JOE meets… music prodigy Lorcan Mak

He’s headlined clubs worldwide, owns the Stay Hungry record label and has a residency at Bono’s re-invented Dublin dance venue, The Kitchen. Not bad for a 21-year-old. JOE meets Dubliner Lorcan Mak.

By DJ Craig G

JOE: We hear you’re a busy man Lorcan. Tell us a bit about yourself...

I’m a DJ, producer, promoter, artist and I’m in my third year of studying fine art in The National College of Art and Design.

JOE: How did you get started in DJing?

I got my first set of decks for my 14th birthday. I used to collect and play funk, soul, hip-hop... that was what I was listening to. I first got into electro house when I heard Claude VonStroke’s MixMag CD. I was hooked on it.

JOE: How tough do you find it to do everything at once?

To be honest it’s very tough, especially the promoting. I’ve questioned myself – about whether I should just focus on one thing for a certain amount of time or whatever. It’s a lot to do with time management, which I’m pretty bad at that, but I somehow manage to juggle them. I just try to get things done every day.

JOE: Is there any aspect of it that you particularly enjoy?

I’ve played all over the world and I’m really proud of that, but you’re not only going over to a country, you’re going directly into their culture. Even if the people you meet don’t speak English, if they’re into your tunes they’re on the same vibe. It makes you feel like the world is small.

You can find too that when you go to a place expecting something, what you find is often totally different. Over in America it’s a totally different – they’re not behind, but they're on a different vibe that seems to be what’s already happened in Europe. It seems that everything stems from London and Germany. That’s where I feel it flourishes and then spreads out.

JOE: Dance music seems to be enjoying a bit of a resurgence. What is your take on where it is today?

It’s after going directly into pop music and taking over. There are producers that I started listening to last year that are producing albums for huge pop artists. I heard Switch is doing Beyonce’s album, Rusko has done an album for M.I.A. and Afrojack and David Guetta are producing for The Black Eyed Peas. Dance producers are making everything – all the pop music that is in the charts.

JOE: Would you ever see yourself permanently relocating anywhere or are you always going to be Dublin-based?

I’m finished college next year and I’m thinking of moving to England. It’s all good being in your home town but at the moment with the label I’m struggling to meet people that produce. I feel I need to move somewhere where I’m going to be a small fish.

JOE: Was there a record that changed things for you?

Gypsy Bum. I made that nearly two years ago. It got picked up and just snowballed. After that I started getting gigs in London and around Europe. It just goes to show you in other European cities how on it they actually are. They’re dying for the next new thing and they are willing to bring people over. There’s loads of that kind of positive energy.

Looking back, I suppose it was a case of right time, right place. I was raking my Ma’s CDs for samples, and it was the start of a Dean Martin track. It’s still probably one of my most well-known tracks.

Lorcan Mak, Gypsy Bum:

JOE: There’s a bit of a Basement Jaxx feel to it, you’re obviously a fan?

I’d be a fan of Fatboy Slim, Basement Jaxx and other sample-based stuff. I come from a hip-hop background so I’m all about sampling, recycling and trying to make old stuff new.

JOE: When you’re building a track, where do you start?

I mostly start with a drum loop. I get a groove going and get a mood for it. Sometimes I would hear a sample and think – I could do something nice with that. Then I chop the sample down, break it up, and when I have something that can be the break, I just lay it out and build it up. But I always start with loops to try and get a vibe for what it would be like mid-song.

JOE: How did you learn to do all this?

I’m self-taught. I’ve gathered it from various sources – there are bits I’ve learned from friends and from YouTube. I’ve never really done lessons or music production courses.

JOE: What do you think is distinctive about your productions?

Probably the diversity. I’m not really just deep house or tech house. I also throw in electro and different types of drum styles. But at the moment I feel like I’m still experimenting.

JOE: Is there any particular producer that’s rocking your world at the moment?

Reset Robot is one artist I’m in awe of. Everything he does is just unbelievable. There are other guys that I just recently got into like DJ Kool Dek – he’s coming over to play Take Back Thursdays [The club night Lorcan heads up in Bono’s ‘The Kichen’ nightclub].

JOE: The Kitchen has to be the most talked about club in Dublin at the moment. Tell us about your work there...

