James Lauer ////
Proton Radio
//// Style
Forward Thinking House and Techno
//// Bio
from an early taste for music a bit
further from the norm, james lauer has been embraced by many
over the years for his forward thinking live dj sets. with
one ear to the future and the other to the past he carefully
avoids many of the more fashionable categorizations in electronic
music today and has quietly (and often not so quietly) been
delivering his own brand of tightly woven sounds in various
locations around the globe. a fresh alternative to those who
seek it... and for the initiated a unique combination of sounds,
colors and textures that shakes the floor and moves appendages
like no other. his style has been described as many things
but at the end of the night it's up to you to decide. it is
only music after all. isn’t it?
past - always listening. growing up
in the windy city and raised on a steady diet of chicago house
and detroit techno, james developed an early appreciation
for the funkier and more experimental forms of electronic
music. while attending a 'prestigious' new york university
and learning many useful things, he also had the opportunity
to work and live abroad for an extended period of time. a
period of time in his life that he cherished very much and
that also caused him to stop and think. while spending time
in many places overseas james found his thinking challenged
in many ways and his musical tastes also shifted significantly
as he found himself attending clubs of every size, shape and
color. through several influential DJs and artists he listened
to on a regular basis he quickly learned to appreciate a style
of music that was fundamentally different in many ways. he
held onto these sounds and experiences very tightly in his
mind and tucked them away for later.
1999 - james returned to chicago and
several roads later eventually found himself throwing regular
underground parties and loud all-night loft type affairs.
some of them got to be quite large. he continued buying records
and his passion for finding absolute quality often kept him
up late at night. james began slowly amassing a record collection
capable to shake a room of any size. his early djing efforts
managed to turn some ears and move a few feet. his hard work
and choice selections eventually earned him guest spots at
several of chicago's most respected clubs and also quite a
few late night / early morning gatherings of sorts at various
locations throughout the city. here he brought his favorite
selections to other like minded individuals and even some
of their pets.
2002 - james began broadcasting a new
show called ‘diversified portfolio’ on WNUR 89.3FM
airing every week locally in chicago. WNUR still stands today
as one of the few independent radio stations left in the united
states and the former radio home of derrick carter, mark farina
and many of chicago’s other legendary dj’s during
dance music’s explosion in the 1980’s and 1990’s.
still broadcasting today as one of the largest non-commercial
alternatives to mainstream corporate radio in the entire country,
WNUR provided james with an opportunity to express his unique
style and showcase a diverse range of electronic music that
was rarely heard anywhere else. diversified portfolio continues
to air live wednesday nights in chicago and features regular
guest mixes from the city’s most forward thinking dj’s
and other international guests. it was also around this time
that james was asked to contribute mixes to other important
radio outlets around the globe including xm satellite radio,
xtc radio london and proton radio where he has began hosting
his widely anticipated chicago underground sessions.
2007. james is keeping busy throwing
objects of various sizes around in the studio and working
on his first album. dj sets every sunday night @ smartbar
in chicago. select dates elsewhere. still listening. always.
|
