One of the world's most influential DJ/producers, Christopher Lawrence, talks about how much the scene has changed over the years, his new radio show, "Rush Hour", and how to break into the music industry.

1. Tell us about yourself. Where are you based?

I am a DJ/Producer now based in Melbourne, Australia. I originally started out in San Francisco. That's where I grew up and I left the San Francisco Bay Area in 1994 and moved to Los Angeles. It was kind of one of those things about being at the right time, at the right place. The L.A. rave scene took off. My career took off as well, and have lived there for 15 years before relocating to Australia.

2. How did you get started in the music industry? What is your musical background?

I grew up in San Francisco. My parents loved music and always had music around the house. My brother and I, at an early age, like 7 and 8, were into heavy metal. So we were into stuff like that, we were really young. And then as I got older, living in San Francisco, I just got into the Fan Francisco underground club scene. Like take acid and go into skate parks and go into the clubs, that kind of thing. And also going into the University of Berkeley and studying there. While I was there Iím still clubbing. And the whole acid-house-rave scene took off, and I connected with that music more than I ever did. At that time there were no international DJs, just some parties. The scene as we know it did not exist and I was just so taken by the music that I started collecting the records myself. I decided Iíd teach myself how to DJ because I liked a lot of music that wasnít being played. And we started having free parties at Golden Gate Park, parties at the beach, people doing house parties and I would play those. I have a pirate radio station that I was doing on Sunday nights. I got a following. All of a sudden promoters doing the underground rave parties started booking me, cause Iíd bring people to the party. Yeah, it just grew from there. But the sound in San Francisco was more funky house and I was playing this more progressive house sound and so I started playing in Los Angeles, in Southern California, where they have these massive raves, with 20-30,000 people. They loved my sound so I decided to move there and I could live anywhere. The sound that I was playing just became the favorite sound in Southern California. It was just perfect. It was the right time, right place.

3. Do you think the reason why you became so successful was because what you played was something different?

It was at the time when the rave scene was getting huge and people had been playing. Like Doc Marten were really popular at the time, DJ Dan. But they were playing house. Simply Jep was really popular DJ and he was playing breaks. And there there were guys like Taylor, and I, and Sandra Collins, and we were playing trance. And it just sounded so good at a big party. Thatís what catapulted my career is that I was playing the sound that worked at those parties. And then throughout the rest of the country, people where looking at the West Coast rave scene and who were the DJs playing in west coast, in these huge parties, these massives. Thatís how I started getting booked across the country, out of playing the big parties in the west coast. And it just grew from there. Then I became a producer, making my own music in the mid 90ís. Thatís when I began to get recognition outside of the United States. It was through the music that I was producing. I was invited to play in Europe. Thatís how it started in a nutshell.

4. When you are working on a new project, how do you get inspired during the creative process?

Mainly I am inspired in the studio by what other people are making. I am always looking for new music, what other people are producing. So really all I'm doing is filling in, with ideas that I've heard other people do and try to make them better, try to, like a puzzle, all fit into something that I am doing. As far as DJ-ing, I am inspired by the other DJs that are out there. Iíll be listening to the people before me. I am always looking for music. I am looking for a sound that I am looking for. You have an idea in your head of what youíre looking for, but when you go and you listen to somebody else play and you hear it on a big sound system and you see people responding to it, I hear things in a completely different way with fresh ears. I play a certain sound, its like an underground, progressive, techno sound, but that isn't all I like. When I go to a party and I hear somebody else playing house, to me it could be the best set I have ever heard if theyíre playing it well, because you hear the music through the DJ. It's not just a CD playing and coming out through the sound system. The person playing it has a huge part as to how it actually sounds out on the floor. That is why I could go and get the same record that the other DJ is playing and it is not going to sound the same. Because of programming, individual styles of mixing, the DJs presence, its a whole bunch of things involved in it. Thatís where I get my influence is from listening to other DJs and watching them.

5. You have been in the industry a long time, and one of the most influential people in this business. What advice would you give to aspiring DJs or producers?

It is harder now than when I started out, because when I started out, there was hardly any DJs and we were playing the sound, the underground techno. The key is to, like what I was doing with mixed tapes, make compilation CDs of your mixes and just give it out to as many people as possible. Have a website or myspace and have your sets available for download to people because the more people that get to hear what you sound like, the greater the odds are that people will want to hear you. Marketing is really, really important. You could be the greatest DJ but if nobody hears you, then nobodyís going to come see you play. Itís hard enough to get a gig in a club. So thatís why if you can create interest, or buzz about yourself, people will be interested in your music before you even play in a club. That's why when you do play at a club and a hundred people show up. You create a demand for yourself. Second is producing music is another important thing to do now, by making music and other DJs playing it around the world. People get to know the DJs name and that creates a demand. The whole thing is about creating a demand for you, so that people will want to come to come see you. I came up in a day when nobody knew the DJs name. We just like played. Over time, people will take an interest, and will get to know the name of the DJ. I played a lot of sets, enough good sets where enough people knew who I was. That's how I got known. It doesn't work that way now.

6. What do have in store for your fans?

I just finished a new compilation. It's called "Unfold". Itís for a label called Fektive. It's the second in the series. John 00 Fleming did the first one. The idea behind the CD is it's a double CD and its supposed to, as the title says, unfold. The first side is a slower, what you would play when the doors first open, where you play kind of like your favorite records, but not the bangin' tunes. The second CD is when I get into playing peak hour. So it's a really good concept. For me it was really exciting to do that. I also have a radio show starting next month (April 8th). It's called "Rush Hour" and it will be on Digitally Imported (www.di.fm) on the Trance station. It will be on the second Tuesday of each month.

7. What message do you have for your Cleveland fans?

I just like to say thanks for a really good night. It turned out really well. It was a lot of energy in the room and that was the most important. I am just grateful for everybody that came out.