There is nothing quite like being carried away by an infectious beat. Music and blood pumping through our veins on the dancefloor, and rhythm vibrating in our ears and system is a universal feeling that puts up quite the fight to be left unattained. Laurence Guy knows this best. He has become a purveyor of critically acclaimed house, downtempo, and electronic music in recent years. Thanks to his restlessness in exploring and pushing in unfamiliar spaces and sounds, he has now become one of the UK’s finest musical exports. His musical journey started like that of many young UK artists, itching to create a sound and name for himself fueled by passion and determination. The roots of his musical history call back to genres such as D’n’B, Dubstep and Future Garage. His training background has seen him play at some of the UK’s great clubbing institutions like Cable, Fabric and Herba.
The way Laurence crafts his music feels like observing a scientist at work. He is continuously pursuing in-depth research of both old and new sounds to use, as he abstractly describes his genre as somewhat of a ‘bittersweet nostalgia’. He wishes for people to be reminded of something vaguely familiar while pressing play on his records, to be able to call back to a general feeling of comfort or yearning.
“I basically explore my feelings through my music. It started almost like a private diary or a little world that I could escape into and use to process things. As a result, I would say it explores universal themes of living across the whole spectrum of emotion.”
He experiments with sounds and beats by investigating the layering of original compositions over samples and loops. His debut EP, ‘Saw You For The First Time’ released in 2017, was applauded by many figureheads of the house genre, such as producer Move D. Since then, he has never stopped reaching for new heights in his career and producing and researching sounds. His first record for his own edits label ‘Accidental Pieces’, sees Laurence playing with the push and pull of hedonism, the fog of the morning after and themes of universality and timelessness, all accompanied by numerous guest vocalists and proofs of his artistic growth.
The themes of universality and timelessness have become fundamental in how we perceive our presence in today’s society and culture. We are all guided by a primordial need to find meaning in our existence, and Laurence always worked to be able to express this in the music he produced.
“For me, culture gives shared meaning to people’s lives. It is a common interest, a common belief and something that offers a sense of purpose and community. It is unmistakably a lot of different things to different people, but to me, culture means art, music, style, and all these things bring meaning to my life. As an artist, I hope to leave my mark on the culture and be remembered as a part of it while introducing as many people as possible to it. I believe it is hugely important. Moreover, as a person, I just want to continue enjoying this ride as rabidly as I have done for the last twenty years, hopefully until I’m one hundred years old.”
Leaving a lasting impact on today’s culture is a shared aspiration for artistic individuals, and to Laurence, fostering connections among people through music remains the most important objective of his creative career. His goal is not only to entertain and rejoice people on dancefloors but to find a way to connect with the audience on a human level and make this connection almost beneficial for them to rely on.
“I use writing music to make sense of the world and myself. My main goal is to help others do the same. In terms of DJing, I hope I am like a curator of dance music culture. After having been around and collecting records for a long time, I feel it crucial to connect the dots between the old and current trends, make sure things are not forgotten about or overlooked and subsequently introduce people to the music I love so much.”
He harbours no regrets about choosing this artistic life. Nothing will ever be able to distract him from living the life he always envisioned for himself.
“I feel like the best and worst thing that happened from living this artistic lifestyle is the all-consuming nature of it. I rarely think about anything else, if I’m honest, and this is a bit of a blessing and a curse. It is hard to switch off, of course. I truly believe this is my purpose in life, a “calling” or whatever you want to say. It is beyond wanting measurable success and more about living my life dedicated to art. I sincerely believe I will do this for the rest of my life, and I am hugely excited about that.”
His genuine desire to commit fully to the artistic lifestyle resonates through his music and dedication to every aspect associated with this journey.
“I fully believe in marketing my art. It is almost an art form itself, and it is fun to experiment with different ideas. I see it as spreading the message that I want as many people as possible to hear my work, and you have to put in the effort to achieve this. I see it not as a purely cynical thing but also as building a community around myself and making it a genuine two-way connection between me and my fans.”
There is an underlying current of authentic devotion in how Laurence Guy moves through life and behind the DJ station. It is unmistakable that some individuals are meant to flourish in these environments, and he is undoubtedly one of them. His focus in the foreseeable future will be mainly on DJing, and he will be heading all over the UK, Europe, USA and Australia to showcase his talent and simply unite people. So, if you have a trip planned to any of these destinations, be sure to remember his name and delight in hours of well-crafted and unmistakably good music.
Cover photo by Ryan Jafarzadeh
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