Name: Illusions
Brand: Lawrence

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

DIALCD041

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2018-10-05

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

880319966224

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Total Cap

1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Lawrence

Genre GB

Techno / Electro

Label GB

Dial

Founded by Carsten Jost, Turner & Peter M. Kersten (Sten/Lawrence), the label Dial has become a prominent force in the electronic music scene. With a focus on quality and innovation, Dial has consistently delivered groundbreaking releases that push the boundaries of genre and sound.

Carsten Jost, Turner, and Peter M. Kersten are all highly respected artists in their own right, bringing their unique perspectives and talents to the label. Their combined expertise has allowed Dial to curate a diverse roster of artists who consistently produce cutting-edge music.

Distributed via Kompakt, one of the most influential electronic music labels in the world, Dial has gained international recognition for its forward-thinking approach to music production. With a catalog spanning various genres including techno, house, ambient, and experimental sounds, Dial continues to captivate listeners with its distinctive sonic palette.

Lawrence makes a full-length return to his own Dial label with Illusions. Following two critically-acclaimed albums for Mule Musiq, the follow-up to 2016’s Yoyogi Park captures the Berlin-based artist, DJ and label-owner at home in a suitably deep landscape of sound. Throughout, his involving and human approach to electronic music feels more inviting and more necessary than ever. Rather than the dancefloors across Europe that Lawrence has so fruitfully soundtracked over the past few decades, the sound of Illusions is inspired not only by his endless, constantly unfolding creative process, but a flurry of underground club gigs overseas including Japan and Mexico. In these close spaces, warmth and intimacy generate the atmosphere, and Illusions is naturally blessed with a typically delicate touch that might surprise even long-time devotees of the artist. On close listen, acoustic instruments and subtle field recordings provide a natural bedfellow to Lawrence’s typically warm, earthy machine sound. Another influence is the artist’s real-time live project, Sky Walking, and their shows in intimate venues such as Berlin’s Acud and the legendary Golden Pudel Club in Hamburg.

After pulling back the stage curtain with the mellow and inviting Crystal, the bubbling Lawrence grooves are quickly established on Treasure Box, alongside a complex but seductive tapestry of both electronic and acoustic sound. Before long the buoyant synths that drive Yu Yu melt sensitively into a rich wash of strings. The second half of Illusions conjures somewhat darker magic, tunneling more so into the darker, psychedelic impulse within Lawrence’s synthesis. Transitions establishes an eerie atmosphere that’s complemented by Dark Swirl, in which a deep, bottom-heavy bass line dances around a dense, atmospheric forest of effects. The record concludes with perhaps it’s greatest moments of potential physical delight. Montreux divulges it’s details gradually yet beautifully, anchored by a powerful kick, while Creepers finishes the show with a deeply resonant, melodic and altogether transcendent trip, a full-scale but understated soothing of the body and mind. Continuing his story as one of the most accomplished producers in electronic music, Illusions finds Lawrence reflecting inward, back where he began. Able to conjure quietly breathtaking moments out of thin air, the intriguing effect of Lawrence’s music continues to resonate. John Thorp

Illusions

Music GB