Metronome #093: Lee Walker

Insomniac’s Metronome series features mixes from some of today’s fastest-rising electronic stars, as well as championed legends. It takes listeners deep across a wide range of genres, movements, cultures, producers, artists and sounds that make up the diverse world of electronic music.

Catching a big break can be the most pivotal point in an artist’s career. In Lee Walker’s case, it arrived when the Middlesbrough-bred producer’s bootleg-turned-Defected-release of DJ Deeon’s “Freak Like Me” seized the masses by surprise and became one of the most memorable records of 2015. Yet fame very seldom happens in a flash, and what his overnight success story tends to leave out is the fact that he has been sharpening his craft for the better part of a decade. It’s the perseverance and strong-willed tenacity he poured in the music project—long before the far-flung record ever existed—that has given him the keys to access the big boys’ club of house and techno.

Getting the aforementioned hit supported by every choice selector imaginable was simply the payoff for having shed so much blood, sweat and tears over the years. With all eyes locked on Walker, he seems to have his pick from the most venerated imprints on the market. Hot Creations is the latest to cosign one of his cuts, snatching up his hefty clunker “That Little Ditty” for Hot Jams, a clutch compilation calling out the brightest names in the game. Judging by its rioutous reception, it’s easy to see he’s right where he belongs.

As he continues to pass up the competition like it’s a cakewalk, we thought there would be no better time to find out firsthand what the buzz is really about. Lee Walker puts his best foot forward on the latest edition of Metronome, as we assumed he would, and kicks out a groove-studded mix that’ll keep you scrolling backward for repeat listens.

You’ve landed a spot on the Hot Creations Hot Jams compilation. How did your tune find its way over to the ears of Jamie Jones, and what feedback did he and the label have to give?
Buzzing with this one! I sent it over to Jamie a good while ago via email (pure months ago, like, proper months). Hot Creations and most great labels take time to come together. He eventually came back and said he loved it! When he first received it, he asked for one minor change, which I was happy to make. He really liked the direction I was heading in, and that bodes well for the future.

How long did it take for you to finish up “That Little Ditty,” and what about the cut technically are you most proud of accomplishing with the production?
This one didn’t particularly take long; this seems to be the case with almost everything of mine that does well. When you spend too much time on something, going back and forth, it seems to overcomplicate, and you end up smothering the idea to its death. Production-wise, I think the same with everything that I do: The thing I’m always most proud of is the percussion and bass and how they groove together, as in, if the track went down to nothing but percussion and bass, it’d still sound strong. And I’m happy with the groove of the track.

After the breakout success of your DJ Deeon edit, it seems every label showed up at your doorstep. How did you handle the pressure to follow up a record this massive?
I honestly never felt any pressure. I just decided I was going to do what I do to the best of my ability, and if it isn’t good enough, then there’s not much more I can do than that. If you get bogged down with the pressure of everything, it affects your output negatively—like I mentioned, you start to overthink and believe that things “absolutely have to be” a certain way when they don’t. I just made the music I love making, and thankfully, it’s all worked out.

You recently made a post on Facebook, encouraging aspiring producers to put in the work and never give up on their dreams. Tell us about your career leading up to the crazy buzz you created with your breakout tune.
It really felt like the right time to make a post like this, as I feel like I’ve made a big step forward from where I was. It’s been almost 10 years of me doing nothing but music with my life, much to the frustration of everyone in my life thinking I’m wasting time or I should’ve been out earning money. It’s been a struggle, and I know people will see this and think, “Oh, boohoo, a touring DJ thinks his life has been hard.” People who think like this have no idea the amount of emotional and professional investment goes into making it in the music industry. I understand how draining it can be mentally to constantly be knocked back from labels and feeling like your music is never good enough and you’re never gonna make it, but sometimes you do, and you could be three shovelfuls away from a treasure chest when you decide to call it a day.

