The man has pedigree, as well as a wry cackle that announces his rogue-ish sense of humour. His album is a truly original piece of music from a DJ/producer always driven by a desire to break new ground and, as importantly, have fun with such adventures. Yet how many explore this opportunity? How many look beyond their own electronic micro-genres to other traditions? How many absorb the thrill of global music into their own? The list is short, and topping it right now is Damian Lazarus and his new band, the Ancient Moons. They dip into many more cultures than most of us experience in our whole lives. Succesful DJs are privileged to travel all over the earth.
In an age where sounds and trends come and go with increasingly reckless abandon, it’s unlikely we’ll see his type again for some time yet.
Like him or loathe him, there’s little doubting that the London native continues to be a true pioneer of the scene, pushing the boundaries of music to new heights thanks to an almost obsessive infatuation with taking the unconventional road. Similarly, it doesn’t escape our attention that Dalt Vila - a UNESCO-certified world heritage site - is precisely the sort of setting Lazarus had in mind for a live show that proved the set of the night. It’s quite the statement, but judging by the reaction of the crowd at Ibiza’s Dalt Vila, it’s a task he’s achieved with some gusto. “ I wanted to create an energy onstage that replicates the power of a DJ set at sunrise in the desert or at moonrise in the jungle, like a team of musicians crossing musical borders between the beauty of our songs and the spirit of the underground.” “Music is one of the major forces in my life,” he tells us. When we catch a glimpse of him after his headline slot alongside The Ancient Moons at Ibiza’s IMS (where he performed tracks from ‘ Message From The Other Side’ ), he’s beaming from ear to ear, understandably delighted with a live show that felt fresh, challenging and invigorating throughout. It’s a part of his being that’s helped shape him not only as a person, but has also had a fundamental impact on both his own musical career and dozens of others. Lazarus, of course, has never been one to rest on his laurels. A real triumph in eclecticism, it’s a refreshingly far cry from the often-monotonous tones of your average dance music LP. It’s an impressively diverse listen that touches on everything from Qawwali-flavoured techno (‘Lovers Eyes)’ to African-tinged house to dense, dark ambient tones (‘Inner Core’) and even bubbly afrobeat (‘Sacred Dance Of The Demon’). Produced in tandem with the production powerhouse that is Simian Mobile Disco’s James Ford, the album features a host of intriguing guests - more of which below. One listen to Damian’s album, entitled ‘ Message From The Other Side’, and it’s immediately obvious that Lazarus has emphatically achieved his goals. I needed to move from the technical to the more organic and musical.” Yes, the 4/4 sound of house and techno connects everywhere but there’s room for something more. His music came from a particular place outside the mainstream, with a particular sound - but it still connected. One of the best-loved artists of all time is Bob Marley. “In each city I spend time in record stores, I listen to the radio, I talk to people. “I’ve travelled to so many exotic, faraway places as a DJ,” says Lazarus. All of which makes his latest undertaking - a grandiose album project alongside The Ancient Moons - an even more curious proposition. A string of releases on Crosstown soon followed, but it’s perhaps testament to his immeasurable skill as a DJ that he’s racked up almost as many commercial mixes as he has EPs.
A brief look at the careers he’s helped launch are testament to the fact, with Maceo Plex, Seth Troxler, Jamie Jones and Art Department just a flavour of the talents he’s fostered over the years.Ī DJ first and foremost, Lazarus’ production career began in earnest back in 2009 thanks to an album, ‘ Smoke The Monster Out’, and a slew of accompanying cuts for the seminal German label, Get Physical. Later on he repeated the trick (albeit on a larger scale) on his own label, Crosstown Rebels, which over the past decade has become one of the scene’s focal points for consistently excellent house and techno. Having caught his first big break at the City Rockers label, Lazarus’s shrewd A&Ring meant that it soon became synonymous with the electroclash sound of the time. When it comes to electronic music, few of those in the contemporary domain can hold a candle to Damian Lazarus.
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