At its best, house music is arguably the most seductive and spiritual genre extant. Few people know this better than Seattle house DJs/producers LawnChair Generals. LCG’s Peter Christianson and Carlos Mendoza fell under house’s spell almost from the style’s mid-’80s genesis.
These true house believers launched LawnChair Generals in 2001 and didn’t waste time becoming persuasive proselytizers for the regenerative powers of left-of-center house. The Great Escape EP (2001) won praise from house-music elites like Derrick Carter, Mark Farina, DJ Heather, and DJ Sneak while the U Dirty EP (2002) spawned the underground hit “One Thing.” Their latest release, You Got To/Stop Frontin’, was released by Belgian imprint Aroma and the hypnotic, uplifting “You Got To” appears on Sneak’s House of Om mix disc.
As producers, LCG want their tracks to be “the ones you whistle on the way out, the ones that make you get up and dance when you’re sitting at the bar,” says Christianson. “Sometimes we try to revisit and capture the moment when a track gave us chills or sounded strangely familiar,” adds Mendoza. “We also like to make stuff we’re missing in our crates so we can play it.”
With DJ gigs in Europe, Australia, many U.S. cities, and frequent stints at Re-bar’s Sunday weekly, Flammable, under their belts, LCG have become reliable pleasure engineers behind the decks. They deftly blend soulful, edgy Chicago and laidback, euphoric West Coast styles, and folks have been voting YES with their hips—especially when the duo work on four tables. “It’s a better show sonically and visually when we’re both working together,” says Mendoza, “and it provides for more detail and experimentation.”
As expected from house lifers, LCG perceive the Seattle scene as being vital. “In just the past five years,” says Christianson, “we’ve gone from DJing mostly locally and experimenting with production, to being known nationally and internationally as quality house producers and DJs.”
Mendoza concurs. “[It’s definitely] growing, here and elsewhere. After the dot-com bubble burst and 9/11 went down, there wasn’t as much money or impetus going around with which to celebrate, and house is a largely celebratory music. But a handful of dedicated people kept things going…. With a few new clubs opening and showing more dedication to good underground dance and electronic music, we have more house events to look forward to…. There are more actual fans of house who know what they want and don’t just listen to house because they think it’s the party-drug soundtrack. There will be more one-off events in unusual locations, as well.”
With their near future consumed with finishing their debut album, completing a DJ-mix CD, and starting their own label, LawnChair Generals have little time for lounging on their namesake. DAVE SEGAL
LawnChair Generals play Sat July 16 at Trinity, 111 Yesler Way, 447-4140, 10 pm–3 am, $15, 21+.
