Lee Burridge in Australia

Lee Burridge likes to party with the best of us (preferably at Burning Man), reads a crowd like no other and plays some of the greatest tracks you're ever likely to hear. The man hasn't stopped yet this year, kicking off 2012 at BPM where his All Day I Dream Party got voted best of the event. Now the All Day I Dream head honcho with Matthew Dekay is on his way to Oz this week. His first gig of the schedule is this Friday night at The Likes Of You with Jamie Stevens, then Saturday he hits Sydney harbour for AGWA Yacht Club and The Afterparty for an extended set alongside Greg Wilson. The week after he will join the Crosstown Rebels as their special guest for RebelRave at Playground Weekender. It's no wonder he only had time for two interviews! Thankfully the good people at Drum Media in Perth have kindly allowed us to use some of what they were able to find out from the man when they spoke to him recently.

Still getting excited about music:

"I still hear tracks when I'm in the record shop or shopping online that make the hairs on my arm stand up. It's the same excitement for music that I've always felt. I have always said that the day (or should it be night?) that this become a job for me, rather than a passion, I'll stop. I wish some of the other dinosaurs of this scene would abide to this way of thinking too as there are quite a few that seem to me to have lost their sparkle an the passion. It reflects in how tired, lazy and uninspired their sets are these days." - LB

On playing extended sets:

"I've always thought about my sets as a story or a roller coaster ride. Some sort of tale that cab be told with the feeling music creates. I've noticed many many dj's just bang it out these days. The musical experience is no longer about music. It's just about energy. This bores me senseless. As much i would say as it bores the solitary man at the front of the crowd motioning wildly with an upward motion of both hands for me to play harder or faster. Its much more fun, in my humble opinion, to dance with your hips. Not flail or wave your hands in the air (that's ok for the odd track here and there)." LB 



The Black Sheep:

"I personally don't do genres...I've always been more of a black sheep in what ever genre people have placed me in but that's ok. Life is much more fun out on the periphery." LB

Promoting:

"Unless you've not noticed DJ's are constantly dressing up the same whore in different clothes. Ultimately we stand in a room and play records. We all come up with these crazy concepts and names for what we are doing but it's just touring and rebranding the tour again and again.

Organizing events does allow me to support DJ's and producers I'm in to which I like. It also allows me to have control over important things like the sound, too many times have I turned up to a club and the monitors are those atrocious Mackie or JBL's on sticks and the club system worse. Ear shredding crap. This music is intricate and delicate at times which is totally ruined by the one loud nasty sound that these speaker push out." - LB

Owning the Record Label/s:

"I've been planning for quite a while to star some new labels. Both Matthew Dekay and I have a passion for vinyl and for sharing music. Once again, the element of control is a strong motivator. I like to know when my music is going to be released. Have a plan so it's evenly spread through out the year. This can be difficult when you sign music to other labels." - LB

Touring:

"You call it touring. I call it being on the run. Too many parking tickets." - LB

Guetta:

"I'm not sure who was the worlds number one DJ in that laughable chart that DJ Mag put out every year but I'd hazard a guess at David Guetta. To me he's the epitome of commercialism. A massive PR machine and an industry. It's not my taste at all. To be honest from my position in the dance music scene he's the lowest common denominator BUT, that's just my taste. I know many many people go along to the night and have a great time. And surely that's all that matters. We all go out to escape and have fun. If you actually like that music then good for you. Just try to keep an open mind as there's so much amazing music out there." - LB



What's Next:

"2012 is already a great year. Matthew and I have loads of new music coming out on our labels, All Day I dream and Get Weird (plus we are starting another label called 'One Trick Pony'). We also have a release in April on Innervisions. One of my favorite German labels that's owned by Dixon and Ame. The All day I dream events will continue in New York and will start to spread out. We're doing some in Miami this year starting off at WMC plus a summer monthly in LA. We're also taking it to several festivals this year including Lightning in a Bottle, Piknic Electronik and Burning Man. As for playing in 20 years time. Perhaps I'll do a life review at 50. If I live that long."

To read more of the interview check out this weeks issue of Drum Media 

Australian Tour Dates:

24.02 LIKES OF YOU @ SHAPE, PERTH
25.02 AGWA YACHT CLUB 013, SYDNEY
25.02 AGWA YACHT CLUB 013 AFTERPARTY @ BURDEKIN, SYDNEY
02.03 ROXANNE PARLOUR, MELBOURNE
03.03 REBELRAVE @ PLAYGROUND WEEKENDER, WISEMANS FERRY, NSW

Read Matthew Dekay's recent Interview on Pulse Radio

Listen to Lee Burridge on Pulse Radio