Heidi Lawden

 

UK born, living in LA, Heidi Lawden started DJing in the 90's and since then has committed her time 100% to music.
She also curates nights for Dj Harvey, manages ESP Institute record label together with Andrew "Lovefingers" Hogge, also does a weekly radio show for Dublab, organises events... She's been playing everywhere from Panorama Bar in Berlin to Ibiza Pikes hotel...

Tell us your fondest memories from your summer holidays in Portugal?  I have so many memories wrapped up in Portugal. My family and I went there several times a year growing up so it really felt like a second home. One summer as a teenager, my cousin and I spent an entire summer there. I think we were 17 which seems crazy. We weren’t exactly up-front with our family about how long we planned to stay. We had the time of our lives and I would make mix tapes for anyone that wanted one. Recently someone found me on Facebook who still had one of my mixtapes with tracks on it like Nightwriters, Sterling void etc. That was a really sweet memory to be reminded of. When I had a son of my own I would take him at least once a year too and he had such good times there and for a while he would insist he was Portuguese.  About your last gigs here. How was it, playing at LUX and Plano B along with Lovefingers? It was really special for me to finally be able to go to Lux. I had been waiting for my visa in the US for a long time. Lux is one of Andrews favorite clubs: he’d shown me so many videos of the room and the lights. On this occasion we played upstairs but we have our sights on that main downstairs room where Andrew has played solo. Plano B had the greatest vibe, it was small and dark and felt really good and intimate: my personal favourite kind of room.  How have you been spending time during the quarantine? Any new routine? Life outside of touring for me is really simple. In any case I joke that I have two speeds: all the way to the rave or to just stop. I’ve honestly spent more time than ever reading first about the pandemic and how that was affecting everyone. We petitioned the White House to insist that the self employed be included in the right to claim unemployment. This led me to read more about American history and the political system here. Systemic racism runs really deep in this country and as a Brit I needed to better inform myself. I’ve struggled with its politics since encountering my first election here, and hoping to get to vote soon, I wanted to educate myself.   What do you think about the future, after this? Any profound changes in events Festivals and DJ gig's...?  It’s been equally amazing and frustrating to see things like DJ streams. On the one hand I love being invited into the homes of DJs and getting to hear them play. But then as always, the well known promoters, agents and companies are only pushing the same top tier DJs they always do. I like grass roots. Personally I use this time to get to hear DJs I haven’t heard before and I’ve been showcasing new DJs on my Dublab show weekly. I wish it were a level playing field (As many love to say) but that too is a perspective of privilege. I have so many young DJ friends that don’t have set ups at home to be able to even record a mix let alone stream. It has really made me think more about how we can support new talent and create facilities to nurture it., such as Co-op studios and rooms for DJ’s to practice and stream in. We started our nights here in LA and our Dusk camp festival to shine a light on local or unsung talent. It encourages me to want to do more. I look at the (for want of a better description) top tier DJs and really don’t see them doing anything beyond wanting to float their own boats and it definitely fills me with disdain. We have been joking about how many big room or festival DJs talk about ‘taking it back to their... roots’ and playing small rooms, but the real reason for this is because that's the only available opportunity. I appreciate this is now a white collar business to some, but the scene spread doesn’t need to crumble to further it. I hope all large festivals are happy to announce their same 2020 line up for 2021 but also incorporate an emerging talent zone. Wouldn’t it be great if money was spent there too, with a dedicated budget to enable newer or lesser known DJs to participate and attend. Every ‘headline’ DJ could sponsor one new act or something.