Master of Reinvention: The Original Club Kid and Electroclash Pioneer Turned Fashion Designer, Larry Tee
To say that famed producer, DJ, nightlife impresario, electroclash progenitor and Carnage Music label owner Larry Tee is an interminable master of reinvention would be an understatement. Born Lawrence Thom, the seemingly tireless 55-year-old, globetrotting club culture icon and pioneer has built a wildly colorful, successful and prolific career living at the ends of his imagination.
His success and longevity are a testament to his adventurous spirit, charismatic personality, quirky camp sensibilities, inexhaustible imagination, and boundless passion and enthusiasm for what’s new and cutting-edge. Much like Andy Warhol, Malcolm McLaren and John Waters, Tee’s discerning tastes, artful panache and instinctive ability to spot burgeoning trends and talent have made him a purveyor of all things cool and extravagantly twisted.
“Whenever I traveled to somewhere interesting… the kids were always asking me about what I was wearing, so I thought I should start my own clothing line and brand myself.”
For the past 30 years, Larry has built a formidable legacy, continually transforming himself, pushing boundaries and injecting nightlife—and the global dance and club culture massive—with some of its most notorious parties, groundbreaking artists and genre-defining moments. He helped launch the careers of rising future stars such as RuPaul, Scissor Sisters, Fischerspooner, Peaches, Tiga and Avenue D., and wrote songs for and collaborated with Afrojack, Santigold, Steve Aoki, Perez Hilton and Princess Superstar—selling more than 5 million records worldwide.
From his humble beginnings in Atlanta, Georgia, during the early ‘80s, Larry kept his finger on the pulse of the underground, voraciously tapping into the unprecedented fertile period of open-mindedness, bold experimentation and cultural cross-pollination that would define the exuberant post-disco/post-punk era. It was a new bohemian age of unrestricted creativity and expressionism where counterculture revolutionaries, art school intellectuals, enterprising street kids and disillusioned suburban youth intermingled and flourished outside of the margins and mainstream.
The worlds of music, fashion, art and urban street culture collided harmoniously, resulting in a flurry of exciting new scenes, movements and musical genres (and subgenres)—from house, new wave/synth-pop, alternative and hip-hop to no wave, experimental electronic, Italo disco, early electro and freestyle—that were exploding out of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, England, Germany and Italy, and helped break down walls and stereotypes about gender, class, race and sexual orientation. Dance clubs and nontraditional art spaces would become the central hubs and breeding grounds for a new generation of visionary, renegade artists and performers looking to create something fresh, unique and innovative.
It’s this backdrop that would inspire and fuel Larry’s future ambitions. He would align himself with some of Atlanta’s most inventive and outrageously creative artists and personalities—such as RuPaul, Michael Stipe (REM), Lady Bunny and Lahoma Van Zandt—and soon became one of the city’s most influential prime movers. However, it wasn’t until he relocated to New York City (with RuPaul, Lady Bunny and Lahoma Van Zandt in tow) that he’d finally make his mark.
Throughout the late ‘80s and ‘90s, Tee became a celebrated New York nightlife superstar as a preeminent club promoter (with his riotous parties Celebrity Club, Love Machine, and the infamous Disco 2000, with club kid phenom Michael Alig); renowned DJ (at legendary haunts like Roxy, Pyramid Club, the Tunnel, Palladium and Twilo), curator and global music ambassador (working with artists like Deee-Lite and top fashion designers Thierry Mugler, Patricia Fields and Claude Montana); producer (co-writing RuPaul’s seminal top 40 dance-pop anthem “Supermodel (You Better Work)”); and inimitable style guru.
The 2000s would find Larry shedding his club kid personaand relocating to Brooklyn’s historically ethnic enclave Williamsburg (nestled between Greenpoint, Bushwick and Bedford–Stuyvesant), where he would tap into the vibrant underground scene emerging out of the gritty and largely unexplored melting pot. There he would launch his successful Berliniamsburg party at Club Luxx, invent electroclash (a fusion of electro, new wave, synthpop and ‘90s techno) and instigate Williamsburg’s transformation into a teeming, gentrified “hipster” mecca.
“I have to keep moving to stay stimulated, inspired and relevant. Once you stop being current or ahead of the curve, it’s all over.”
After conquering Brooklyn, the enigmatic trendsetter left the States in 2011 and decamped to East London’s trendy Shoreditch neighborhood. There he would make waves with his new club night—Super Electric Party Machine—which became a stomping ground for a dizzying array of talented contemporary artists like Horse Meat Disco’s Severino Panzetta, Charli XCX, Years and Years, Raf Daddy from the 2 Bears, Danny Rampling, Hannah Holland, A*M*E, Ssion, Le1f and many more.
Larry also launched his Carnage Music label imprint and set the groundwork for his latest venture, the TZUJI clothing label. First conceived in 2013 as a range of one-of-a-kind stage costumes he designed to wear onstage while on tour, the brand quickly expanded into an affordable, chic, comfortable and versatile streetwear collection of pants, coats, sportswear and accessories with extravagant prints, provocative slogans and graphic art.
I recently caught up with Larry, who now resides in Berlin, to talk about his life, legacy and his TZUJI clothing line. Make the jump to read the interview.
Given your storied history/legacy at the forefront of fashion, music and club culture in New York (and beyond) since the late ‘80s as an influential trendsetter and pioneer, do you think that has greatly impacted, shaped or influenced your decision or desire to embark on a career in fashion?
