Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Drums Week 25
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Guitar Amps
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Artist news
  • Drums
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Santana on Beck
  • Friday, I'm in Love
  • Knopfler's 4-note secret
  • 95k+ free music samples
Don't miss these
Nadia Struiwigh
Artists Tresor resident Nadia Struiwigh on why she avoids tutorials and keeps things 'loose' in the studio
Monolake 1990s
Tech How rowdy live sets, field recordings and misused gear helped Monolake create dub techno classic Hongkong
sophie
Artists “She thought anything could be pop“: Sophie’s brother and studio engineer Ben Long on the release of her final album
lyra pramuk
Artists “It’s about reconfiguring what a human voice is so it’s not just aesthetic, but political”: Lyra Pramuk turns vocal processing into protest on new project Hymnal
David Byrne in Stop Making Sense
Artists How the Talking Heads' frontman's oversized tailoring defined his most iconic performance
brian eno
Artists “Due to digital, music now has a terrible sort of housewifely tidiness”: Brian Eno on sonic perfectionism, Bowie and his new collaborative double album
tape
Artists Richie Hawtin produces short film inspired by '90s Detroit techno scene
loukeman
Artists Loukeman reveals his favourite plugins and unusual production techniques
Nile Rodgers and David Bowie
Producers & Engineers “I could not have done something like Let’s Dance without David”: Does Nile Rodgers deserve more credit?
adam beyer
Artists "It feels like there’s a blueprint for electronic music - it's boring”: Adam Beyer on the evolution of modern dance music
spitfire
Tech Spitfire Audio's latest instrument captures the sound of the historic Strawberry Studios
NOBLESVILLE, INDIANA - SEPTEMBER 23: Speacial guest Bob Dylan performs in concert during Farm Aid at Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center on September 23, 2023 in Noblesville, Indiana. (Photo by Gary Miller/Getty Images)
Artists "This visit was truly special”: Bob Dylan spent two days recording in Albany last week
Joe Armon-Jones
Artists Ezra Collective’s Joe Armon-Jones on the imagined musical apocalypse that inspired All The Quiet
Hot Chip 2006
Tech “There’s joy in doing something again and again”: Hot Chip show how one of their best loved tracks was created
TAKKUUK
Artists “Everyone comes back changed”: Bicep on their new collaborative project with Inuit musicians
  1. Artists
  2. Djs

In pictures: Lifelike in his Paris studio

News
By Future Music ( Future Music ) published 18 April 2012

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Intro

Intro

Its electronic music history, from early F Comm artists to Daft Punk’s Montmartre beginnings and global takeover, through to more recent Ed Banger outgoings, means we always feel at home in Paris. Today though - late January and well below freezing - there’s a frosty silence in the air as we make our way across town to the home studio of Laurent Ash, aka Lifelike.

Despite the quantity of acclaimed artists living on the banks of the Seine the scene is still relatively close-knit. Lifelike benefited from this camaraderie when he first moved to the city in the late ’90s, originally releasing his early tracks on Jérémie Mondon’s 20000st.

But it was his introduction to and collaboration with Kris Menace on the modern club classic Discopolis that made him a household name. First released on Alan Braxe’s acclaimed Vulture label, the track was later licensed to Defected, hammered by Pete Tong and became the 2005 Ibiza anthem, selling 20,000 vinyl copies in the first three months alone.

Amidst a tsunami of remixes for the likes of Chromeo, La Roux, Sia, Groove Armada, Moby and A-Trak, Lifelike has developed into a consistent and dependable dancefloor deacon, producing retro-tinged bassline-driven tracks from his hardware-led studio in the shadows of the Eiffel Tower.

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of 9
Lifelike studio

Lifelike studio

“I started by playing piano. I learned it when I was 12, but only because my mother made me - I hated it. I learned to sample on an old Amiga computer. I was sampling in other people’s records and basically doing remixes, though I didn’t know it was called that at the time.

“On the piano you had to play chords and there was a lot of discipline, but on the computer, you could take an entire piece of music and chop it up. You didn’t have to know or learn music, and I loved that. I didn’t intend to do music though.”

Page 2 of 9
Page 2 of 9
Samplers

Samplers

“I love those samplers. I don’t use them all to be honest, but I still use the S-760 because I hate bouncing in the computer. I use it as an analogue-to-digital converter because I think it sounds amazing. I put everything onto a Flash card and then load it into Cubase to edit things."

Page 3 of 9
Page 3 of 9
E-MU E6400 sampler

E-MU E6400 sampler

“This was my second sampler - my first one was a Casio FZ-1. It sounds a bit dark, but the bottom-end sounds very fat. It’s very easy to program and sample on. It cost me all my savings back in the day to buy this monster!

"But it was the sound of most of my records and remixes, including the post-Discopolis stuff, together with an Alpha-Juno 2 keyboard and a TR-909. That was my setup for more than eight years.”

Page 4 of 9
Page 4 of 9
Mac SE/30 and Alchemy 3.0

Mac SE/30 and Alchemy 3.0

“This is the only computer able to communicate with my favourite old sampler Emax 1. The old Mac is running Alchemy from Passport Software that allows me to edit the sample faster. It also normalises the sample, one thing that the Emax can’t do.

"I do still use the Emax for a lot of my productions - the sound is properly amazing. Sonically it’s a pure copy of the SP-1200 E-MU but it can sample up to 42kHz and has SSM analogue filters!”

