reading time: 7min

“Birds On The Playground”, Lawrence's latest album on Mule Musiq got released while Spring is emerging slowly, longer days are born to the songs of finches and blackbirds. Morning birds, one of the dearest signs for a new season to begin. We have a record here, that is as dear, intimate and playful as a good friend. A record to dream with, to hug to and dance barefoot in the grass. A record for early mornings, sunny noons and late nights. “Birds On The Playground” - unsurprisingly an audible pleasure as we know it from the Berlin-based producer will quickly become a precious companion beyond these early spring days. Written with listening bar Studio Mule in mind, Lawrence invites us once more to Japan. Curious to find out more about his fascination with Japan and the background of this album we caught up with the DIAL co-owner. 

Hello, we would have loved to have the interview in a “real-life environment” but of course that's not possible these days. Where and in what state of mind are you “corresponding” with us?
Hi! I’m trying to keep up a rather hopeful state of mind, which is not always easy. I just had this streaming concert with my improvisation band Sky Walking and other acts at 4fakultaet in Hamburg. It felt wonderful to improvise with musicians across genres. The organizers showed how to carefully deal with live concerts in the current situation, we had lots of fun and felt safe at the same time. Also, I have a day job now, that is not connected to anything I’ve done before: I am working at a vaccine center in Berlin.

There is a lot to talk about, but let's start far away: with Japan. What is your favorite thing about Japan? (as we love the way you use emojis in social media feel free to use them:-)
Japan is definitely a good starting point! One of my favorite things to do there is going to an Onsen (natural hot spring bath) outside in nature with my friends. It is the most magical and calming experience. You asked for an emoji- so this is the Japanese character for Onsen: ♨️

Japan is continuously appearing as a theme in your works. I’d love to learn more about that and how this reflects in your production and your relationship with Mule Musiq.
I fell in love with Japan when I was first invited by Mule Music label owner Toshiya Kawasaki in 2006. Japan has so much to offer in the fields of culture, history, nature, manufacturing, food, music, art - there are so many aspects of life that are being celebrated in Japan with the highest dedication. I want to share some of the countless beautiful moments I have experienced through my music.

You devoted the album “Birds On The Playground” specifically for the listening bar STUDIO MULE. Have you ever been there?
I saw Toshiya in Tokyo last year and he was just about to build STUDIO MULE. Then the crisis hit and I had to get back to Berlin on one of those emergency flights right into this new strange world of confusion and fear. Fantasizing about a night out at the yet imaginary bar in Shibuya, drinking with friends, having silly conversations and listening to music,  kept inspiring me to write “Birds On The Playground”.

Listening Bars (I have myself enjoyed a stay in one in Tokyo once..) are real one-of-a-kind locations, usually a small, high-quality universe for audiophiles and seem to not yet be a real thing in Europe yet. Interestingly though, people are starting to gain interest in alcohol and music pairings. What's to pair with “Birds On The Playground”?
I would recommend a rather crazy tasting Natural Wine, something out of the ordinary. I always love when taste surprises in a way, you’re confused and delighted at the same time.

If you could go to Studio Mule just right now, what kind of music would you be interested in listening to there?
The musical concept of the bar is “eccentric” and you can see some of the records Toshiya suggests on his Instagram. If I’d enter the place right now I might be interested in listening to some weird, warm and wonderful Brazillian Music, or some of the Japanese re-releases on the Studio Mule Label.

Where did you record the album and how did it feel having a specific venue in mind, especially one very far away? 
When I came back to Berlin from this last Japan trip, the first lockdown ruled over Germany, Europe and the world. I guess for everyone it was the strangest and most surreal time. After a while of total confusion, anxiety and not being able to see my friends, the idea of hanging out at this yet imaginary bar, was an unexpected source of inspiration. It felt so enchanting, to just think about listening to music with my friends somewhere out in the world.

The artwork has been created again by Stefan Marx, how do you two work together to come up with the design for the sleeves? 
Stefan and I have been working together for more than 15 years now, and it’s a very personal approach. We hang out a lot and I try to visit his shows and studio whenever I can. The cover was painted on his field trip to St. Moritz, Switzerland last summer. I thought it fit so much to the dreamy vibe of the album.  Stefan also does the handwriting and graphic design, another unique approach to those records on Mule Musiq and Smallville.

Your previous album, the beautifully organic, "Music For Plants" was released in Fall 2020. Almost seems both Albums may have been in the works in parallel. It also is connected to a listening space, Public Records in NYC. What is the backstory of it?
Initially, Music For Plants was a video for Public Access TV, the broadcasting platform of the NYC club Public Records. It’s the first time I was experimenting with images, sound, and animation. Inspired by theories about plant communication, actual courtyard gardening, and new discoveries in my neighborhood in Berlin, it’s an hour of pseudo narration, very improvised. After it has been aired we, later on, decided to release the music digitally on Dial Records. Music For Plants is an ongoing project and I’m pretty excited to develop it further in the near future.

As a long-time Lawrence - listener I associate your signature sound, with ease, sophisticated sketches, intimacy, and purity. A little bit like an intuitive aquarelle painting. If you’d describe Lawrence’s music to someone that may have not heard you yet, how would you describe it?
You are absolutely right, producing this kind of music is a very intuitive process and that’s why It’s actually not easy for me to describe my work at all. The initial process of writing the songs for “Birds On The Playground” was very free and spontaneous, depending on imagination and mood, so your comparison makes total sense to me. After the first sketches, it takes quite a long time to work on arrangements and mixing.

Your live setup seems pretty minimalistic, easy to travel with - how can we imagine your studio playground?
It’s true, when I play live, I like to keep it easy and focused. My studio though is indeed like a tiny playground with acoustic instruments such as a slightly broken Vibraphone, a sad-sounding steel drum, and a laughing flute.

The playground is a good thread here. Clubs as playgrounds. Which records are you dying to play soonish in a club or festival? 
There’s so much great new music coming out all the time, but it is still too difficult for me to think about club nights right now. Sometimes I fantasize about my first evening out at STUDIO MULE.

photo credit: Christian Werner (2016)