Pete Lawrence

Pete Lawrence

Pete Lawrence is a music curator, DJ, writer and record producer from Royal Leamington Spa, United Kingdom, born in 1957. He is the conceptual co-founder and artistic vision behind The Big Chill, which develops from a club night and festival into an east London bar, a King’s Cross multi-purpose venue and a record label. He also co-founds the label Cooking Vinyl in the 1980s, though he is no longer involved with it.

The Big Chill

In 1993, Lawrence and his then partner Katrina Larkin develop the idea for The Big Chill club and festival. He works with Larkin to build the project over the following years, and the event grows into a major British chill-out platform. The Big Chill celebrates its tenth birthday in 2004 and becomes associated with the wider chill-out boom. Lawrence and Larkin are both listed in Time Out magazine’s Top 100 Movers and Shakers, alongside figures from politics, media and music.

The Big Chill works with more than two thousand artists and reaches a capacity of 35,000. It gives early bookings to artists including Lily Allen, Goldfrapp, Talvin Singh, Amy Winehouse, Gotan Project, Hexstatic, Röyksopp, Zero 7, Lemon Jelly, Kinobe and Fila Brazillia. Lawrence also produces many mix albums for the Big Chill and founds, publishes and edits On magazine, which is described as an important catalyst for the chill-out scene.

DJ work and international sets

Lawrence organises a wide range of events and DJs internationally, including in Brazil and Siberia. In 1996, he becomes the first western DJ to play in Yakutsk. He also presents a weekly radio show on Chill DAB and makes his Radio 2 debut with a two-hour chill-out programme on August Bank Holiday 2006.

Compilations and releases

As a compiler, Lawrence releases a series of mix albums and compilations. His first is Eyelid Movies on Global Headz in 1996, followed by Pipedreams on Rumour in 1997. He then releases Enchanted 01 on Big Chill in 1999 with long-time Big Chill collaborator Tom Middleton, The Rough Guide To Global Dance, Beach and Enchanted 02 in 2000, Glisten in 2001, The Big Chill Loves You in 2002 and iChill in 2003.

Universal Records releases Big Chill Classics to mark The Big Chill’s tenth birthday. Lawrence later releases Take Me Home, The Big Chill on Resist, and Garden Of Delights on Sanctuary, which has a folk influence. He also records as Chilled By Nature and releases his first album, Under One Sun, on Big Chill Recordings. The album includes live guests such as The Swingle Singers and Mozez of Zero 7, who also appears on the new track “State Of Grace”.

Writing and wider work

Lawrence is also a writer and his work appears in Crossfade - a Big Chill Anthology from Serpents Tail. His music-making develops over a long period alongside his work on The Big Chill, and his releases reflect interests across chill-out, world music, folk and late 1960s pop, including the double CD Fab Gear, which collects classic Summer of Love material and rarities for Universal.