Interview: Lauren Lo Sung talks LOLiFE, diversity and THAT emotional Circus moment

Lauren Lo Sung’s career has been expertly cultivated through musicality, dedication, and passion. These vital components have elevated and enhanced her reputation as one of the UK’s hottest artists currently showcasing their undeniable talent. 

The Liverpool-born producer / DJ has conjured quite the following. This has been achieved partly through love for her groove-based frequencies, full of raw and authentic stripped-back percussion and a deeply warm and soulful heartbeat. The other part of the ‘spell’ is her pioneering LOLiFE imprint. 

We finally sat down with Lauren to talk about future plans for her LOLiFE brand and get some thoughts on other industry issues, such as the widely discussed gender balance and diversity in lineups. 

Welcome to Mr. Afterparty Lauren! We are big fans of your work and finally, we get a chance to sit down and speak all things Lauren Lo Sung. 

Diving straight in, let’s talk about a real heartfelt moment that touched a lot of people…

We covered the Circus test event and witnessed quite an emotional moment from you. What were you feeling at the time? I think every single raver, promoter, and venue worker was right there with you! How has it been since lockdown restrictions were lifted? 

It had been a long hard 18 months when I played the ‘First Dance’ – so there were a lot of built-up emotions running through my body. I knew I would get emotional just thinking about the show, I probably didn’t help myself as I played a very euphoric slow build-up track which just hit me right in the feels and meant I fell to bits! Since then it’s been crazy, from the opening month I’ve literally been none-stop every weekend, just back off a 2 week USA tour, Italy and all over the UK. It feels amazing to be back doing what I love and missed so much over lockdown. 

It is great to see that your LOLiFE movement has returned. What is the background of the brand? How did it start, and what is the ethos behind it? 

I started it when I was 18 years old, so 12 years ago now. It’s always just been about small clubs, low ceilings, good sound systems and good music/vibes. 

LOLiFE started quite naturally, I was in uni in Manchester and a basement club called RedRum were looking for new events and promoters. A friend of mine called me and suggested I start my own night there, and the rest is history! From then on, we went to hosting a lot of the afterparties for The Warehouse Project, hosting parties around the UK and of course in my home city – Liverpool. 

We’ve booked lots of DJs since then such as Raresh, Subb-an, Cinthie + many more. We’ve done European tours across some amazing spots, hosted some quirky spaces like barbershops and underground clubs all over. I started LOLiFE records about 4 years ago and we’ve had some amazing vinyl releases from the likes of DJ Steaw, East End Dubs, Fabe, Phreaks of Visions (Anil Aras + Locklead) as well as myself of course. 

Are there any particular goals you want to achieve with your lineups on LOLiFE? 

Of course, I’m always thinking of new artists to bring to LOLiFE. We book people purely because we LOVE their music and vibe, they have to be friendly people too, no egos. We have some incredible artists lined up to play our shows next year, but first, we bring Gene on Earth to Liverpool this Saturday. I have been following Gene and his label Limo for some time and he has his own sound which really works in clubs. 

Venues are part of the event experience. What do you look for when deciding on where to host your party? 

The venue is so important for the vibe of the night and the overall experience, we’ve hosted some wicked spaces over the years, but this weekend should be our best location yet. I have been wanting to host the Williamson Tunnels in Liverpool for a very long time. It’s super difficult to hire the venue as it’s initially a heritage site where people do tours of the Tunnels. The Tunnels were built in the 1800s and we’ve managed to secure a party there with the amazing Gene on Earth playing with us too, I can’t wait! Next year we are taking LOLiFE to some really unusual spots, watch this space! 

What can you tell us about the show and its plans moving forward? Are there any exclusives you can feed us? 

My vision is to give people a one-off experience, a memory that will last a lifetime. So to do that we will be doing everything in our power to make sure the sound is right, the lighting and more importantly the location is different each time. We want to offer a new experience each time we do a show, something that people will remember and speak about for years to come. All I can say for now is that some of the venues we have holds on for next year have never been used before, keep an eye on our pages for more.

The event series has grown at a rapid rate and built a true adoration from fans. What advice can you give to promoters who are looking to grow and develop their events? 

Just stick to what you love, don’t do it to make money, because trust me there’s not a lot of money to make! Haha! It’s an investment to your brand and it can be the most stressful thing to run a party, but try to build a team around you who can help. I used to do all of it alone which was hard, but now I have others to help and it’s a much more enjoyable process. It’s the most rewarding thing when you can fill a room with your music and vision, to have people dancing at your party is the best feeling.

You have been a pioneer and an icon for diversity within the scene for quite some time. How much have you seen the issues addressed? What are your thoughts on the current balance? 

When I started off there weren’t many female DJs around but now times are changing and more girls are getting into it which is great to see. I don’t think people should be booked because of their gender or sex, it should just be about talent. It’s sad to see when a lot of festivals have 90% male bookings as there are so many amazing female artists out there, they just need to dig a little deeper. Hopefully, I can inspire some girls to get into music if it’s what they want to do, anything is possible if you put the hours in. 

What is next for Lauren Lo Sung music production-wise? 

I’m working on a lot of EPs at the moment, a new LOLiFE EP, as well as some remixes on my favourite labels. I can’t say too much as it might get me in trouble! But you will know more soon.

LOLiFE hits Williamson Tunnels this weekend! Go and see what all the fuss is about! For tickets, CLICK HERE.