old immersion interview

An interview with Routemaster Records & Curve Pressings main man, Lawrie Immersion...

Si: Hello Lawrie, a few questions for you.

Lawrie: Ok, sorry a lot of the answers will be silly!

Si: What's your views on the acid techno scene as a whole in the UK at the moment?

Lawrie: It seems to be outlasting the techno scene. Sales are poor though. Many producers, including myself, have predominantly moved to varying forms of techno / other styles / business's. This means Chris has a lot to doâ€¦

Si: ...and the scene outside of the UK?

Lawrie: I don't know. The Stay Up Forever boys all seem busy to me though.

Si: How are things going at Curved Pressings?

Lawrie: Curved Pressings, as a company, is at last, excellent. We have excellent staff, excellent quality and excellent service. In the decreasing vinyl market, we are getting a bigger market share, although still not as busy as this time last year. I am a lot less involved musically than in times past, (I run the production business's now) so my opinion on A&R is maybe not a valid one. I play 99% in techno events. I do cut a lot of Stay Up Forever Collective tracks though, amongst other "acid techno" type tracks.

Si: How did Curve all come about? What made you want to start up a cutting room?

Lawrie: I was a proffessional "out front" sound engineer for live bands before all this. When I had my first record cut (Smitten 01), I realised that that is where I wanted my sound engineering skills to go (cutting & mastering records), and after a few years of releasing records, I thought that my shelf life in the techno production business would not last forever, and decided to take the plunge and start a business, of which at that time, I had no idea what level of commitment becoming a 9 to 5'er that meant.

Si: You must be hearing a lot of the "new school" acid techno releases that are coming in to be cut / pressed. What do you think of the new tracks that are coming out?

Lawrie: The following statement from me applies to all electronic dance music & my feelings. Modern production techniques are in my opinion, shit, compared with those of old. Computer based music lacks soul, sound quality, and a general attention to detail. So I think to get back the good sound, better sales and a growing scene, music producers need to take more care and not just do the easy way...

Si: Obviously, all music has to progress, change & move on to avoid becoming stale. How well do you think the London acid techno sound has progressed? Some critics would say that the techno element, and the whole journey through sound has almost disapeared on some labels & we are left with "inteligent hard house with 303". Your thoughts?

Lawrie: Intelligent hard house...ha!

Si: What's your views on cross over between genres?

Lawrie: Lets av'it!

Si: How did you get into the acid techno scene?

Lawrie By throwing massive parties all over London and playing acid!

Si: What's happened with the Immersion Sound System? Is it still running?

Lawrie: I got run out of the squat scene by idiots who only wanted money and drug sales. I got my head kicked in to unconciousness for questioning the morality of certain players. My decks & mixer got stolen at Glastonbury, sound system pushed over, etc. Got no support from egotistical twats who only wanted to play their records in front of where the crowd were, so I sold it. Game over. It broke my fu*king heart and to this day I feel let down by a scene in which I was once a part.

Si: Is it true that you used to mix / play Goa trance before getting into acid techno & techno? (Steve Smitten once told me he had quite a dodgy Goa trance mix tape of yours! ha ha!)

Lawrie: Heh, I take it that is an attempt at a dig! Believe it or not, I wasn`t born being able to mix, and if Steve Smitten says something, it must be true... ;o)

Si: It is great news that more Routemaster releases are due very soon, as your label has been one of the most impressive & important London acid labels over the years to many people. (There were rumours flying around that you were going to stop the label). Was it good to be working with Chris again on Routemaster 52? Can we be expecting more from yourself & Lochi again soon?

Lawrie: To be honest, I nearly stopped Routemaster at number 23, then at number 50, so lets hope we can go all the way to 69! Working with Chris in the studio was clearly a laugh..."2 kids in the bank, another one on the way" is silly, and just came out for the sake of having a laugh. The tracks sound great, but sales were bad. If me and Chris get a day spare when we can both be in the same place with our phones off then we will work again.

Si: How did the Routemaster label start? I know you had a Routemaster bus come home come studio. Could you give us some more history?

Lawrie: After my 1st releases on Smitten, I thought maybe I could start on my own label, so I decided (against all advice) to start with a double pack, with London Acid City as the A-side. The bus logo was thought of whilst on acid...a bus snorting a line of K off a set of decks...wicked! Thats it.

Si: What's happened to the original Routemaster bus?

Lawrie: It's in a field...

Si: Your label Techno Slut, was at the time the releases were coming out, very experimental sounding. Was the Techno Slut sound building up to the beginning of Pounding Grooves?

Lawrie: You could say Techno Slut was a learning curve in public. I also took 6 months out of releasing before the start of Pounding Grooves to work on new styles and production techniques.

Si: Why do none of the Techno Slut releases or Pounding Grooves releases credit the artists & producers on the labels? They seem very anoymous. Any reason for this?

Lawrie: People write shit in the press if your name is out there. There was period of time when I seemed to be in Mixmag, etc; every month, often with bullshit written. There was once an interview with me in Wax Magazine (or DJ) that I didn't do. It said as one of the statements "Lawrie Immersions bus is not full of old ladies with their shopping, its full of synthisisers and drugs". Not very clever! So I decided that 'fame' was not for me. I've never been a big fan of excessive adulation, I only want to make people dance, not for my 'name' to be big. So anonymousness was for me...

Si: How are things going with Pounding Grooves? Can you let us in on any future plans? Are you pleased with how things are sounding and going?

Lawrie: I am not pleased with my lack of releases, but I have 2 business's to run, Curve Pusher & Curved Pressings ). My bed is made, so I must lie in it. I still love being in the studio, but I have 2 children and a wife, and I want to spend time with them, and not just a few minutes here and there, so I can't make as much music as I want to.

