Mint Club

Event

Teknicolor VIVa MUSiC Showcase - Steve Lawler & Darius Syrossian

This week we welcome back a huge Teknicolor hero – one of the most famous and in-demand DJ’s on the planet and a true British clubbing institution – STEVE LAWLER will be landing in town to showcase his globally renowned VIVa MUSiC label. And joining him, one of Leeds finest exports and solid Teknicolor favourite DARIUS SYROSSIAN completes the VIVa showcase line up for one of, if not THE biggest line up of the year!

/// Steve Lawler
Steve Lawler needs no introduction, but he certainly warrants one. You would be hard pushed to ﬁnd a more in-form, in-demand, exceptionally talented artist, regarded as highly by his industry peers as he is by his huge global base of musically educated fans.

Steve Lawler, a child of the acid house generation, has been busy with the beats long before genres were but a twinkle in clublandʼs eye. An electronic artist who deﬁes generic boundaries, ever since his days organising the infamous motor way raves back in the early 90ʻs underneath the M42 motor way, in the UK.

As an artist: his releases & remixes have been signed by some of the worlds most established recording labels; R&S Records, Systematic, Drumcode, Harthouse, Cocoon, MBF, OVUM, Sci+Tec, Tsuba, Souvenir, Rekids, Boxer Sport, Be As One, Monique, Kostbar, Soma, Skint and of course his own recording label VIVa MUSiC.

As a Label Manager: Steveʼs label VIVa MUSiC (founded in 2006), has quickly earned a reputation for breaking new talent and has featured tracks by such artists as Reboot, Audioﬂy, Simon Baker, Jamie Jones, Davide Squillace, Luca Bacchetti, Bushwacka, Livio & Roby, Dragosh, Leon, Plasmik, Ripperton, Ilario Alicante, John Selway, Peace Division, Bearweasel, Tiefschwarz and of course Lawler himself, amongst many others and receives heavy patronage by many House & Techno luminaries. As for A&R, just ask artists like Simon Baker, Audioﬂy, Leon, Bearweasel and Livio & Roby and theyʼll tell you all about the support, encouragement and opportunities Lawler has given them.

VIVa MUSiC works as a culmination of everything thatʼs gone before; from the putting on of the aforementioned illegal raves, to his residency at super club Cream back in the mid 90ʼs. Heʼs remixed high proﬁle artists such as Jamelia, Dido and Justin Timberlake and worked with many of the worlds renowned dance imprints. As well as recording a track for the blockbuster horror movie by Ian Softly ʻThe Skeleton Keyʼ. Heʼs released some of the industryʼs most collectable mix series such as the ʻDark Drumsʼ, ʻLights Outʼ and, most recently, the ʻVIVaʼ series. Now on its 3rd release. The ʻVIVaʼ series has revealed Steveʼs widescreen vision better than any mix before with down tempo and deep house playing a big part in the beat blend. Steve held a triumphant residency for nine years at the Balearic club Space in Ibiza (a club he returned back to in 2008). His VIVa Nights residency where Steve played from doors open to door close at The End in London consistently sold out for its 7 years span and his residency at Londonʼs Home Club was one of the infamous venueʼs only success stories.

Dynamic, driven and drastically obsessed with performing as well as he possibly can Steveʼs passion for House, Techno and Electronica is too strong for one simple generic association, and right now his message is louder than ever. 18 years deep and Steve Lawler isnʼt just at the top of his game, heʼs pushing the boundaries of what a DJ can do – both technically and creatively – as an artist and as a successful label businessman.

///Darius Syrossian
TRUE. HOUSE. MUSIC.

Three words that define the style and sound of Darius Syrossian, yet also represent the principles by which he has successfully made his name as a DJ, producer, label boss and radio host at a global level. He is one of the core artists of Steve Lawler's Viva family and has ticked off every major club and festival in an extensive touring schedule; his production skills have lead to acclaim with labels such Get Physical, Area Remote, 8 Bit, VIVa MUSiC & more, his own imprint Breakout Audio has presided over collaborations with talent such as Kris Wadsworth from Detroit, Julian Chaptal and Pier Bucci, and the VIVa radio show that Darius hosts to thousands each week is now broadcast to over 30 countries.

But those three words have to be repeated. TRUE. HOUSE. MUSIC. As a person that has dedicated more than 15 years to legendary UK vinyl record shops Global Beat and Crash Records, Darius wears his passion for the music on every part of his existence, as only people who do it for the love of the music are able to. Having seen every fad and trend come and then quickly go in the electronic scene, yet never having wavered from his devotion to the groove, it's with plenty of conviction that Darius' huge musical knowledge and vast vinyl collection allows him a unique versatility. A DJ in the truest sense, no matter whether that be abyss-deep house or following Detroit techno or playing Detroit techno, the groove will always be there, unwavering as the emblem of his style.

If his ethos is noteworthy, Darius' achievements are just as distinguished. He has toured the world as a DJ, taking in all continents and including major dance gatherings like Sonar, Miami WMC, Extrema Festival, in early 2012 Dj Sneak chose the Darius Syrossian remix of Hector Couto entitled 'Creampie' for his forthcoming FABRIC 62 mix compilation that is due out in march
see here > http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2012/01/dj-sneak-be-featured-fabric-62
this added with the darius syrossian tracks on heidi's jackathon compilation on get physical, plus his track the 5 years of 8 bit compilation & finally his track on the Cocoon heroes mix, totals 4 tracks in 12 months on various cd compilations

in 2012 Darius himself is going to be mixing the forthcoming VIVa MUSiC Compilation that will comprise of ONLY exclusive tracks and never released before material from a whole host of top artists including names such as luna city express, ray okpara, chris wadsworth amongst many others and a few tracks from Darius himself.

as a Dj in the last year Darius has made three seperate trips totalling 6 weeks across the Atlantic to spin Stateside, The recent gig at Sonar resulting in him being offered a monthly residency at the renound Sankeys in Manchester.

A main member of Steve Lawler's VIVa Music family, Darius can point to numerous hits, most recently the massive track entitled ‘Stay up dancing, Get in Monday’ that has led Darius to sit in Resident Advisor’s top 20 most charted artists for March/April 2011, and also his track on Heidi's 'Jackathon' Get Physical compilation where Heidi asked 15 of her favourite producers to make a track for the cd comp, already making big tracks prior to this year a as duo with Nyra, after going solo in 2011 Darius has subsequently expanded his production portfolio to include releases that have featured on three major Compilations in the summer of 2011, his track on the 5 years of 8Bit being one of the best selling on the entire compilation as was his track on Heidi's Get Physical Jackathon Comp, his release on Area Remote features on the Cocoon heroes compilation too

Connecting all his talents, Darius is also the voice of the bi-weekly VIVa Music Radio show, which is downloaded by thousands of listeners and syndicated across over 30 countries to be broadcast on FM radio, with contributing guests to the show having included Seth Troxler, Stacey Pullen, Guti, Nic Fanciulli, Soul Clap, Boris Werner, Kabale Und Liebe, Lauhaus, Soul Clap, Luna City Express & more.

Ultimately, this is yet another avenue that embraces the philosophy of Darius Syrossian, to always focus on the music,
to always guard the principles of house and always, but always, to remain true. In his own words: ' I'm into the scene because I LOVE THE MUSIC, not like some who are into the music because they LOVE THE SCENE. It's only about the music for me, and that's all that matters!'