By Lazarus

Picture credit - Keith Galloway

I’m a trance DJ, producer, and label-owner hailing from Doncaster in England.

No-one on this planet loves trance music as much as I do.

I was born who I was.

I became who I am.

I’ll become whoever I want to be.

I’ve developed a fair old obsession for electronic music in the meantime.

I consider the synthesiser to be the best invention of the 20th Century (apologies to sliced bread).

I made the natural transition from stereo-hog to DJ sometime around 1999.

I’ve never counted how many records I have or how many tracks I have because this would probably compel me to calculate how much money I’ve spent on music and I’d rather not know.

I grudgingly made the switch from vinyl to CD decks but only because you can hardly get anything on vinyl any more.

I will always prefer mixing with vinyl and have no interest in mixing with laptops.

I consider DJing to be a wonderful hobby and a fantastic form of stress relief, but it’s hard to develop any delusions of grandeur when you’re essentially just a glorified jukebox.

I love DJing in clubs, DJing in my bedroom, DJing in bars, or DJing at parties – I enjoy all of them equally but in different ways.

I listen to trance first thing every morning – my wake-up alarm is the breakdown from Sunny Lax – P.U.M.A.

I detest the ignorance of people who consider a love of trance to be a transitional phase on its’ way towards “more serious music” but would never deny anyone the right to their opinion.

I’ve never gotten upset if people don’t like my sets or my tunes – taste is, after all, a subjective thing. I wouldn’t get upset if you didn’t like pizza or the colour purple either.

I’ve been lucky enough to meet some wonderful people throughout my life who have inspired me and still continue to do so.

I’ve been lucky enough to go clubbing at the finest clubs in the world regularly over the years, and was especially lucky enough to see Gatecrasher in its prime.

I’ve been lucky enough to have the opportunity to DJ alongside some incredibly talented people, some of whom are well known, some of whom are not.

I’ve been lucky enough to make my own music with some incredibly talented people, and will continue to do so.

I now manage a label called Defcon Recordings, and with two other people I make music under the artist name Defcon Audio.

I especially love to showcase the work of artists who don’t normally get recognition but deserve it for all their talent and dedication.

I’ve been DJing regularly on internet radio since early 2004. Currently I play weekly on DiscoverTrance on Fridays and monthly on AfterhoursFM every first Monday. Defcon Audio also play every 2nd and 4th Sunday on DiscoverTrance and you’ve a 50% chance that it might be me.

I am not Damian Lazarus, nor have I ever been him. If you want him, go here.

I love to bore people with stories about Gatecrasher in its’ heyday. Back when I were a lad there were none of this nonsense like you see in clubs today, it was all about putting pipe-cleaners in your hair and wearing as many flashing lights as you can.

I do all my demo mixes in a Doncaster Rovers shirt, I have to start on the left-hand deck, and I cannot mix unless I wear trainers.

I’m happily married with three cats called Angelus, Xander and Willow, and I’m the only one in our house who’s really into trance.

I consider myself to be a husband first, and a music enthusiast second. My DJing, music-production, radio broadcasting, clubbing, and label work are all simply by-products of this second fact.

I’m incredibly anal about daft things, and as anyone who’s ever met me will testify, I’m one of the clumsiest people in the world. This is despite having a Mensa-level IQ.

I’m also an a writer – I have a degree in English, Writing, and Philosophy. I also have keen interests in things like theoretical physics, sociology, psychology, the paranormal, and I have an uncanny knack for assembling flat-pack furniture.

The thing in the world that pleases me the most is seeing people get what they deserve.

I hate talking about myself in the third-person like you’re supposed to do in biographies. It would make me feel pretentious.


15 Responses to “About Me”


  1. 1 Matt Read
    July 4, 2009 at 5:53 am

    Lazarus,

    Dude I never thought I would meet another DJ / person that felt the same way about trance as me!. You sent me a couple of mixes a while back when Trance Arena was still around. In all honesty it was vital listening for the best part of 6 months (especially Suru, Dolphins, and Everything….. awesome…)

    Recently started getting back into the whole industry after a long break (had a kid)… just discovered Virtual DJ software which wasn’t wildly used when I was last on the scene.

    Was just wondering what your thoughts were on this technology? personally I think it starts to take the human / skill element out of the whole process?

    • 2 Matt Read
      July 4, 2009 at 5:58 am

      Also was in Gatecrasher Summer Sound System…..

      I remember bunji jumping covered in Christmas lights in the dark 🙂

      Got loads of pics (on facebook) see Matthew Read (Swansea… I’m the good looking one ;))

  2. July 6, 2009 at 10:22 pm

    Thanks mate, I’m glad you enjoyed that! I recently reworked Suru Dolphins & Everything to tidy it up a bit and I’ll be sharing it soon 🙂

    Regarding the software issue, I’m not really a fan in the DJing sense – I think it has much more in common with production but lacks a certain spontaneity you get in the live situation. That’s not to say it doesn’t allow for more creativity though, but I still see it more as the same skills as you’d use in production.

    I never dared the rides at GCSSS though lol – can’t find you on Facebook by the way but you can find me via the link on the right 😉

  3. August 14, 2009 at 2:27 pm

    Hi there. I’m a trance fun and dj from Spain. I hear electronic music since 1999 when I was 12, and I’ve been djing since last September. I just wanna tell you that your sets are awesome, and I usually buy 1-2 tracks of each of your sets =)
    Thank you for mixing @ AH, thank you for giving us such beautiful sets.

    Cya 🙂

  4. May 5, 2010 at 8:02 am

    Hello Lazarus,

    i would like to contact you for a guestmix in my radioshow.
    If you have an address specially made for the booking, I am willing to have 😉

    Thank you Lazarus,

    Great day =)

    Fabien aka T-Resoort

  5. August 13, 2010 at 2:55 am

    Do u think u can make it out to vancouver btwn sept 15-19? If so lemme know..i may have a weeknight slot…love to finally have u out here
    Am also on skype..fire me your contacts

    cheers!

    Naz

  6. December 23, 2010 at 11:12 pm

    Matey, are you the same DJ Lazarus from the old website that doesn’t exist anymore – dancestate.com?

    Nick

  7. April 8, 2011 at 6:00 pm

    I really enjoyed reading that, I love your honesty and yet how you manage to get it across in a subtle, yet still entertaining manner.

    I’d say you were a very similar guy to me in all honesty, or myself like you, who cares haha.

    I also enjoy writing & poetry when I’m not producing, with a few things published in books (not many people know, it’s like a secret side lol). I equally enjoy quite a large number of the other things you listed too.

    I’m considering re-writing my biography from reading this. I too hate third person write ups 🙂

    Thanks again for an enjoyable read….

    🙂

  8. 13 Eron
    November 12, 2011 at 11:08 am

    HI Dj Lazarus,

    Love your work and your style!!! You play it the way it should be played. Just stopping by to say thanks for the great work so far and to keep it up mate , you have great fans in the Caribbean!!! On behalf of The Global Trance Angels we wish you the best of luck in your future endeavours. Of course in the near future we will definitely want you to be on our our Official podcast series with Dj Mantra ( CEO/Founder of the Angels). DO have a great day… Peace 2 U..

    Eron Surajbally
    Director
    The Global Trance Angels
    “Music for a better tomorrow”

  9. December 2, 2011 at 2:37 am

    I found that a really interesting and enjoyable read 🙂


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