Citizenn

Citizenn is the performance name of UK house producer Laurence Blake, also identified as Mountainking. He comes from the United Kingdom and grows out of the deep house, house and tech house scene.

Background

Blake grows up in Nottingham and later studies in London. Before focusing fully on music, he works in fashion and marketing and also finds success as a video director for artists including AlunaGeorge and Little Boots. He starts out as a drummer, then moves into computer-based composition, which he prefers because it gives him full control over the music he makes.

The name Citizenn comes from a passing visual reference in the manga film Akira. Blake also describes his interest in technology as central to his creative approach, linking it to the way digital tools can shape ideas and emotions in music.

Early releases and recognition

Citizenn first appears through releases on MadTech, the label run by Kerri Chandler. Within a year he also puts out singles on Waze & Odyssey’s Street Tracks and on the label arm of Love Fever, the underground party he favours. He is named DJ Magazine’s Breakthrough DJ of 2013.

His earlier work includes the EP Trax, named after the influential Chicago imprint, and the track Room Service, which he sends to the Love Fever label after seeing Bicep’s $tripper video. He also sets up and promotes his own night, Glastique, at Bungalow 8 and Dalston Superstore, where he develops the DJ side of his work with a policy centred on acid, new jack swing and older house records.

Style and releases

His music combines R&B-influenced warmth with a more futuristic, machine-led sound. He works across house, deep house, tech house, techno and bass-led garage touches, while keeping a strong melodic and vocal element. His remixes include work for Maya Jane Coles, Adele and Hercules & Love Affair, and he later releases a stripped-back reworking of Ellie Goulding’s Burn.

Citizenn also releases material on Ralph Lawson’s 20:20 Vision label, including the Climax EP and Be, the latter featuring vocals from S.Y.F. He works with singers Aisha and Py as well. His track Tied includes a rerub by Murk, the original Miami house duo.

Human Interface

Human Interface is his debut album and appears on Damian Lazarus’s Crosstown Rebels label. The record contains eleven tracks and brings together house warmth with a sterner electronic pulse. It includes contributions from his friends Aisha and Py, and moves through pieces such as Control, Lady and Down For Whatever. Blake presents the album as an exploration of human emotion and mechanical or technological themes, using both digital and analogue synthesis alongside human vocal and physical input.

DJ work

As a DJ, Citizenn plays a range of clubs and festivals, including Sonar, Secretsundaze parties, Hideout in Croatia and Berghain. His work is associated with underground house and techno settings, and his productions are described as combining dancefloor focus with a more personal and reflective character.