! artist: Damian Lazarus title: fabric 54 label: Fabric Records release: 16.10.10

Damian Lazarus - the LA based but London born musical chameleon - proudly presents the 54th offering in the fabric compilation series. Having graced the international dance music circuit since his time pushing artists on City Rockers, Damian’s fruitful career has seen him hone his talent to become one of the most in demand players in contemporary electronic music. Be it through his exciting Crosstown Rebels imprint that is home to intriguing talents such as Jamie Jones, Deniz Kurtel, Seth Troxler and Glimpse, his solo production work that includes the album ‘Smoke The Monster Out’ for Get Physical where he “delivered, arguably, the defining album of the modern clubbing experience” [The Guardian] or his ability to cause havoc on any dancefloor, Damian’s capacity to find, push, promote, and play the perfect beat has proven to be a key asset to music throughout the past decade.

“As a kid, I was obsessed with music - taping radio shows, going to see bands and stuff like that. When I was 12, my cousin introduced me to his record collection and I got heavily into soul, funk, hip-hop and electro. By the age of 13 I was getting Saturday jobs to supplement my love of buying records. I worked in Groove Records for one day when I was 13 and spent all my wages on records. At the age of 14 I bought a pair of Technics and the Numark 1775A mixer (with the 4 second sampler button) and convinced my parents that one day I'd be a great DJ.”

After holding his first residency at the age of 16 at local Essex club The Villa, Damian became an acid house convert, hanging out with DJs that were playing on the then illegally broadcast Kiss FM, gradually earning himself more gigs at underground parties and local clubs. Placing a brief hiatus on his DJ career following the birth of his daughter, Damian spent a number of years working as a music journalist, eventually becoming Assistant Editor for Dazed & Confused aged 21. It was shortly after that his career in music resumed. Having A&R’d for London Records, in 2001 he created City Rockers with Phil Howells, and went on to release some of the biggest tunes of the electroclash era, from artists like Felix Da Housecat, FC Kahuna and Tiga & Zyntherius’ with their massive hit ‘Sunglasses at Night’. His Futurism and Futurism 2 compilations remain defining documents of that era. Certainly not a stranger to compilations, Damian honed his craft as a DJ over numerous compilation releases during the past decade. Since 2007 Damian has also curated his Lazpod series - a podcast that not only showcases the cutting edge house and techno for which he is most famous, but also demonstrates his love for cosmic disco, rock, soundtracks, and various other forms of experimental music. But he’s especially chosen not to release any mixes or allow any sets to be recorded for the past year in preparation for his special fabric mix.

With fabric 54, Damian demonstrates his immense talent as a club DJ, with his offering to the series acting as a snapshot of what an archetypal Damian Lazarus set at fabric can be. “My recent mixes and the Lazpod podcasts have been pretty weird and varied and I realized that I haven't made a solid 'club' sounding mix for some time, obviously this was reserved for fabric and I am super happy with the results. After some months of pre-planning and structuring, I actually mixed this album on Sunday May 9th 2010, very early considering the October release. Sitting alongside my long time studio engineer, Matthew 'the goat' Styles, I think I made something fresh, exciting and very relevant to the DJ that I am today.”

It’s this freshness that makes Damian Lazarus such a significant figure within contemporary dance music in 2010. With releases from the Wolf + Lamb associated e-funk duo Soul Clap, UK funky figurehead Roska and always stand-out Four Tet, the mix remains a snapshot of cutting edge house and techno, yet constantly references elements of the various genres of music from which they currently take influence. Damian opens with leading light of the Detroit nu school Ryan Crosson, via post-dubsteps Appleblim & Ramadanman, and a timeless slice of Swayzak. He skims the cream of current releases from The Mole, new Crosstown Rebel signings Art Department and wunderkind of the moment Nicolas Jaar with Soul Keita. While the home stretch sees Lee Jones and Agaric rubbing shoulders with Germany’s most sublime entrant for Eurovision, Su Kramer, before closing with two dreamlike numbers from Bill Holt. Fusing synthetic deepness with relentless rhythmical force and twinkling humour, the mix brings all the unique charm of Damian’s club sets into your living room.

“I went to the opening of Fabric in October 1999 and felt at home there from that day on. London needed this club so badly at the time and it couldn't have been more perfect. In the following years I'd be on the dance floor, checking out music and DJs, wishing one day I'd be asked to play there. Which of course did happen back in 2005 and I have been playing there once or twice a year ever since. Being asked to mix this album is, at the risk of sounding cheesy, like a dream come true, even after all this time.” Damian Lazarus

[email protected] I +49 (0) 30 8321 2993 I www.tailored-communication.com !

1. Ryan Crosson - Metro Bunker - Eklo 2. Four Tet - Love Cry - Domino 3. Appleblim & Ramadanman - Void 23 - Aus Music 4. Kenny Larkin - Glob (Claude VonStroke Mix) - Planet E 5. Swayzak - Ping Pong - Swayzak / 240 Volts 6. Canson - Sleeping (Demo Version) - Cityfox 7. The Martinez Brothers - Broke In The BX - Objektivity 8. Roska - The Sheppard - Roska Kicks & Snares 9. Soul Clap - Break 4 Life - Crosstown Rebels 10. The Mole - Nervous Disid - New Kanada 11. Cajmere - Freaks And Stars - Cajual 12. Art Department feat. Seth Troxler - Vampire Nightclub - Crosstown Rebels 13. Deetron - Sing - Circus Company 14. Guti & Redshape - Every Cow Has A Bird - Crosstown Rebels 15. Soul Keita & Nicolas Jaar - Para(sol) - Greta Cottage Workshop 16. Damian Lazarus - Diamond In The Dark (dOP Remix) - Get Physical 17. Lee Jones - Yoyo - Cityfox 18. Agaric - Run (Ostern Jam) - We Are 19. Su Kramer - Magic Dance - Teldec Schallplatten 20. Bill Holt - Program Ten (Part Five) - Stone Theatre 21. Bill Holt - Program Ten (Part Six) - Stone Theatre

[email protected] I +49 (0) 30 8321 2993 I www.tailored-communication.com