the time to talk to us, Laurence and we’ll see you soon.