SouthFlorida.com | City Link Magazine

As is appropriate for a proponent of an upbeat, energetic musical style, trance DJ Christopher Lawrence is disarmingly warm and animated. He gushes over whatever local DJ is opening for him on any given night. He waxes eloquently about the different electronica scenes around the world and offers theories on how to enhance America's. As if reuniting with an old pal, he eagerly greets everyone he meets, from airport chauffeurs to freelance journalists.

Lawrence has many reasons to be happy. Last year, DJ magazine named him the No. 7 DJ in the world and the No. 1 in America. Readers of BPM, meanwhile, picked him as the fifth-most-popular American DJ in a poll conducted by the magazine. He has sold more than 250,000 mix CDs and scored a Top 10 mix with 2001's United States of Trance. Last year, he released two albums of original music, All or Nothing and Unhooked. And this weekend, he's returning to one of his all-time favorite gigs: the Ultra Music Festival.

"The backstage area at Ultra is some of the best fun I have all year," he raves. Lawrence will also make several club appearances in conjunction with the weeklong Winter Music Conference and will present trophies to the winners at the DJ Times American Club Awards and the International Dance Music Awards.

To Lawrence, electronic music is all about the fans, wherever they're from. "In Asia, it's a more sophisticated crowd who comes to clubs, all dressed up," he says. "In Europe, it's more students. In England, it's so small that the scene develops [uniformly]. And the shows in all these countries are all-ages. But in the U.S., this kind of music is still underground. Kids can't go to the clubs because they're 21-and-over, though I try to do as many all-ages shows as possible. Radio doesn't support this music. Geographically, too, the scene is all spread out -- one part of the country can miss developments [in the music]."

Lawrence's globetrotting schedule has him spending much more time overseas than at home in Los Angeles, and he is perpetually darting across time zones and continents in an almost-haphazard fashion. The DJ loves the exposure to other cultures that traveling affords him, whether taking a train tour through southern China or checking out progressive elementary schools for his young son in Melbourne, Australia, where he and his family plan to move in a few years.

Lawrence says his fellow DJs are often surprised to hear about his gigs in developing countries. "They say, 'Do they even know what this music is over there?' " he shares. " 'Of course they do. What are you -- living under a rock?' "

His relationship with his audience is Lawrence's strongest suit as a performing DJ. He describes having to suss out what crowds like while sticking to his own style of enthusiastic trance.

"I have a sound that's my sound, but I have the ability to tailor my set to the crowd. I've played in European and Asian cities where they've only liked deep-house music," he explains. "In China, they're more into high energy than progressive. In Japan, they're really into hip-hop trance."

Lawrence believes that American DJs need to catch up with their overseas counterparts. "[The music] needs to be accessible," he argues. "We need national radio and MTV support. We also need all-ages events. Without the support of the next generation of young adults, our scene will just get old."

But these shortcomings don't dampen Lawrence's view of the American techno scene. "There is some amazing talent here in the U.S.," he says. "I think that U.K. and European DJs might get more attention in the international press, but it is the U.S. DJs, with their residencies and their ceaseless touring of North America, who are the backbone of our scene."

Christopher Lawrence will perform Saturday at the Ultra Music Festival at Bayfront Park in Miami. For details, see guide. He will also spin tonight (Wednesday) at Mansion, 1235 Washington Ave., in Miami Beach. Doors will open at 10 p.m., and admission is $20. Call 305/532-1525 or visit www.mansionmiami.com.