Coming from an established musical background, it was not long before Lightfinga found a interest and passion for music. He was 6 yrs old when he became fascinated with his older brother's (Keith Lawrence) music collection and his sound tapes.
It was 7 years later at the age of 13 that he was in his own street sound system and was DJing at various house parties, outdoors events and nightclubs. The sound was called The Outlaws and became quite known within the street music community as the "young sound with a grown up feel". The music they played was mainly the kind of music Finga grew up listening to including Hip Hop, RnB, Reggae/Bashment, Jungle (which is now known as Drum 'n' Bass) and Rare Grooves.
Finga had a natural ability to mix and blend different kinds of sounds on the turntable which led him to create a number of megamixes which Outlaw became famous for.Their reputation brought them to the radio community's attention appearing on pirate radio stations as guest DJ's.
As he always had a sparring partnership with his older brother, Keith decided to put Finga to the test. In 1997,he was DJing weekly at a number of venues in Dublin and asked Finga if he was interested in accompanying him and doing some sets with him. Finga agreed and enjoyed the experience greatly. This was a positive experience for him as it lead to regular appearances in Dublin as well as an opportunity to DJ in Germany. In 1998 being a part of The Outlaws allowed his experience in his Djing skills to expand. The sound decided to host their own events at various nightclubs. The nights were entitled "License to Rave" and were held at various South London nightspots as well as West End venues.
This was also the time that The Outlaws got their regular radio spot on Bassline FM and was introduced to G-Money (BBC 1Xtra). Finga and G-Money's love of Hip Hop lead to their own show together on Bassline FM where they combined their music with interactive audience participation.
It was at this point that Finga decided to take his love of music a step further and contribute to it on a production level. However, this passion was not to be pursued until after his brief incarceration in September 2000.
In 2002, after the dissolution of The Outlaws, Finga decided to continue with his natural ability to blend acapellas and instrumentals. He put out a number of megamixes on vinyl which were well received on the club circuit and radio stations. He was also re-aquainted with an old colleague from Bassline FM named Dubplate Mex (DPM). It was at this point that Finga went into the production field. Finga began producing and remixing DPM's dubplates which included acapellas from acts such as So Solid Crew. The two also collaborated and produced a well known garage/grime hit, "Stomp" which was a huge underground hit.
As his intereset in garage music increased, he became involved with a garage collective called the G K Allstars. He was given the responsibility of manufacturing and producing the collective's sound. This work also lead him into the company of other up and coming producers including Fuse who had a well known hit entitled "James Bond - 007" on the Southside recording label. Their meeting lead to a collaboration which produced another hit "Armageddon" which was also released on the Southside label in 2003. However, Finga became restless and needed a fresh challenge.
In 2004 Finga hooked up with childhood friends Richard Atkins and Scott Lettins to create SFR Entertainment. As all three had a genuine admiration for music, their vision was to work with and encourage the youth within their community to aspire to their dreams of working within the music industry. They opened their own recording studio which was primarily for the use of the community, giving the youths a professional, creative outlet to produce their own music. This environment also allowed Finga and his partners to indulge in their own productive creativity. They released a mix CD called "Breaking the Box" which was hosted by G-Money and included artists such as Asha D and Face (So Solid Crew), Shadow Law, A & L, Tower T and Blemish AKA Black Storm.
Finga also collaborated with his lifelong sparring partner and sibling, Keith Lawrence. As Keith had his own production company, Muzik-Ed production, he enlisted the expertise of his brother's studio to engineer a number of tracks. Finga has also produced for Corey Johnson and Blade of Defenders L.O.S which is an urban collective endorsed by Jenny Francis of Choice FM.
Always looking for a fresh challenge, Finga has now collaborated with O.B of A & L (mentioned above) and created a new and innovative production company. Magic Touch production is an urban music production house which specialises in a variety of music trends and backgrounds. Magic Touch has already gained the attention of Sony BMG music which has generated a working relationship......watch this space!
