MUSIC SPOTLIGHT ON DJ LORANT
Lorant’s musical output is powered by pulsating energy and vibrant beats.
I was born in Istanbul, and grew up on the Jersey side of the George Washington Bridge, on the outskirts of Manhattan. My favorite pastime in high school was listening to Saturday night radio shows that featured live DJ mixes from New York legends like David Morales and Johnny Vicious. What I loved most was that these sets would go on forever- you could be dancing to the same song for 10 minutes and that blew my mind. I got a fake ID and dragged my best friend to The Tunnel. Here I was in an old rail freight terminal in the middle of the city that was turned into a club with huge speakers stacked on top of each other, and it was just crazy and perfect. Shortly after I went to Twilo where Junior Vasquez had a Saturday night residency and it was then I knew I was home.
That was the very beginning of my music career.
Greatest inspirations or influences?
My biggest inspiration is New York City -whether it's the people, the creative energy of friends or just the pace and hustle of everyday life. Also, as a DJ and producer, I'm always influenced and inspired by the records I play. There are some very talented artists out there and hearing their work keeps me going.
Tell us about your musical process please Lorant.
Music always comes first and nothing is more important in the creative process for me than that. Then eventually something clicks and I start visualizing a concept. For "Friends", I knew I didn't want to be literal and have my friends in the video, especially since my last music video focused on some of the people I hold dear in nightlife. I contacted (dancer) Robert Mason who had sent me a video of himself three years ago dancing at Julliard to my track "More Freedom" that a mutual friend (artist Ridikkuluz) had played for him. Robert and I had never actually met in person until the day we shot "Friends" this past summer. The concept for the video revolved around four looks- the main look which introduces the video, the cosmos or the galaxy which is a recurring theme in my work, street/vogue, and fashion/editorial- which come together to tell a story through Robert's movements.
Our stylist Davide Chicaeme played a big part in the process as each look had to be distinct and director Tyler Milliron had the challenging task of creating backgrounds that complement the themes since we shot in front of a green screen.
How has dance music evolved since your early club days?
With the rise of EDM and electronic music festivals, the scene has become a global monster. That's not necessarily a bad thing but it's definitely a monster that we all have to go to war with sometimes.
As for the music itself, house and techno by nature don’t stop evolving but also don’t change too much because the innovators and founders of this music set such a solid foundation for us today that their formula is basically indestructible. People like Larry Levan, Frankie Knuckles, Shep Pettibone, Danny Tenaglia, Carl Cox, Sven Vath, Richie Hawtin, Kerri Chandler, DJ Pierre, Larry Heard, Junior.. it’s really a long list of giants. They created something that will always be new.
Thank you for joining us today, we’d also love to hear what does wellbeing mean to you?
Wellbeing means surrounding yourself with people you love. People who make you laugh and give you a sense of comfort. Also, Aesop exalted eye serum.