As the night approaches some of the most dangerous and sought after people are released into the wild. They hit the nightclubs throughout the world in an attempt to get the clubbing population moving. DJ’s are huge in most parts of the world you venture these days. With a busy Europe wide schedule it was hard to catch up with Lee Mortimer one of the upcoming DJ’s creating waves and turning heads in the industry at the moment. But the self confessed “vampire,” due to the fact that like most DJ’s he “comes out to play at night,” is no newcomer to a turntable.
A cool and very chilled out guy who seems not bothered by anything thrown at him Lee told me of his roots and how he got into mixing music. “I think I was about 11 and used to play around with my Amiga Commodore playing tapes at the same time, that was when I first got into it.” Since then Lee has not looked back having recently just scored a monthly residency spot at the famous ‘superclub’ Ministry of Sound in London. There he will feature on a regular basis alongside some of dance music’s hottest international superstars. He seems delighted with the new opportunity offered to him by Ministry of Sound. “I was honoured to just be considered for Ministry's new resident, but when I actually got it I was over the moon.” He already boasts San Francisco, Chicago and Amsterdam’s Sugar Factory as some of the places he has played at.
Although he tends to go by the name Lee Mortimer when performing he also has the less used alias of Sawtooth Sucka which he sometimes makes songs under the name of. Lee is part of a small group of DJ’s that are branching off beyond all types of electronic music out there at the moment. He is closely following the path carved by others such as the well established Switch and Jesse Rose into the fidget house music world. “Deep down it's about having fun and getting people moving and smiling on the dance floor” says the up and coming star. “You'll hear lots of filthy bass lines and ‘rawkus’ beats. The whole ethos of fidget house for me is its unpredictability, so you better be on your toes. I'm always looking out for new and innovative sounds in the tunes I play and the tracks I make in order to keep things fresh.”
All DJ’s have idols who they believe have had an impact on their life and made them turn to the decks and Lee is no different. It was not until Lee came across a Derrick L Carter CD that he was “hooked.” He claims that the talented Jesse Rose and the Crookers were a big part of him taking up fidget house as well as Switch. “I just loved how they sounded and I wasn’t that far away from them in that sense. I always had my own style and knew how I wanted to sound but the emergence of fidget house helped me discover it sooner.” It was this sound that helped pave his way to the success he is now enduring. He explains how excited he was the first time he heard his song on Radio One. “Everyone who has an interest in dance music tunes in to Pete Tong’s show, it’s huge. When I first heard one of my remixes on there I text messaged everyone in my phonebook to see if they had heard it.” Lee is also getting the thumbs up from Switch the pioneer behind fidget house. In a recent magazine article Switch backs Lee as “one of the most exciting producers and DJ’s in the UK right now” and says about his unique DJ style “I don’t think anyone can touch him for that sound at the moment.”
The Liverpudlian not only DJ’s but he also produces for his very own record label Wearhouse Records as well as his fair share of remixes. Recent remixes include that of megastars Pete Tong and Armand van Helden which is no small feat. He has also started to collaborate with some big names such as Jesse Rose, Diplo and MC Flipside who featured on DJ of the moment Deadmau5’s ‘Hi Friend’. Lee’s record label is new and still gathering pace at the moment but he feels it is not too long before it will be where he wants it. With each release doing better than the last one it is a promising sign that Lee will do well with Wearhouse. Lee feels that having your own record company “helps to raise your profile in the industry.” In smart business fashion Lee echoes “every record released by an artist on my label I always remix it so I always have a presence.” If his record company takes off like his DJ skills have Wearhouse Records will be a great success. He recently got Jesse Rose to produce two songs to release through Wearhouse so things are on the up. With a performance at last year’s Creamfields on the ‘BBC introducing’ stage under his belt already, his new residency at Ministry of Sound and a whole load of DJ sets lined up across the globe in the coming months things can surely only get better for Lee Mortimer. His record company is on the rise and he has a host of tricks up his sleeve, so he is well prepared for whatever 2009 will throw in his direction.
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