If you love it enough, and you don’t stop throwing yourself at it, you can succeed, and you can make a living out of this. I know a lot of producers and DJs who make and play some of the best music you’re likely to hear, who are struggling and never get a look in—be it down to profile, or a lack of network, and so on. And having been in that position, I know how hard it is, but you never get anything good easily—never. You’ve gotta just keep on grafting through it, and eventually something will pop. For all the producers and DJs that are struggling who are incredible, I’m coming up with a way to help the best I can for that, so keep your ears open.

You’ve been picked up by Coda Music Agency, who has a pretty impressive roster. What have they done to help incubate your career and expand your reach?
Agencies are becoming more and more important in house and techno, as is the agent you choose. I was with Platform Agency before Coda, who were excellent. I could’ve stayed with them and been steady, but also stuck where I was. Moving to Coda was a decision based on growth and how far they can take me from where I am. Coda have a huge network, with some of the best clubs and promoters in the world, and that’s essential to running a successful agency. To be a part of a monster roster like that is nuts, and the size of some of the gigs I’ve been playing lately is even more nuts. “Onward and upward” is how I would describe my life so far with Coda.

What are some of the most discouraging moments you had to endure before your name got out there?
Hope was the most discouraging thing I had to deal with before any sort of break. Hope is dangerous. Don’t get me wrong—you absolutely need it—but it breeds disappointment endlessly when you’re trying to make it all work. You put out a release with a smaller label, and you’re confident, and you throw all your hope into this release being “your release,” and time after time, it isn’t. After hoping wholeheartedly for 10+ releases on smaller labels, I think that was the most discouraging thing. It felt like your energy was completely drained, and you get to the whole “What’s the point? What am I doing with my life?” stage. Thankfully, I found it relatively easy to tell my brain to stop being a moron, and I pushed through it.

Where do you intend to go from here? What short- and long-term goals have you set for yourself?
It’s generally a shared goal: I just want to keep making music I love, putting it out on labels I love, and playing at proper mega parties. I also want to start up my own label, my own party, and the like. I hope to continue doing what I’m doing until I need a zimmer frame. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else for a living, and I’ve got an absolute fuck-ton of music here, ready to unleash. I also really want to learn how to do that knuckleball technique on long-range free kicks like Cristiano Ronaldo, but that’s on the back burner for now. My management says I should be working on musical projects.

Who are some of your heroes in dance music, and why do you hold them in such high regard?
The usual, to be fair: Sasha, for his absolutely flawless mixing technique, his drive to try new things, and his longevity within the industry; Kerri Chandler, for his influence on house music over the last 20–30 years, and the sheer quality of everything he does; Lil Louis, just because he’s the best DJ I’ve ever seen play in my life; Jamie Jones, for what he’s built from the ground up; George Fitzgerald, simply for creating Full Circle, because it’s a masterpiece; and Marco Carola for being an absolute don. There’s so many more, but I already wrote about 4,200 paragraphs, so I’ll leave it there.

Please share a few words on the mix you’ve created for us.
Like with every mix I do, I like to span a little bit, create a bit of a journey, and go from warmup to peak-time (which, at times, is hard to do in an hour). It’s easy to churn out an hour-long mix of bangers, but I just prefer doing mixes this way, as it’s a bit more interesting to me. All the music is quality, as well. Have a listen for yourself, and see if I’m lying.

Track List:: Seb Zito “Ting n Ting”
Jordan “In2Me”
Luca Cazal “Telephone Call”
Death on the Balcony “Time Delays” (Neverdogs Remix)
Hector Couto “Like This” (Ralph Lawson & Rui Z Remix)
Juliet Fox, Matt Sassari “Eyes on Me” (Pirupa Remix)
Wade “They Know”
Lee Walker ft. blondewearingblack “What to Do With You”
Rudosa “Ultimate Seduction”
Lee Walker “That Little Ditty”
Bodhi “Whalin”
Tommy Vercetti “Killa” (Cal Johnstone Remix)