All Stories (RSS)
Pete Lawrence On Under One Sun
The Big Chill co-founder Pete Lawrence releases his debut album - ‘Under One Sun’ by Chilled By Nature - on Big Chill Recordings on 21st August.Rob da Bank calls it a timeless mellow mash up of all my favourite styles, Phil Mison calls it great sunshine music, Nick Luscombe calls it a magical and highly musical journey full of great arrangements with many unexpected twists and turns along the way.
But we asked Pete Lawrence to tell us his story….
You’re best known as co-founder of The Big Chill and a DJ of international reknown. It may come as a surprise that you’ve had time to make an album too.
Yes, it’s actually taken me the best part of ten years, starting from the first tentative compositions using a Kurzweil, keyboard and computer in my bedroom, through to the final realisation of the project over the last twelve months.
Clearly, the festival’s rapid growth, as well the opening of The Big Chill Bar, and our record label and other assorted projects have kept me more than busy, but I made a vow a year ago to finish the album, and Laura B agreed to come in as co-producer, which helped enormously. Though you’re best known for more chilled out grooves as a DJ, there’s quite a selection of musical styles on the album. And some surprising live singers and players too
I’ve always been into many styles of music, and have been soaking up influences since I was first aware of a radio being on in the house as a child, so this diversity would inevitably come through in the album. I already had a dozen or more tracks that were close to completion, some which I’ve overdubbed live horns and keyboards on several years ago. After The Big Chill had been to Egypt, I was inspired to write a couple of soundscape tracks which represented the desert, the heat and the wide open spaces of the place, and was lucky enough to get Fathy Salama, probably the country’s top jazz musician to come in on quarter tone keyboards on the track ‘Mirage’. Then my old friend Jessica Lauren came in to do some wicked barrelhouse style playing on ‘Rondo Mondo’. There’s also two or three deep ambient tracks on there too which are all pretty much just me on keyboards. Generally I’ve been aiming to make the album sound as timeless as possible, and the fact that it has been put together over such an extended period certainly doesn’t tie it to one era in terms of the sounds used.
Talk us through the last twelve months
Laura and I sat down and she asked me to make a wish list of musicians I’d like to invite onto the album, and between us we set about calling such people as Andy Gangadeen and Nick Cohen, who had been so effective as rhythm section for the first incarnation of The Bays, and Dave Noble, Natureboy guitarist who also brought his sitar down to the studio. The Swingle Singers were much loved by my parents in the swinging 60s for their jazzy vocal Bach interpretations and of course have returned to prominence since Jem used their hook on the hit single ‘They’ and of course, in their current incarnation, were very popular at The Big Chill last year, so they were a leftfield choice to offset the dark broody atmosphere I was looking for on the slightly John Barry-esque opener ‘The Otherworld’.
Then I decided to call up Mozez, who seemed quite up for doing a collaboration. So I sent him some concepts and ideas for lyrics, and the middle section of the track ‘Green Shade’ which is also on the album. He came in with some lyrical ideas, which we tweaked together and ‘State Of Grace’ came into being quite naturally. The original working title of the track, which I also considered as a possible album title, was ‘Sacrifice’. The idea was all about about surrender to the elements - or if you want, the forces of nature giving you the ultimate buzz, and how insignificant we all are at the end of the day. But the word seemed to evoke an extreme response from some people!
Once we’d got our players and singers in place, we quickly set about doing the live sessions in north London and then headed out to Paros in the Greek Islands to do the final editing and arranging last Autumn.And you sing on the record too!
Yes, I was persuaded to sing for the first time. I tried to coax Bruce Bickerton to come in alongside Rosa Fernandez on “Where Did You Go?’ and he simply said “You should try it yourself, Pete, the part would really suit you”…. So I blame him!
There seems to be a good buzz around the album upfront of release. Reaction from DJs seems to be strong.
Yes, it’s really encouraging how positive people have been about it, and we’ve already had plays from Radio 1 and Xfm. John Rixon has been working away on the visual side too, using some photos and footage that I supplied as well as some of his own material and what I’ve seen so far looks stunning. We may go out and do a few audio visual gigs as a duo in the autumn. I’ve always liked that ‘total immersion’ concept, where people sit back in a comfy seat in front of a big screen and a good sound system and get taken to a different place for an hour. We’ve also got some interesting remixes coming up too… watch this space!
And then the live show that’s coming up?
Yes, that’s at Eastnor. The last time a did a couple of semi-live shows, back in 2002, I used live horns and cello. This time, Nick Cohen is musical arranger and it’s his intention to play the whole set completely live. I’m very much looking forward to hearing how it all sounds. Hopefully we’ll be doing more live dates if it all goes well.
Pete Lawrence - Chilled by Nature
‘Under One Sun’ was released on Big Chill Recordings on August 21st.
Chilled By Nature appeared live at The Big Chill at Eastnor Castle on August 5th.
www.chilledbynature.net
Written: 27th Jul, 06
Read: 7494 times