I’m just trying to build a new thing. There is a sound that I’m going for and I’ve been bringing in DJs that have the same kind of mentality – people who are up for a laugh and totally excited to play.

JOE: Tell us about the first time you played there?

The first time I played there when it just reopened. It was a Wednesday night before Paddy’s Day and it was free gargle until about 12.30am. The place was packed with 600 people. I was playing second last and I swear to God – it was mental. As you can imagine with free gargle, everyone was just dying for it.

They were doing work on the kitchen right up to the day. I was in a couple of days before and I was thinking they weren’t going to get it finished, but they pulled it all together in time. It was brilliant; an amazing night.

JOE: What is your current DJ set up?

Pioneer CDJs, an 800 mixer and 1200s. Keep it’s simple.

JOE: Do you prepare your sets in anyway?

I prepare them in my head in my own way. I would have my pool of the best tunes I’ve heard – I don’t play any tunes I think are half good or OK. Then I go down to the club and look at the crowd.

I don’t play to the crowd, but I do try to compose them in the sense that if I see them not feeling something I’ll switch around until I find what they like. It’s one of the things I love about DJing – I feel then like I’ve connected with them. Coming toward the end I’ll know what they want. That’s the routine I’ve been going with since I was 14.

JOE: Have you got a go-to track maybe for when the floor is starting to flag?

I’ve a track by DJ Kool Dek who is playing on the 26 May [in The Kitchen]. It’s a bootleg of Grand Master Flash’s The Message. It’s a kicker. It’s not released, nobody has it – he only sent it out to DJs. I’m lucky and proud to have it. People ask me what it is, and I tell them, but they can’t have it.

JOE: The history of the Kitchen has Johnny Moy’s name all over it. How do you feel about having the opportunity to write a new chapter?

I know Johnny and I’ve worked with him, but I honestly don’t know much about the history. I suppose I feel a bit indifferent but in the same sense I feel respecting of it. But it is totally different now, the whole thing has changed.

I should probably document things a lot more because I’m sure that’s one of the things that they regret. I would love to document every week, but it’s tough to do.

JOE: Do you have any advice for people who are looking to get into your line of work?

Be your own worst critic and have patience. Also, people need to be honest with themselves. Not everyone needs to be a producer or needs to be a DJ. Do it if you really love it because otherwise, you’re never going to be good enough. If you love it, it will happen.

JOE: What’s lined up for the summer?

There are a few things on the way that I can’t talk about, but there are calabs on the horizon which I’m excited about. It’s something new for me to do. There are also some releases coming. I’ve a few tricks up my sleeve.

I also want to play a few festivals this summer. I’m playing Irish Mystik Fest and then I’m hoping to go over to Wales to play Gottwood Festival. I played Electric Picnic last year and I would love to be back again this year.

JOE: What do you do for fun besides music?

I used to skate, I used to rollerblade, I’ve dabbed my hand in everything. I’m mad into film – I’m not into Hollywood films, more into French cinema. So things like that.

JOE: What would be your biggest self-criticism?

Organisation and time management. If I go out tonight to play a set, I’ll go mad and be waking up at 2pm or 3pm tomorrow. That goes hand-in-hand with the career of being a DJ. I see a lot of the international acts coming over and drinking water; they play and they go home. When I go over to another country I play and I get wasted. Obviously that has to end or at least be calmed down at some point – it would mean getting a lot more done.

JOE: The fact that you’re 21 obviously stands out a bit. Has your age been a help or a hindrance?

It’s so much easier for us because we’ve been given so much in terms of technology, so obviously it’s going to be a younger crowd coming to the fore. That’s just advancement. But it hasn’t really hindered me. I remember being able to DJ when I was 14 so although I’m 21 I’m not exactly a beginner.

JOE: What’s your goal from here on in?

My dream is to be doing what I’m doing now on a larger scale. Living comfortably, hopefully being able to do what I’m doing now and to be able to make a living from it. I’m still living in my Ma and Da’s gaff – I would be broke as a joke if I wasn’t. So hopefully I’ll be ablet o live somewhere, possibly in another country, have a home and be able to do what I love doing on a daily basis.

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