Train Wreck Mix

Ralph Lawson

20:20 Vision, Leeds

British house music OG Ralph Lawson dropped his very first record at Leeds' clubland institution Back To Basics in 1991, and still remains its resident to this day. Back To Basics grew from strength to strength and Lawson went from being, as he puts it, "a thick DJ" to being deeply immersed in studio production. His 20:20 Vision imprint began in a deserted farmhouse in the middle of Yorkshire's rhubarb triangle in 1995 with keyboard genius Carl Finlow at the controls alongside Lawson. Many collaborations and releases later - from Derrick Carter, Stacey Pullen, Chez Damier, Ron Trent, Josh Wink and Mr C to name but a few - the studio grew in stature and the 20:20 Vision sound was even lent to the likes of David Bowie and Fatboy Slim. But despite the celebrities knocking at the door, 20:20 Vision never lost grips on their tough underground edge. When Carl Finlow left for love in Paris in 2000, Lawson found himself bored with the current climate and hungry for a new buzz. A chance to work with Manchester's downtempo label Fat City on a mix album whirled Lawson into a new world of inspiration. Around the time his work with drummer Dubble D came out on Fat City, he sifted through his towering pile of demos to find a gem from an Argentinean band called Silver City. Fortuitous coincidence and a destined like-mindedness brought them all together in the studio, and it wasn't long before 20:20 Soundsystem was born. Since then, the electronic band have taken their energetic live act around the world.