Presented by our guest interviewer.
Lea Lisa has been playing on the French and European deep house underground scenes for well over 20 years now. A highly competent DJ and serious selector, with a wealth of knowledge and an expansive collection of wax. Having released music on Phonica and Wolf Music, Lea parks her production head and focuses on the careful curation of ‘Lea Lisa presents Many Shades of House’, the high-quality comp, hosted on Favorite Recordings.
Lea shares some of her favourite deep house moments with tracks that have had the magic touch of Ron Trent, a re-release of a Kerri Chandler sublime moment in time, the rare and hard-to-find ‘Truth – Emotional’ by Mark Goddard, and more. Solid gold action on Lea’s brilliant new compilation released this week.
I’d love to hear about the initial idea for the compilation?
For me, the main idea is to pass on to the younger generations an uncompromising selection, a solid, varied, underground base with artists who have greatly influenced me and many others.
What was most important for you to convey through this comp?
I would have loved to have had 20 tracks on this selection, as it’s very difficult to choose when you’ve been living this culture for 30 years, it’s a headache 🙂 But this selection is timeless and I’m very happy with the depth of the project.
What was the most challenging part of bringing this release together?
It was certainly the selection that took me the longest. The cover was also a very important element, I had to transcribe the basics of this culture onto the artwork. It took months of work.
What is the most valuable record on this comp in your opinion and why?
It’s hard to make a choice, because the whole selection is a choice from the heart, and I love them all because they evoke different emotions. There are also very precious friendships with some of the producers. Impossible to choose.
I guess this album marks many years in the music business, I’d love to hear your thoughts on how your creative process has changed and remained the same over the years?
Good question. A lot has changed. I come from a movement that claimed strong messages, fights around communities excluded from the system, and also a spirit of partying all together and coming together around this music.
Today, social networks have changed the world and our way of communicating, but we’re still isolated behind our screens. Part of this scene revolves around the reward of the like, the fame, the trend, and the era of the ego. I’m not interested in that.
I make music with respect for the heritage that many DJs and producers have instilled. I stay focused on doing what I love. I’m not doing it to be in ‘the game’.
What drives you to continue creating music?
My emotions, in general. Happiness is a difficult subject to get inspiration from. I have to dig deep inside myself to come up with something interesting.
I think life’s trials and tribulations are terribly inspiring. I have to say that when one of my producer friends makes me listen to a great track, it also gives me the motivation to keep going. The creative energy of others is one of my driving forces.
You are releasing on French label Favorite Recordings. What can you tell us about the imprint, its mission, and how you connected?
Pascal is a long-standing friend. Over 25 years ago when I was living in Lyon. He has built an ultra-respected label around his choices and the development of artists. It’s a label of enthusiasts and diggers. It’s an obvious choice to work with him.
What can we hope to see next from Lea Lisa?
The compilation will hit the shops in early April, followed by a double vinyl release on a German label with remixes. This year is pretty incredible because I’m releasing the two biggest artistic projects of my career. We’ll see what happens after that.
Release: March 29
Buy Lea Lisa presents Many Shades of House on Bandcamp
Lea Lisa Linktree
Lea Lisa on Instagram
Lea Lisa on Soundcloud
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