Looking back on my career highlights, it’s impossible to not notice that fashion and image plays a huge part of what I am associated with. Obviously me co-writing “Supermodel (You Better Work)” by RuPaul, launching the Disco 2000 club kid extravaganza made famous in the movie Party Monster, and doing the very fashionable electroclash festivals are really fashion moments…as well as music moments. It occurred to me recently that I knew all the big fashion designers better than I knew other DJs. Hmmmm. So I knew I needed to explore that.
Fashion has always played an integral part in your life and career and in club culture. So, the idea of doing a clothing line seems like the most logical and natural next step in your evolution and career, both as an artist and pop culture icon/curator. Would you agree?
I agree. In fact, my desire for amazing swag plays a huge part in the creation of TZUJI, also. I ran one of the coolest nights in London, where we would get designers like Nasir Mazhar, Henry Hollands, KTZ and Sibling to DJ, as well as judge costume contests, etc. I did the runway music for KTZ and Thierry Mugler and Montana in the ‘90s. It was natural for me to want to create clothes as well as music, because so many of my good friends were amazing designers. It really turns me on to create something eye-burning. I always liked to create my own interesting pieces, “looks” and fashion “moments.” Whenever I traveled to somewhere interesting like Melbourne, Australia or Japan, the kids were always asking me about what I was wearing, so I thought I should start my own clothing line and brand myself.
How did you come up with the name, and what does it mean?
Originally, my friends that work in fashion wanted me to call my clothing Larry Tee’s or something really wrong like that. I didn’t think it sounded very interesting or fashionable. I wanted something more interesting and intriguing. I knew the word tzchauj meant to make something more fabulous. It was a Yiddish term that was hijacked by the underground gay scene in London during the ‘60s, when being gay and lesbian was illegal. At that time, they created their own secret language or slang to communicate with, called “Palare,” which borrowed heavily from Jewish and Italian rhetoric. So I thought the finished product of tzchaujing would be TZUJI. I just created a spelling that looked more appealing and simplistic… and couldn’t be googled.
Your clothes are comfortable, affordable and very fashion-forward. What were your some of your inspirations?
My main inspirations were ‘90s rave designers, like Walter Van Beirendonck of W< and Kohshin Satoh. But what I really love is stuff that looks new to my eyes… and that’s not easy, since I’ve seen lots of great designs over the years. When I make something that makes me scream, I know I am going in the right direction!
“I can’t separate music and fashion… they both make up the movie that is my life.”
Aesthetically, I see hints of pop art, Boy London and Vivienne Westwood. It’s very reminiscent of the late ‘80s /early ‘90s—trashy and chic, comfortable and versatile—Downtown/SoHo urban street style that became synonymous with London and New York at that time; yet it’s very fresh and modern. Who or what are some of your main influences, and how are they reflected within your design sensibilities, if at all?
These designers are certainly cool, and it’s really nice to be ranked among them, but my influences are usually pop artists and music stars. But for my first collection, I used the Disco 2000 club kids as a reference and inspiration, especially for the techno print fabrics and the photo print—larger-than-life faces of famous club kids that we re-created. So, Leigh Bowery, Sister Dimension, and even Clara the Carefree Chicken influenced my first season! I went more super-sunshine-global-rave in theSave the Humans Season 2 collection. It was a bit NASA [the ‘90s New York rave party] meets L.A. ravers and a bit Fiorucci. Our mascot, TZUJI BOY—a robot character—is usually portrayed in a new light for every theme in every season.
You’ve always been a chameleon, taking on new styles and personas with ease, while remaining 100 percent authentic and true to yourself and your artistic muses. You’re always doing something new with the same passion and enthusiasm that’s been the touchstone of your career.
You’ve known me forever, and I’ve always been a restless soul. I’m always looking for new inspiration, new obsessions and what’s next; that hasn’t changed. The thirst still burns in me, which is a good thing. I have to keep moving to stay stimulated, inspired and relevant. Once you stop being current or ahead of the curve, it’s all over. It’s always been about timing and chance for me—being in the right place at the right time and knowing how to take advantage of that. Traveling was also a huge asset. I got to see what was going on. I always felt like a world citizen and really loved Europe; it felt right to move there. I knew I needed to clear my head, get sober and reboot. So, I packed up and headed to London. It was the obvious next step for me, and I had a wonderful time there. It felt like home. I got to reconnect with a lot of old friends and make tons of new ones, run the successful Super Electric Party Machine parties, produce new music, launch my Carnage Music label and start my clothing label. It was amazingly productive and fun. But you know me; after that, I knew it was time to go on another adventure, and Berlin would be my next destination.
That doesn’t surprise me one bit. Berlin has been undergoing a massive renaissance the past 10 years. It seems like the perfect place for you. How has living there influenced what you’re doing now?
Moving to Berlin was such a smart decision for me. I love this city! It reminds me a lot of New York in the early ‘90s. There’s an open-mindedness and raw, kinetic energy that’s really thrilling and intoxicating. Living here and making TZUJI for three seasons now has totally given me new energy, perspective and inspiration for making music again. Using a different part of my brain, instead of writing pop and dance hits, has made me crave fresh, new music again. When I started TZUJI, I only wrote something new when I needed some runway music. Moving to Berlin has ignited my love of music again, and I’ve been creating some bold new tracks! I can’t separate music and fashion, as they’re both things that I identify with in life. They both make up the visual soundtrack and images of the movie that is my life. I feel so honored that people appreciate my work in any realm. I’m the luckiest guy on earth—certainly the TZUJI-est!
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