|
 Having started out his DJ career and triggered off the dance music scene in Hong Kong in the early nineties, Lee Burridge has gone all out! With two Global Underground compilations under his belt, countless residencies across the world and his own label, he’s back for one night to give Hong Kong a taster of where he stands now, musically. He takes time out to talk to hkclubbing about Hong Kong and where he is now!
Nilly: Tell us a little about yourself. Where you’re from, how you started off your music career, when was it, what were you DJ-ing?
Lee: I’m from the countryside, from a place called Dorset, which is about two and a half hours in the South West of England. I started DJ-ing in early 1985. I was playing stuff like Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode and the like and it was mainly just at birthdays and weddings and small private gatherings. Nilly: What about pubs or bars?
Lee: Actually my father owned a bar and that’s where I had my first gig. At that time there was not really anything like ‘House’ music, so I was playing the simple charts music of the time. But soon I started traveling around, playing at some private parties and slowly getting into clubs. Round about 87-88, House music was up and coming so I started to play that kind of music at that time. Nilly: You made your way over to HK in the early nineties. How did that happen?
Lee: I actually came over from the UK when a guy from Joe Bananas came up to me at a club in London and asked me if I wanted to DJ in Hong Kong, I agreed and I came over and started DJ-ing here in the early nineties. Nilly: So you had no expectations before coming to Hong Kong?
Lee: Well, I did have expectations for myself. There was an element of underground that I wanted to maintain. It was more about playing music rather than entertaining. I was playing Pet Shop Boys and records like that, but also by this time I had a good collection of music that I could play. Nilly: Apart from Joe Bananas, where else were you DJ-ing?
Lee: At first it was a place called Beach Hut in Lan Kwai Fong, which is now defunct. It used to be La Bodega and now it’s a shop. Then we moved to Big Apple, which is now a horrible place called Borocay, I think, and the other place was Neptune’s Two. I still run into people from all over the world who come up to me and say “Hey! We were at Big Apple!” We managed to corrupt a lot of people back then. Nilly: How do you think the city has changed since your time, both musically and in the softer sense the general acceptance of music?
Lee: Well I am biased. I have to say that during the time I was here, the scene was picking up. There were a lot more people from many different countries and the community of westerners was larger. So there were a lot of people at parties and the scene was really good fun.
Nowadays, it’s more like a scratch on the surface, there’s not depth or diversity in the scene. But on the other hand, the good the thing is that you see a lot more Chinese at clubs. This is something we had tried for a long time. Making out fliers and banners bi-lingual, but the response is nowhere near as it is now. Yet, still, it’s just a scratch on the surface. Having said that, I was also DJ-ing at the most intense period when the clubbing scene was booming in Hong Kong. Nilly: Do you feel a sense of familiarity when you come back?
Lee: Things have changed a lot. Places we used to go to have disappeared. I don’t know anyone here anymore. In the past you could walk down the street and meet people, it’s not really the same for me. Having said that what has remained the same are the forty-year-old guys in Wan Chai checking out prostitutes, but they are nor fifty! Nilly: You managed to get your first big break out here in Hong Kong through meeting various artists like Sasha and Craig Richards. Would you generally agree with that?
Lee: Actually, I would say my first big break came from actually getting the opportunity to DJ in Hong Kong. Before moving here I was in London, which is very competitive, but when I moved here it was literally myself, Joel Lai and later Christian.
At that time we knew all the organizers and promoters who would make false promises and tell us crap about booking us etc. But at the same time, we had the chance to speak to the artists. Sasha and Craig Richards knew I was looking to move back to the UK and they asked me to get in contact with them when I moved back. Nilly: Is that when you got your first break?
Lee: Well actually, for one year there was no work for me. It was a really hard timer in London and I didn’t DJ for a year. I went from DJ-ing regularly in London to doing nothing. This was in 1997; I had decided to leave Hong Kong just before the handover. Thankfully I had enough money to last me a year, but it was quite tough.
Gradually things started working out. We started doing the Thailand parties and gradually getting club gigs in the UK. Nilly: Was that also around the time when you got your residency at Fabric?
Lee: No. Fabric happened later, after I had put out two mixed CD’s and was starting to get better known in Europe, New York and across America. Nilly: So what are you doing now in terms of projects and releases?
Lee: See I haven’t spent almost a year and a half in the UK. I will be going back and in about three weeks will have my first gig back at Fabric. I have a new concept of travel where I spend a year in seven different countries. I try and spend an extended period of time in a certain place and I record my music there during that time. A year and a half ago I was in Hong Kong. and that’s when I recorded with Dan F. I reached a stage where I wanted to start making and producing my own music and albums and finally I got together on this two years ago. Nilly: So this is your ‘Almost Anonymous’ label? How come you chose that name, you’re hardly ‘anonymous’!
Lee: Well, the name came from a conversation that I was having a discussion with my girl friend. It was something in a sentence that I thought was catchy and I wrote it down on a piece of paper, on a long list that I had. In a way it’s like famous DJ’s are famous, but in essence they are still anonymous in the bigger scheme of things. It’s also AA which stands for Alcoholics Anonymous, so people can think what they like, I suppose. Nilly: What are you favorite festivals or clubs to DJ at?
Lee: There are few that definitely come to mind. Pacha in Buenos Aires, Argentina. When I DJ there, it’s like DJ-ing at a football match or a rock show with a massive mosh pit. Romania is one of my favorite cities too. People just adore their music and are very knowledgeable about music there. They are really into partying too and don’t stop. They will keep going till the last tune. It’s nothing like “geez, it’s 5 am its time to go”. It’s more like, ‘It’s 3 pm it’s dark outside and we want music!’ And of course the club in Los Angeles where I now have my residency. The ex Avalon, it’s a new venue with an amazing sound system! Nilly: You come across so many artists. Are there any up and coming ones that you would like to highlight within the House scene?
Lee: New talents would be the likes of Raresh on the Berlin based Cocoon label and Bill Patrick in New York. Nilly: Tell us a little about what we could expect on the 10tn of February at Edge? Is there one track that has not left your record bag that we could get a taster of?
Lee: Yes, that would be Lemon Eight. It hasn’t left my bag for almost a year. I’ll play that at the peak of the evening, nice drums in that tune.
For the rest of the night, I’d like to see how it goes with the crowd, etc. I won’t be playing much electro house. I used to play it before but o one liked it, then I stopped and suddenly people wanted it! It’ll be techno, minimal techno, lost of bass lines. There will be no vocals. If people want vocals, it’s not the part to come to!
Interview: Nilly Chaudhuri
Catch Lee Burridge at The Edge on February 10th 2007.
|
