Over the past decade, Laurence Guy has built a distinguished career, positioning himself at the heart of multiple scenes through his remarkable versatility. Like many, I initially discovered his work through the underground classics "Whichita Falls" and "Saw You For the First Time". During this period, he became known for his tasteful sampling which brought soul into genres like lofi house, jazz house, and other forms of soft, groovy house. Post-Covid however, we noticed Laurence's work became bolder, and was driven with dance floor energy while retaining his signature soulful charm.
This, along with his steady career momentum led to numerous tours across Europe and North America. His music has also graced iconic labels like Studio Barnhus, Ninja Tune, Shall Not Fade and more. Now signed to Future Classic, Laurence Guy delivers his brand new EP titled All The Way Up - a project that represents the truest versions of his sonic identity we've heard all year. In this interview, Laurence Guy takes us through the process of making this body of work and more.
What are some of the fondest memories that come back to you when you think about the time you were a teenager and first started making music?
All of it tbh, I think one of the things I love most in hindsight about that period is just being able to create and experiment without any external input... You make a lot of interesting music when no one is listening!
Right now, you've been making music for almost 10 years! What are some aspects about the life of an artist that you find most fulfilling?
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It’s actually been 20 since I started ha! I really think it’s my life’s purpose to be honest…I don’t think about anything else and haven’t since I was 12 years old, I find the most fulfilling aspect is when I manage to write something that perfectly encapsulates how I’m feeling at the moment I write it, there’s no better feeling for me.
I think you've managed to balance a fine line between sonic evolution and delivering your signature sound to your fans. I'm curious to hear your thoughts and strategies towards continuously evolving your sound without polarizing your audience.
Thank you! It’s definitely a tricky line to walk, but as long as everything you do is genuine, it’s never going to feel too much of a detour for your audience. At the end of the day it’s all coming from me and to be honest, even if I want it to sound completely different, it never really does.
Was there a specific time when it really hit you (and those close to you) that your career was about to shift to another level?
To be honest it’s been a real slow burn for me…punctuated by small but important moments a long the way. I’d say the release of “Hey Baby” took things up to another level though, the last couple years have been insane.
How has the experience of playing to bigger crowds shaped the way you think about producing and writing dance music?
It was definitely a bit of a learning curve at first… A lot of the tunes I considered to be bangers turned out not to be when faced with big audiences, but over the last couple of years I’ve really found a flow with it. I’ve always enjoyed, made and played harder sounds so it feels good to be able to merge all my influences whilst DJing and keep it true to myself, whilst also causing a ruckus on the dance floor.
What were some of the key life events that shaped the making of your newest EP?
This EP was really a reaction to a build up of external noise and pressure that I was feeling due to the acceleration of my career, which lead to a lot of overthinking on my end… I was getting a little frustrated with the speed and intensity of the industry and this was a little bit of a return to home for me, “THE ANTI RUMINATION ANTHEM” especially. This EP is the most genuine expression of myself that I’ve released this year I would say. No collaborators, not a lot of external input, I think I just needed to get something out there just for me.
What made “All the Way Up” the ideal choice to give listeners their first taste of the project?
You have to first go up to then come down, that's the thinking of the two tracks :)
How do you know when a sample "fits" the mood or message of a song? And what was different about your sampling process and workflow here?
At this point it’s kind of an instinct thing I think! I find I’ll gravitate to records that express something I’m feeling in a way that I can’t… And then that will lead the way of the music. It’s not simple like “I feel X so I’m gonna look for X type of track” it’s more of an esoteric thing and, as I’ve been working this way for so long now, mainly unconscious.
With this record, I had a clear idea that I wanted to do a definite A and B side for it, with two contrasting feelings. So for the A side it was just about finding something fun to sample and turn into the euphoric moment, this wasn’t given any real thought tbh, just finding something I thought I could flip into a banger. For the B side, I wrote the piano chords first, so that took care of the personal expression, then the sampling here was more about finding interesting snippets to fit around that, so I just had the chords playing and went for the classic trial and error approach.
If a first-time listener only remembered one thing from this project, what would you want it to be?
Overthinking is the enemy!
What does DJing and playing live give you that producing can't?
DJing is genuinely my favourite thing in the world, and has always been where I’ve felt the most comfortable, myself and free. DJing is about sharing my favorite music with people and connecting with audiences, whilst writing music is more like my personal diary and a place to process feelings and events in my life.
Do you see flow as something that just happens naturally, or do you think it’s a skill you’ve learned to cultivate over time?
I think this is cultivated over time for sure… The more often you can get into the flow state, the easier it becomes, it’s just a case of repetition. For me it’s more important to focus on the other things around the actual writing process to ensure you get the most out of it. I think the biggest thing that’s helped me is having a set morning routine (I always write early in the day) and making sure that this is near enough exactly the same every time. This gives your mind space to think without pressure and by the time you sit down to focus you can flow easily. I’ve also been a rock climber for most of my life and this is, in my opinion, one of the best sports for practicing flow state as you need to be fully absorbed/focused to do it well and also to be safe.
Okay so, 1) an artist/band you’d love to have a D.M.C (deep meaningful conversation) with 2) An artist you think would be rad to party with 3) An artist you would love to be your mentor. You’re welcome to select from artists who are dead/retired.
1. DJ Koze
2. DJ Harvey
3. Either of the above :)
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