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Christopher Lawrence @ Sonar
Christopher Lawrence is too cute for his own good. When I saw his waif body on a flyer promoting the Around the World tour (February 2002) I scoffed at the idea that I should waste my money on this model-cum-DJ. His finely coiffed hair screamed Electric Circus trance and those boyish good looks begged for funky disco house. The fact that he had been voted a million times as one of the greatest American DJs had no pull. Moreover, when I saw comparisons made to Oakenfold and van Dyk I knew that the only way Id go see him was if I got a free ticket and a ride to and from Sonar.
Due to a series of events orchestrated by my friend Todd, I found myself at Sonar just before Christopher Lawrence took to the decks. Im so glad I went; he was splendid! He played two full hours of immaculately mixed hard trance. REAL HARD TRANCE. I thought real hard trance had ceased to exist seeing as no one ever plays it anymore. I hadnt heard hard trance in Vancouver in years so perhaps most Vancouverites dont even know what it is. For those who dont: real hard trance isnt that bass-heavy vulgar garbage which has inundated the scene, nor those ethereal high-pitched anthems. Hard trance is elegant and ferocious, with thousands of layers of intergalactic warring factions wafting in and out of your ears, driving your feet into the ground and arms into the air. In a nutshell: its the best music ever and totally underplayed
Anyway, I had the best time and ever since Ive pined for the day Lawrence would come back to Vancouver.
And less than a year later, the lovely Christopher Lawrence came back to Vancouver to promote yet another CD. Once more he wailed on Sonar with hard trance in the most delectable manner. This time round his touch was softer as he didnt just pound us with hard trance. His set shimmered with slivers of progressive trance. The progressive didnt detract from the majesty of the hard. In fact, he had the whole contrasting technique marvelously figured out. The entire club throbbed ecstatically and barely anyone left before 02:00. If it werent for the current laws and regulations, we would have been dancing for at least another hour with the same fervour.
At work the next day, my mind flickered on for just a moment (I was really tired) and I realized Lawrences technique. This pretty boy is going to conquer the world some day because he has strategy. His set wasnt a concoction of faves thrown together at whim or a string of monotonous beats. He took care in rationing his two hours to maximize our aural and dancing pleasure. As well, it seems like he really sees his sets as stories as his two-hour set followed a specific timeline (i.e. like a novel). The first two-thirds were textured and had direction. The last third began with an explosion, a culmination of everything he had given us in the first part of his set and everything we still yearned for. Til the end CL kept our pulse high by feeding us music that was very frantic and frenetic but with the steadiest of hands and the utmost care.
The Europeans have always had a stronghold on DJ culture but Christopher Lawrence is at the head of the pack of those Americans that are ready to usurp the Old World from the throne. This will be one fight where Ill wholeheartedly cheer for the US, but specifically for Lawrence (and dearest Tenaglia).
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