Rachel Rixham Interviews Lazy Rich

[Rachel_Rixham]

Rachel Rixham: I always believe that the passion for music starts in the family home, can you tell me what kind of music was played at your house when you were growing up?

Lazy Rich: I definitely agree with that. I’ve been listening to dance music since I was about 4 years old, and in fact can remember dancing around the house with my sister singing ‘Everything starts with an “E”’; I dread to think what my mother must have thought! I used to listen to artists such as Technotronic and Snap, and really got into some of the hardcore Dreamscape stuff and drum’n’bass (or jungle as it was called then) while I was a young teen.

Rachel Rixham: Who inspired you most in to becoming a DJ?

Lazy Rich: That’s a really tough one – I actually began DJing in 2000 which was while trance was just about coming to its peak, and I would say listening to Judge Jules and Pete Tong on Radio 1 inspired me more than any individual artists. Listening to their shows used to be a weekly ritual, and so having my track played by Judge Jules the other week was incredible.

Rachel Rixham: Can you tell everyone at home what kind of techniques and styles you had experimented with at the start of your career?

Lazy Rich: I started off on CDs playing mainly trance, and then moved into funky house as trance became a little too commercial for my tastes. Once I made the switch over to vinyl I got quite a few gigs in bars in Bristol (UK) playing funky house, and I didn’t actually make the switch to electro house until I moved to Vancouver.

Rachel Rixham: Do you still use any of those techniques and styles today?

Lazy Rich: Yes, I still absolutely love funky house, and will play it at every opportunity, and I actually have an old school filtered house remix coming out soon.

Rachel Rixham: What was the first nightclub you played at?

Lazy Rich: I used to play quite often at a night called Play in Bristol at Level.

Rachel Rixham: Who was included in the line-up back then?

Lazy Rich: The night was run by Deepgroove, who have gone on to be very successful, and we had artists such as Trophy Twins, Darren Emerson, Tony Thomas and Jamie Anderson.

Rachel Rixham: How did you feel after your very FIRST event?

Lazy Rich: After your FIRST event, you’re just thinking about all the things you messed up! Over time it gets easier and much less stressful, and now it’s usually a great feeling, especially when you get a good response from the crowd.

Rachel Rixham: How long does it take you to prepare for each event, and on the day are you generally ready to go?

Lazy Rich: I usually like to have a general idea of what I’m playing, so I’ll browse through my music and make some notes while I’m on the plane, but you don’t want to plan too much as you never know what sort of music the crowd is going to want. As long as you have a ton of good music, gigs never really take too much planning.

Rachel Rixham: What is your favourite piece of equipment?

Lazy Rich: Got to be a CDJ-1000 MK3, can’t wait to try the 2000’s though.

Rachel Rixham: I have a wish-list for you, if you could have ANYTHING IN THE WORLD, name 3 things you would wish-list first?

Lazy Rich: Right now I’d really like a car, something like an Evo 10, as I’m getting really sick of public transport, maybe a private jet too so I don’t have to sit next to smelly people on my flights. And lastly, I want my own club!

Rachel Rixham: Please tell us the name of your favourite classic track, your favourite track of the moment, and your future favourite track.

Lazy Rich: My favourite classic track is Thrill Me by Junior Jack, my track of the moment is Miles Dyson’s remix of Operator by DJ Dan, and my future track is Lucky Date’s remix of The Anthem by Zedd.

Rachel Rixham: Do you think the Internet has helped you spread the fire about your name, or do you think it’s simply a waste of time?

Lazy Rich: I think without a doubt, I wouldn’t be anywhere right now if it wasn’t for the internet. The internet has allowed me to build my name up from scratch with next to no budget, by getting my music to fans that otherwise would have no access to it.

Rachel Rixham: What’s your favourite social networking website? (Facebook – Twitter – Myspace – Other)

Lazy Rich: Facebook is my favourite, but I use myspace as it’s best for managing music and bookings. I’m not really a fan of twitter.

Rachel Rixham: I think the music world has taken off big time via the Internet, however there is a dark side. How do you feel about illegal sharing of music?

Lazy Rich: It really is a double edged sword, on the one hand sales of electronic music are miserably low, to the point where the average track will make around $10, because a lot of people are able to download the music for free. However, that does mean that a lot of people are getting to hear my music, which will increase my popularity and help when it comes to getting gigs.

Rachel Rixham: If you could tell the fans one thing about how this effects you what would you tell them?

Lazy Rich: I would say that if you like the track, then buy it, because the majority of DJs that you see play will probably earn less money than you do.

Rachel Rixham: Sadly many new artists are unaware of how the Industry really works and they believe that the music industry is simply “one big glamour pot”, what do you think?

Lazy Rich: Maybe for the really big superstar DJs, but for those of us that have yet to make it into the mainstream it really isn’t glamorous at all. Firstly touring is really hard work, many people think it’s just about jetting off to exotic places and playing a couple of records, but there is so much organisation and stress that goes into it, that when I come off tour I’m absolutely exhausted. Also, producing records is REALLY hard work, I work in the studio solidly trying to come up with new ideas, and with sales being as low as they are, it’s necessary to put out two or three tracks every single month.

Rachel Rixham: Have you had any bad experiences?

Lazy Rich: I’ve certainly played my share of bad gigs, there’s nothing worse than playing to the completely wrong crowd, and mixing out of Britney Spears is never fun, no matter how many times you try it. It’s really not worth playing gigs if it’s not going to benefit your career.

Rachel Rixham: If you could offer your advice to an up n coming DJ / Producer about how to prepare themselves for life within the music Industry, what do you think they would need to know?

Lazy Rich: That it’s going to take over your life – if you’re going to make it work you’re going to either have to get very lucky, or put in a ton of effort.

Rachel Rixham: What do you have in store for us for 2010, do you have any new tracks due for release?

Lazy Rich: LOADS of stuff coming up, got a huge collaboration I did with Hirshee and Lizzie Curious coming soon on Bugeyed, a remix for Justin Michael coming up on Ultra, a remix of Studio B – I See Girls that I did with Roy Rosenfeld, a remix of Unholy Grail for Alex Kidd, and a ton of other remixes and originals, keep em peeled!

Rachel Rixham: Wow sounds interesting I will look forward to your new stuff Rich, and lastly do you have a website so everyone back home can find all your latest information?

Lazy Rich: Of course, www.lazy-rich.com, and you can check out my label Big Fish Recordings at www.bigfishrecordings.com.

Rachel Rixham: Thank you for taking the time to answer the following Interview questions. I wish you the very best of luck for 2010 and on-wards.

Lazy Rich Interview April 2010
Written by Rachel Rixham