After more than three decades in the industry, Steve Lawler remains one of the most respected names in electronic music. DJ, producer and founder of Pendulum Events, Elevation Music Group and Talent F1rst Management, the British artist has witnessed every major evolution of electronic music while staying true to his own identity.
In this Face to Face interview by Cristiana Elli, Steve opens up like never before. From the loss of his longtime tour manager and best friend to his thoughts on today’s electronic music scene, club culture, artificial intelligence and his personal vision of music, this is an honest and unfiltered conversation with one of the true icons of the global electronic scene.
You’ve built a career spanning more than three decades, going through many different eras of electronic music. Looking back, what has been the biggest challenge of your life and how did you deal with it?
“The biggest challenge for me honestly was in recent years, my life long tour manager and best friend passing away in 2021 really hit me, more than I could of imagined. Then coming back to touring and feeling disconnected, feeling lost, not knowing what to do, which way to turn, I had to take some much needed time away from my usual routine to find a new balance in life that now thankfully works for me. Harder than it seems, when being a touring artists your always getting pulled one way or another so much rests on your shoulders, so many people rely on you, but there comes a time when you have to do it for yourself.”
Is there something that success has given you, but also something it has taken away?
“Success has given me everything I dreamt of and more and my family, I feel extremely fortunate to have done what I have truly loved and been successful, I think thats the main goal we all have in life when growing up, but yes the scrutiny, the haters, the negative people who want to shoot you down no matter what you do, people or sharks as we call them who just want to use you, you realise when you have any kind of fame what so ever you need a shield of steel sometimes to protect yourself, but being a grounded person from humble background I found that hard and it took me many years to realise I had to be more protective towards my self and my family.”
If you could give one piece of advice to the 20-year-old Steve Lawler, what would it be?
“Ah man, honestly this one is easy, I should of kept my mouth shut on so many occasions, the thing is, what people dont realise is I come from a poor background, very humble beginnings in my life and my mother rest in peace always taught me no matter what to be honest, well it turns out thats not always the best advice, because sometimes people dont want to hear the truth, and over the years I fell out with some promoters and agents who did things I felt were unfair and rather than letting my team deal with these things, I would always intervene, and this is when I should of just kept my mouth closed.”
The role of the DJ has changed a lot over the years. Today, social media, image and numbers seem to matter more than the music itself. What can’t you stand about today’s electronic music scene?
“Well yes that, its so damn sad for someone like me who has dedicated my life to music and the art if DJ’ing, to see that talent and skill no more matter, its really all about Social Media and popularity these days, but it is what it is, and if one thing I learnt is, embrace the future as its coming no matter what you do.”
Do you think we can still talk about club culture today, or has it become something different?
“I do see club culture and event culture very different, great question! Club culture SHOULD be about 1 or 2 DJ’s controlling the club night musically so together they can create an actual experience FOR the attendees coming to enjoy themselves. You need to create a safe place where people can ride the journey of music with you and let go and really REALLY experience house music how it was intended. Event culture, Big shows etc a complete different ball game. Thats a show, and should be treated as such.”
You’ve lived through the transition from vinyl to digital, streaming and now AI. What’s your relationship with AI? Do you see it simply as a creative tool or a real game changer that is changing the music industry?
“I dont get the whole AI thing, I mean it certainly is not what social media portrays, I dont see the need for it yet in music, I mean writting music it self is a nice release and reward so why replace that?! Maybe im just not that down with Ai or its still way off. I dont know too much about AI to be honest with you.”
The dancefloor has always been the real test for every producer. Is there a new track that you can’t wait to test in front of a crowd?
“I have several new tracks, one that is becoming quite a summer hit that is fresh out the studio with support from Black Coffee, Francis Mercier, Sasha, plus a few others is called ‘One Fine Day’ its a soft closing beautiful track which was made with a lot of emotion for my wife being honest, the vocal is from one of her favorite records so I made a new track with the vocal. No idea what im going to do with it yet, I just want to see it grow through the summer first.”