Page 5 of 9
Page 5 of 9
Akai MPC5000

Akai MPC5000

“This piece of gear is amazing. The sample edition is a bit different from other samplers I’ve been working with, but once you get into it, you can almost do it all. I sequence on it and I sample on it - it’s the best tool you can have for making dance music.”

Page 6 of 9
Page 6 of 9
Mackie 1202VLZ-3 mixer

Mackie 1202VLZ-3 mixer

“This replaced my old MS1202. The sound is fatter - I still mix my music on this. I prefer to work on it than in the software mixer in a DAW. It’s faster and no software can get this special sound. It’s the typical Daft Punk French sound - I can’t make any of my records without this little mixer.”

Page 7 of 9
Page 7 of 9
Steinberg Cubase 5

Steinberg Cubase 5

“It’s my main sequencer, but I do synchronise it with Ableton Live. I really like the sound of Cubase; I think it’s the only sequencer that doesn’t sound digital. When I hear mixes today from other famous artists, the sound is huge and clean, but it has no personality.

"For me, being a musician in electronic music is also about having your own sound. Logic, in my opinion, isn’t able to deliver a proper ‘personal’ sound. The digital mixer doesn’t behave the way a real mixer would behave, so it makes things very difficult when you want to get a glued mixdown that doesn’t sound like cheesy commercial dance.”

Page 8 of 9
Page 8 of 9
Mackie HR624

Mackie HR624

“They sound a little too bassy - you need to know them well because they can be tricky - but they never lie to your ears. If something sounds bad, you will hear it very well, and if it sounds great on these speakers it will sound great everywhere.”

Page 9 of 9
Page 9 of 9
Future Music
Future Music

Future Music is the number one magazine for today's producers. Packed with technique and technology we'll help you make great new music. All-access artist interviews, in-depth gear reviews, essential production tutorials and much more. Every marvellous monthly edition features reliable reviews of the latest and greatest hardware and software technology and techniques, unparalleled advice, in-depth interviews, sensational free samples and so much more to improve the experience and outcome of your music-making.

All-access artist interviews, in-depth gear reviews, essential production tutorials and much more. image
All-access artist interviews, in-depth gear reviews, essential production tutorials and much more.
Get the latest issue now!
More Info
Read more
Nadia Struiwigh
Tresor resident Nadia Struiwigh on why she avoids tutorials and keeps things 'loose' in the studio
Monolake 1990s
How rowdy live sets, field recordings and misused gear helped Monolake create dub techno classic Hongkong
sophie
“She thought anything could be pop“: Sophie’s brother and studio engineer Ben Long on the release of her final album
lyra pramuk
“It’s about reconfiguring what a human voice is so it’s not just aesthetic, but political”: Lyra Pramuk turns vocal processing into protest on new project Hymnal
brian eno
“Due to digital, music now has a terrible sort of housewifely tidiness”: Brian Eno on sonic perfectionism, Bowie and his new collaborative double album
David Byrne in Stop Making Sense
How the Talking Heads' frontman's oversized tailoring defined his most iconic performance
Latest in Djs
Fatboy Slim
“Don’t know why I believed I could keep a secret in Ireland”: Fatboy Slim secret gig cancelled
Silva Bumpa
Breakout producer Silva Bumpa on the secret to creating sub bass and UKG rhythms
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MAY 18: Gryffin performs on stage during Preakness LIVE At Preakness 149 hosted by 1/ST in the Infield at Pimlico Race Course on May 18, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images for 1/ST )
EDM DJ Gryffin on the moment he learned he’d been duped into performing with a fake Justin Bieber
Calvin Harris and Miley Cyrus
Calvin Harris shuts down talk of a feud with Miley Cyrus after teasing a new song
Silva Bumpa Feel Da Same
Why Silva Bumpa created his own R&B instrumental just to remix it into the garage-inspired Feel Da Same
Eric Prydz DJing Getty images
“I was as shocked as everyone else”: Eric Prydz reveals why he’s changed his mind about playing THE hit
Latest in News
Jackson Pro Series Limited Edition Phil Demmel KV King V: the V-style electric is finished in black-and-white polka dots, and looks good in all settings, against a white background or barroom scene alike.
Jackson and Phil Demmel salute Randy Rhoads with limited run Pro Series King V in polka dot finish
Lucas Horne, AKA BTO Kid, in a coma in hospital
“AI helped me create something I couldn't before”: Notts musician on the program that helped him express himself
The Sterling By Music Man Kaizen is a more affordable version of the Animals As Leaders guitarist Tosin Abasi's signature model, and is offered here in Firemist Purple Satin and Stealth Black.
Sterling By Music Man unveils affordable version of Tosin Abasi’s futuristic Kaizen signature model
John McLaughlin plays his PRS live onstage. He wears a black tennis wristband; the guitar has a highly figured flame maple top and he wears a blue shirt. On the right, Jimi Hendrix plays his Gibson Flying V with the psychedelic paint job.
John McLaughlin on how his first encounter with Jimi Hendrix ended in “disaster”
Thom Yorke performs with Smile at Sydney Opera House on November 01, 2024 in Sydney, Australia
“Who knows where this will all lead?”: Radiohead confirm five European residences for November and December
REM in 1987
Revealed! (Some of) the lyrics to REM's It’s The End Of The World As We Know It

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...