Si: Silly question, but why the choice of 10" over 12" vinyl with Pounding Grooves? Any real reason?

Lawrie: Because at the time, no-one was doing it, and it made the records stand out. Marketing I think they call it!

Si: Are your labels on a whole still selling well? A lot of labels are really struggling to shift units at the moment. Your thoughts on the drop in vinyl sales?

Lawrie: NO! Sales are bad. Some distributers don't pay on time, some shops don't pay at all. This is killing the scene. Sales will continue to drop unless people STOP ILLEGAL FU*KING DOWNLOADS! (you wankers, you know who you are). Stop that Final Scratch, start supporting vinyl (the labels aren't there just so that a few DJ's can earn loads of money going round the world with free music). Come on you lot, fu*king sort it out! Your DJ earnings will dissappear if there is no fu*king labels left because you can't be bothered to carry a box of records. MP3's sound shit anyway...

Si: As a big contributor to the Smitten label, what's your views on Smitten is Dead? Some critics would say that the tracks being released were & still are such strong releases that they should have been left alone, and weaker, less well known tracks remixed instead. Your thoughts?

Lawrie: People will always critisise everything. Whoever you are, please do better, send to Stay Up Forever and they might release it eh... ;o)

Si: How do you see things for the future of the acid techno scene? What needs to improve? How will it progress?

Lawrie: People need to go out and stop thinking they can have a party in front of their computers! Techno doesn't work for me coming out of a set of computer moniters. New talent is needed, but, unless sales improve, it probably wont come.

Si What do you feel has been your finest acid techno release to date & why?

Lawrie: Couldn't say. I love shit loads of them!

Si[: If someone asked you to sum up the London acid techno sound with a single track, what tune would you slap on the decks to play to them?

Lawrie: "My 909's got a picture of Chris Liberator on it"...No, just being silly there! The older sound for sure. I would say "New wave of acid techno" or "Control" or "Soul Mantra". Something like that.

Si: Did either Dave DDR or your good self really have a picture of Chris Liberator on your 909?

Lawrie: Yes! Funnily enough I answered the previous question before reading this one! He (Chris) was putting together a passport application in my studio once. When I moved my studio around I found a dropped photo and stuck it on my 909. One day after a bottle of vodka or three, Dave and me thought it might be funny to make a song about it.

Si: The London acid techno scene & releases seem to be filled with a cheeky, piss taking humor, and nothing seems to be taken to seriously. With your Pounding Grooves releases and others, some on Shark spring to mind, you go under your guise Pounding Grooves instead of Lawrie Immersion. Was this to try and move on & away from the london acid scene and be taken a bit more seriously?

Lawrie: Of course! But don't worry, I never take myself too seriously...I am a piss taking wanker!

Si: Do you prefer to produce alone, or with others?

Lawrie: Both. But always off my nut!

Si: Who have you enjoyed producing alongside the most & why?

Lawrie: Everyone...Come on, these people are my friends, I don't have favourites.

Si: Any up and coming producers you feel we should be looking out for?

Lawrie: Me, Geezer, Chris, Henry, etc etc etc... ;o)

Si: What track would you love to remix and give the full acid work out?

Lawrie: Dunno...

Si: Ha! Ok, who, or what inspires you in the studio?

Lawrie: My lovely machines, 909, 303's, Mini-Moog, etc etc etc; and whatever makes me want to dance or gurn going "oh yeah!" or "thats fu*king wicked!"

Si: Who do you admire within the music scene?

Lawrie: The music. And other stange substances that come my way from time to time. Oh, and dancing girls of course...

Si: What do you like to do in your spare time, or to unwind and relax?

Lawrie: Spare time...ha ha! Drink. Drugs. Fu*k. Same as everyone else I guess. Oh, and of course decorating.

Si: Apart from the obvious techno / acid techno, what else do you listen to?

Lawrie: AC/DC.

Si: On average, how many records get sent to you a week?

Lawrie: None. Or maybe one. I'm no big cheese you know!

Si: Roughly, how big is your record collection?

Lawrie: 5000.

Si: Drugs...Friend or foe?

Lawrie: I think I already answered that. I fu*king love em.

Si: Club or a party?

Lawrie: Paaaarty!

Si: Volume or clarity?

Lawrie: Clear, gut wrenchingly, disembowlingly, orgasmically, bastard loud.

Si: Hardware or software?

Lawrie: Only hardware. What is the point of software? I thought music was supposed to sound as good as possible?

Si: CD or vinyl?

Lawrie: Heh! Cassete tape. Betamax.

Si: ...and your thoughts on the downloading of MP3's?

Lawrie: Fu*k off downloads! Shit quality killing music. Buy the fu*king record.

Si: DJ set or Live PA / set?

Lawrie: Both, one after the other (Live first normally).

Si: Your best moment(s) you've had out partying?

Lawrie: Too many! Umm? Giving Chris a haircut whilst he was in the mix...?

Si: ...and your worst moment(s)? Any nightmare storys to tell?

Lawrie: Hackney Council impounding my rig for the forth time. Bunch of cunts. Got it back though...ha ha!

Si: Where's the best place you've ever played?

Lawrie:In a rain forest in Venezuala.

Si: ...and the worst?

Lawrie: A toilet in Hackney!

Si: And finally, what new releases (either techno or acid techno) can we be expecting to hear from you soon?

Lawrie: Well lets see... Pounding Grooves 36, Shark 06, FUKT 03, Routemaster 55, Fresh Grind 09.

Si: Nice one! Thanks for your time Lawrie. Cheers!

Lawrie: Sorry I take the piss too much...ha ha! You gotta laugh though! Laughing keeps me sane anyway...