Today Steve Lawler is much more than just an artist. You’ve built a world, your own eco system, that includes events, record labels and artist management. When did you realise it was time tocreate something that went beyond the DJ booth?
“I have always been this way out of necessity, to be in someone else’s “crew” so to speak you need to kiss ass a little and thats never been my game, I see it A LOT in this business, so I had to create my own eco system. And also being honest I take pride and enjoy helping others and having these platforms gives me that ability.”
Through Pendulum Events you’ve created events in iconic destinations like Miami and Tulum. What’s the idea behind the project and what makes a Pendulum event different from the others?
“I started this night when I was coming out of my own recovery as explained above after taking some time off, I started my own night in a small intimate venue called Do Not Sit on the Furniture in Miami where I could play 4 hour + sets and play music I love, I just needed some output musically, its who I am and after taking a break I was afraid of touring but needed to play. After 2 amazing years there, it got super packed, people waiting outside who couldnt get in still at 4am meant I had to re-locate and to somewhere bigger, we then moved to MODE, which was twice the capacity and at the same time started doing these parties monthly in Tulum and Vagalume, which I wasnt sure about at first as tulum isnt usually a place you can play monthly but we took it by month by month and saw it was working, so thats continued to this day and will start again in season in December running all the way through to April. PENDULUM Events is based on 2 DJ’s the support act and my extended sets.. trust me when i tell you, this is how you build a regular crowd of people who trust you.”
Talking about summer means talking about Ibiza. This season, your We Love Saturdays residency at Blue Marlin Ibiza comes to an end on July 18. What has this residency meant to you, and what will you take with you from this experience?
“Its been incredible for many reasons, number 1 working with the blue marlin ibiza team has been an absolute pleasure, we have become like family. And that means a lot to me now after all these years of DJ’ing. I need it to feel like home, this is how I perform my best honestly. But its also been incredible seeing how well its done, I mean right from the very first show I did we have beeb selling out and in ibiza with so much competition that honestly is not only a relief but also very humbling. Im so grateful to see that people still want to come and hear me do my thing.”
You’ve been part of Ibiza for many years. On an island that keeps changing all the time, does
anything still surprise you in 2026?
“Ibiza is like the rest of the world in the fact that its changing, become way more commercial, become corporate, become a money machine, but we cant blame ibiza, this has happened worldwide to the scene post covid most of it got acquired by big money and therefor the game
changes.”
Looking back at your career, which moment represents you the most as an artist?
“I would have to say early 2000’s where I was noted as “tribal” because what I was doing musically was just me, I was just finding music and making edits to everything that I played was the flavor I have always loved. This was the begining of my carving my own sound – Percussive, groovy, underground, vibes but with energy, I want to take people places when I play and that sound has been my sound forever since, Music changes, genres change but the essence of my groove is the same now as it was from that point, wether it was dark drums and harlem nights era, to my global underground, new breed and lights out era up to the warriors era, no matter the music that was coming out I found my groove in it.”
This summer, a new partnership with the Italian radio station RIN Italia Network has started. They broadcast your live sets every Monday, bringing them to electronic music fans all over the world through the app and on DAB in Ibiza. What makes a Steve Lawler live set different from simply pressing play on a playlist?
“And its my absolute pleasure! We have worked with each other going back many years! I really really appreciate your support! The main difference is the energy you will hear in a live set, the way I add vocals, extend and deliver breaks and builds ups, the drops, the pace, the chopping through mixes.. it’s live baby so it is unplanned and there to make people dance.”
Looking ahead, where do you see yourself in ten years, both personally and professionally?
“I really have no idea, after going through some huge life changes during and post covid, my family and I no longer think about the future, we stay present and grateful and try our best in a challenging world to see through the darkness and give as much light as possible. Keep things simple.”
