Steve Lawler Finds Home at Mode

Birmingham, England's DJ and producer Steve Lawler's global success was not a product of the algorithm, streams, or reels. His Genesis can be traced back to England's Second Summer of Love, the acid house era in the 1980s.

During this time, Lawler would descend the stairs of the record shop Don Christie's, bypassing the reggae and hip-hop sections, to find the acid house records. The sharp Rolland 303 sounds and bass locked onto Lawler, and he was forever changed.

"I started collecting records in 1989 while I was still in school," Lawler tells New Times from his South Miami home, a Miami local since 2020. "Someone introduced me to a pirate radio station that had house music on it. You couldn't just buy it — the only place that sold it in my town was the Black-owned music shop, Don Christie's."

Lawler knows most people today will not get a sugar high from finding that record from the neighborhood shop. Nor will they be heading to an illegal rave under the M42 motorway, a way of life in the '90s that Lawler spearheaded.

That doesn't mean the party ended thirty years ago, however, because well-seasoned artists like Lawler can still throw a party that blurs the borders between new and old.

Lawler brings another monthly installment of his Pendulum party on July 19 at Downtown's Mode. "I wanted Pendulum to belong in an intimate club with a low ceiling where I can craft the night and play extended sets and do what I truly love. Beyond all the success, the most important thing is to be happy."

The series started at Do Not Sit on the Furniture on South Beach, but relocated to Mode for monthly showcases shortly after their opening in 2023. Lawler says the shows fill the club to capacity. "Seventy percent of the people who come are people who came from the last month."

The attendee shouldn't get lost in the minutia of what sound is being played. "All that matters is: Are you going to hear good music? And are you going to come out with a good experience? And the answer is yes."

Lawler worked temporary, odd jobs during his youth, but always returned to music, even if his booking fee was quite comical—or nonexistent. "I was DJ'ing for five years without earning any money," he recalls.

He began DJing and attending raves in England. Through the motorway raves, he gradually gained recognition and secured his first residency job at the renowned Cafe Mambo in Ibiza from 1995 to 1997. He played ten hours a day, seven days a week, and slept on a mattress on the floor above the bar. "It was fine,' he says. "It was my passion."

Lawler describes an artist's success as a long bore and then a barrage of successes. The heavy industry presence in Ibiza during those halcyon years led to the management of the legendary UK club Cream discovering Lawler.

They offered him a residency in 1997, which became the catalyst for everything else: the music he would produce and the label he founded, VIVa MUSiC. Lawler then became a resident DJ at Twilo in New York and Space in Ibiza, earning the title of "King of Space."
"My entire career, even when I was a touring headline act and winning awards, even at that point, I always found it important to hold a residency because I come from an era where DJs were built from the residency. They would control the night musically. It was about delivering something for the people. It's the biggest reward."

What a newcomer to Pendulum can expect requires a look into Lawler's tribulations leading up to the series. COVID-19 cancelled all his shows; he took a hiatus from DJ'ing, following the death of his long-time best friend and tour manager.

"I had like sixteen gigs for a tour. It nearly killed me. I wasn't ready; I found it very difficult to connect to the audience. I was under the impression that I was done."

Lawler took a break and rediscovered his love for music and artists. Rather than get back on the road, he began blueprinting Pendulum, designed for smaller venues, despite him being able to play anywhere and be at the top of the lineup.

Now, what the crowd can physically expect is a "night of pure magic."

Lawler remarks that the reception is so positive that his social media accounts will usually be flooded with messages praising the show as something the guest has never heard before. "That tells me that what I'm doing is working, and I know, I guarantee, that people will come back next month."

One should expect a true DJ's craft behind the decks. He may start slower, warming up and feeling it out—with a four-hour set, it's certainly not a sprint. Then he'll bring the Lawler touch to the crowd through all branches of house music.

"It's authentic," explains Lawler on how Pendulum's success has brought the parties to Miami, London, and Tulum. "It's not built on marketing or hype — it's built on 'come, and I guarantee you'll be coming back.' That's how you get the best audience. We want the people who come for the music."

Whenever an artist claims to be playing a big gig solely for the music, it often carries a hint of cynicism, as if the booking fee will be earmarked for charity. But Lawler's experience has shown that he has conquered everything. He can play the large spaces and festivals, but it all now comes down to him doing it the way he has always wanted.

"I've been DJ'ing for 32 years. I don't do this for the glory –– I've already been on tour, performing at big shows and festivals. I do it for the reward I get from the job itself. I'm very fortunate."

Steve Lawler Presents Pendulum. With Steve Lawler, 10 p.m. Saturday, July 19, and August 2 at Mode, 2 S Miami Ave, Miami; 305-942-7240; mode.miami. Tickets start at free via dice.fm.