Introduction: We speak with long time DJ and vinyl collector Mike Lawse. What to expect? Mike has a vast knowledge of electronic music spanning nearly two decades covering jungle, drum-n-bass, house, UKG, grime, hiphop and dubstep. With links to many influential London record shops, Mike is able to give us an insight of how these cultures thrived alongside vinyl culture. He definitely knows his onions. A great addition to the series ‘Living with Vinyl‘. Plenty of good memories and insight. Sit back and listen to the man share with us. Enjoy!

Audio interview is below, accompanied by photographs and selected quotes. Enjoy.

Mike Lawse – Instagram

06 – Living with Vinyl – Mike Lawse by Hark1karan on Mixcloud

Interview Highlights

8 seconds: My name is Michael. I’m a DJ and vinyl collector. I’ve been dj-ing for about, maybe 15 years. In that time I’ve been collecting records as well, all styles and that.

30 seconds: My first memory is my dad. He was a vinyl collector. Used to collect a lot of reggae, Motown, funk. You know he had all his 7’s, 12’s and albums. Back in the day I couldn’t touch them, I’d just listen to them on the deck. So that was my first memories of that.

1:10 min: I think listening to a few tapes that my friend had, jungle tapes. I think I was about 12 or 13 at the time. In that day I used to go down with my cousin to Wax City in Croydon and buy a few records.

2:30 min: I used to go to Red Records in Brixton as well. My dad used to live in Brixton…. Buy a lot of hip-hop. In those days it was Notorious B.I.G, Wu Tang Clan, Rakim, Dr Dre, yeah just the early 90s stuff.

4:27 min: I worked in Swag Records for a few years and I also worked in Black Market (BM Soho) Reocrds for a few years. I worked at Black Market in 2004. I was working with Youngsta downstairs. Nicky Blackmarket, Ray Keith, Ash Attack, just the normal guys that were there.

6 min: I don’t think vinyl has slowed down. I buy a lot of second hand records from second hand shops and it’s booming. It’s more booming than shops selling new music. I don’t think it ever died. I think certain music may had died and that’s the reason certain people are saying it’s dying.

7:28 min: My favourite drum ‘n’ bass DJ was definitely Nicky Blackmarket. Favourite MC at that time was Stevie Hyper D, Skibadee, Shabba. I say Brockie as well, but Nicky Blackmarket because he played a lot of reggae influenced tunes. Yeah Brockie, Kenny Ken’s a good one, Micky Finn, Andy C as well. But definitely Nicky Blackmarket for jump-up!

9:23 min: Leviticus – Burial that was a good one… Pulp Fiction by Alex Reece on Metalheadz.

10 min: Maximum Style…. Stuff like that they never really repressed it. To get stuff like that you have to pay £30 to £40.

11:20 min: From my record collection you can hear the influence over the years.  As it goes from 90s to 2000s gets darker. If I put on a 95 track you can hear that. If I put on a 97 you can definitely hear the changes.

14:25 min: Garage house… we took their style and made that our own (UKG).

14:35 min: Definitely EZ, Martin Larner, Dominic Spread-love, Matt Jam and Karl Brown (Tuff Jam).

15:10 min: I think as the music got faster and music got darker we lost it. It got a bit moodier.

 16:30 min: I think it got more commercial in 97 when you had Scott Garcia’s It’s A London Thing, Industry Standard – What You Need… Good quality mainstream tunes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obZIZWzlJa8

18:50 min: It’s a bootleg… Hype probably took the stick for Zinc at the time…. I remember when that come out as a white labelin Wax City, it was hard to get that. When it came, it gone!

19 min: Records were like £3. £2.99!… I used remember buying records from Wax City for £3.99. As the genre of music gets better, there’s more demand for it. That’s when you put the price up. It was only like hip-hop imports and house that was £8.99 or more… but back then that’s a lot of money.

20:30 min: Uptown was a very good one for garage. Black Market for drum-n-bass. Release the Groove another good one for garage. Swag was good for deep house and garage. Big Apple as well, used to go in there. In the early 90’s every record shop was good to be honest.

23:11 min: Especially in London, West End and that… it’s kinda hard to find what you want in there now. I’m not gonna lie, I go on Discogs. I only thing I hate is the postage…. You’re not faking it.

24:10 min: A lot of second hand shops are getting their prices off Discogs. That might not be correct price, that’s the thing. That’s what the joke is. Every second had shop is doing that now.  Which I think it wrong, but everyone’s gotta make money.

24:40 min: You won’t buy it but somebody will buy it.

26 min: As I get older now, I love my vinyl. I got rid of it and I got it back again. I just love you know what I mean. It’s good to put on a record whenever you want. It’s better than having the iTunes list. I’ve got over 60,000 tracks… You forget about it. Every day I try to listen to something new.

28:20 min: If you’ve got time to appreciate music then you’ve got to listen to it all the way through. What’s the point in listening to it for 2 minutes.

28:50 min: I’d say I have about 2000 here and 500 around my parents.

30:26 min: Because I was into jungle there were a lot of samples taken from reggae… and it’s good to hear the original.

31:38 min: Locked On was a very big label. Different styles of music.

32 min: Strictly was very big in the 90’s. I think a lot of the garage DJ’s in the early 90’s, Dominic  Spreadlove were playing a lot of the stuff.

32:49 min: A lot of music has a 5 or 10 year span. 5 years underground and 5 years commercial. Then it comes back round again.

34:39 min: The best thing I’d say is research the tracks. Listen to them before you buy them.

37:07 min: I think it will go and still carry on. Think our parents and then their parents. Look at how long records have been going on. The only way I think it can stop if the pressing plants ain’t making them anymore. Then there’s enough vinyl in the world for people to buy. I think that’s what’s thriving the most, the old stuff.

39:45 min: Favourite records

KMA Production – Cape Fear

Alex Reece – Pulp Fiction

Shy FX – Wolf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1UkOe7eUxs

DJ Trend – 2 Degrees 2

Todd Edwards – Right Now / Saved My Life

41:55 min: I’ve got a little son now, he’s 8 months now and I play music to him every day, he absolutely loves it. I’m influencing now… I want him to know about music before he was around. My parents did the same thing.

42:58 min: It is an addiction for me, especially if you find them cheap… You never know when enough is enough.

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