For nearly two decades, Chris Lake has been an undeniable force in house music, a tastemaker whose productions have defined eras and whose label, Black Book Records, has become a benchmark for house music. With the release of his debut LP, Lake is cementing his legacy and kicking off a new chapter.
We had the privilege of sitting down with the man himself during his Australian tour to discuss this monumental project. In our chat, Chris Lake pulls back the curtain on the album, as well as detailing his return to Australia. Chris Lake also talks the possibility of a throwback set, and being a label owner in 2025. Dive in below to learn more about the talent and celebrate his new album.
You’ve toured Australia quite a bit over the years. What makes it so special, and what made your recent set of shows different from past ones?
I love coming to Australia; it’s such a fun country to play in. The crowds are really fun, and it feels like a spicy version of the UK to me, so there’s a lot of familiarity. I also have loads of friends out here. While I normally played clubs or festivals, what made that tour different was that they were my own events. I didn’t feel I was ready to do it until then, and it was nice to come out and test myself by doing my own shows. Of course, I also got to do OUT2LUNCH which was really fun; it’s a hell of a festival they’ve put together.
Just a number of years after you began releasing music, you already had your own label Rising – and now in 2025; with Black Book. How important is it to you to have control over your own records, from a label point of view?
I think it’s really important. I’ve released records in all the other ways—I’ve done major deals and signed with independents—but I feel the ones I feel most connected to, are those built around my own team and my own decisions. It’s nice to have control. When you’re working with other labels, you can be at the mercy of other people’s vision, which can basically ruin it. I’m definitely happy that I have my own team and my own label.
It’s interesting to see how sounds get recycled and become fresh again. There are so many old school Chris Lake records that feel they could work today, from ‘Changes’, ‘Violines’, ‘Release’, the list goes on! Would you ever do a throwback set, with these type of tracks?
I’d have to look into it. Some of those, like ‘Release’, I haven’t played in maybe 15 years, though it’s one of my favourite records I ever made. I actually don’t have the parts for it anymore; a buddy has them on a hard drive and was thinking about a re-run of the track. I sometimes play ‘Only One’ and I last played ‘Violines’ six/seven years ago – that’s a fun one. ‘Changes’ I have done a couple of new versions of, but I’ve never actually played them out. I actually find it weird (that it’s coming back); some of the electro sounds I hear younger kids making aren’t even the good stuff! Someone will figure it out eventually.
What has it been like to see first-hand the explosion of house music into USA and beyond, from side stages to mainstages?
It’s really exciting and has far exceeded anything I thought was possible with the sound. I really didn’t think you could play my kind of music in a venue larger than 4,000 capacity. I just didn’t think it caught people’s interest or that it sounded big enough, honestly. But that has really changed. The genre has grown beyond belief, and the awareness and acceptance have grown. It’s a privilege to be a part of the boom.
You have Under Construction with FISHER, Anti Up with Chris Lorenzo and of course your own music – how do you manage to juggle these aliases and projects? Could we ever see a return to the Cages alias? Or even Goooey Vuitton?
Goooey Vuitton’s not me actually! Just rumoured to be me, there are others though… I’m really lucky to do what I do; I love making and writing music, so it’s not a chore to get up and write. I put a lot of time and effort into it and I just enjoy it, so it’s not hard to juggle that many projects. Each one also has a bit of a distinctive sound. I feel like I’ve got outlets that make me feel fulfilled.
Was there a track on the album that challenged you creatively, or took multiple revisions to get right, but you’re now really proud of?
So many of them. There are several tracks on the album that have more than ten completely different versions each. I kind of drove myself mad on some of them. I had to hand in the 15 tracks at the end of January, and at the beginning of that month, I decided to completely rewrite eight of them – new production and everything. But I’m happy with the results. Sometimes a looming deadline (that I set myself) drives you to figure out what you really want.
Why did now feel like the right time to release the album? How did you choose the final 15 tracks for it?
I’m not really sure why this specific time was chosen; it was just when I got it finished and felt like it could work around my touring schedule. To choose the final tracks, I played them for friends. I played them for Fisher, Chris Lorenzo, and other good friends to get their opinions. I’m lucky to have friends who will be open and tell me if they think something is shit, which they did!
From working with deadmau5 early on, to the HOWSLA album to producing for Lady Gaga and a number of epic Coachella shows – is there something that stands out to you as a pivotal moment in your career?
The thing I’m most proud of is correcting my own path. Probably 10 years ago, I went through a period where I started listening to external ideas about what I should be doing. I really lost myself for a couple of years and changed my sound to make what I thought was expected of me instead of doing what I wanted – I absolutely hated it. I’m most proud that I soon realised what I was doing wrong, corrected it, and decided to try and write the best music I possibly could – better than anything I’d done before – to make people forget any of the things I’d done wrong. It was really hard work to change your reputation and the narrative about who you are as an artist, and I’m really proud that I stuck to it.
That touches on the next question here – was there a specific moment, or track, where you felt like you finally found your sound and knew it was you?
Yes, the massive turning point record for me was ‘Operator’. I had been working on my sound, but it was difficult to get people to fully trust what the new stuff was sounding like. That one just landed. It really got people’s attention and opened up support from other DJs. It was the first record we put out on Black Book, and everything snowballed from there. That was also around the same time Skrillex asked me to help with the HOWSLA EP. Everything changed after that.
You’ve paved a great path of success for yourself over the years. If you could go back in time, what advice would you give to your young self just starting out in the industry?
Just keep doing what you love doing. Don’t listen to other people too much, believe in your own creative vision, and focus on what makes you you. I advise that to a lot of young artists. You have to find that thing that makes you sound like you. Everyone has it; you just have to figure out what it is. And once you’ve got it, exploit it. If you want to stand out in an industry, why try and blend in by sounding like other people?
Which track on the album excited you the most? Maybe a certain collaboration?
Yes, the track with Bonobo is one I’m really, really proud of. We must have done ten versions of that song. It also features Alexis Roberts, who sang on ‘Turn Off The Lights’, and she sounds phenomenal. He’s one of my favourite artists. We’re also going to do some writing together for his new album, so I can’t wait for that. I am a huge fan of Bonobo; I feel like I know more about Bonobo tracks than Bonobo does!
Explore Chris Lake’s thrilling new LP below.
