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DJ Mag Top100 DJs
91
Steve Lawler
49

Like many people who aren't seen in clubs as much as they used to be, Steve Lawler has been concentrating on raising a family. He hasn't been neck deep in nappies though, but rather demos and tracks for his Viva Music label. "I really see VIVA like a family because I want to nurture every artist," he explains. Artists that Lawler has taken under his wing include Audiofly and Vrajitoroo - the 17-year-old Romanian producer about whom he talks like a proud parent - but his decision to cut back on his DJing and "get his life back" has also benefited Lawler himself, enabling him to spend more time in the studio to produce tracks like 'Femme Fatale' for Ovum and 'Pussycat Dragon' for the recently revived R&S, two labels upon which he admits Viva is modelled. "They're both legendary labels that are about the art rather than the money so I'm very happy that my music is going to a good home," he says. He's not been entirely absent from the decks however, continuing to push the Viva brand in London, Toronto and at warehouse parties around the world, as well as returning to Space in Ibiza, the club with which he will forever be synonymous. All of which have been the perfect testing ground for the latest Viva releases and his own new productions, which Lawler says have been influenced by "an old Roland drum machine that I haven't used in about 10 years". He adds: "Everything's full of percussion because I want to bring the rhythm back. I can't wait for the quotes though - 'Steve Lawler goes tribal again!'"