In recent years, Chris Lake has become one of the most recognised names in the world of electronic music, having collaborated with the likes of Steve Aoki, Green Velvet, and now Aluna for his latest single, Beggin’. Chris joined us for an interview to talk about the song, the music industry, and his advice to promising producers.
First and foremost, how are you, and how is the music world treating you?
The music world is treating me great. Definitely feel fortunate to be doing what I do, playing shows pretty much every weekend making people dance, and listening to music that I love.
You recently released your single Beggin’ alongside the amazing Aluna; how did the collaboration come about?
My team presented the opportunity to work with her and I jumped at the chance. The only downside was that I booked the session and then messed it up in my diary so when she showed up on my doorstep, I was complexly caught off guard and didn’t even know for a sec who she was. I spent the next hour profusely apologizing but it really helped break the ice and soon after we made Beggin. Everything happens for a reason.
Can you tell me what inspired the song?
Well, Aluna wrote the lyrics so I’m not going to take credit for the lyrical meaning. However, my sole focus was how the song made people feel with that said, I couldn’t even verbalize how I wanted to make people feel with the song. I can tell you that I got the song exactly where I wanted it to be. It makes me feel happy.
You released the song under your label Black Book Records which has some great releases and artists under its banner; what’s it like running a record label and how does that play into your music-making decisions?
I love running the label. It’s very fulfilling to be in control of your own releases. But it is also a privilege to play a part in helping other artists make their mark on the scene. We really try to help new artists it is a massive focus for us.
So, with another collaboration wrapped up, if you had a chance to collaborate with any living vocalist or music producer on a song, who would it be and why?
I would always choose the unrealistic one: Chemical Brothers. Don’t think I’m particularly talented enough to work with them. But in my head, it would be fun.
With AI platforms such as Chat-GPT and many others taking a big step into the mainstream and into the music world, how do you feel this will affect how you and other music producers make music?
I currently don’t anticipate it changing my own music, however, I’m sure it will change producers only now getting into the scene. The possibilities are endless. But I’ve not currently seen anything that I’ve had an interest in exploiting myself.
Finally, what advice would you give up-and-coming music producers looking to step into the music industry?
I think the most important thing for any new producer to figure out is what makes them stand out from everyone else. What makes you unique? If you want to be really successful, you need to figure out what makes you successful and shout about it. If you try to just fit in then no one will notice you.
Stream Beggin’ on Spotify.
