The arrival of Oliver Lang at the forefront of dance music has been as well-timed as one of his mixes. As we drift into 2007, it's been the most successful year for the Mixmag Future Hero, playing across the planet to all the hottest and most exclusive venues.
As we two-step our way through the noughties Oliver Lang continues to put his foot on the accelerator, bursting with ambition and productivity, continuing his admirable mission to kick the ass out of nightclubs up and down the nation, both himself and with his music as weapons.
With his gig calendar now exhaustively packed, bulging with the kind of globe trotting schedule usually requiring a TARDIS, Oliver's energy and enthusiasm show no sign of flagging, with gigs everywhere from Asia to America. And his energy is not surprising. It comes from the buzz of being made official resident at the legendary Ibiza spot Bora Bora in 2006 (after playing there for years regardless) and buying a home on the island; of spinning at the Berlin Love Parade to a million people... playing Radio 1's One Big Weekend with Fatboy Slim... it all feeds the energy engine within. Add to that a packed production schedule, including the release, You Don't Know, placed at No. 3 in Erick Morillo's Top Ten (And Erick's such a fan that he described Oliver as "the future hero of House" on top of that), two remixes for Jamiroquai, and a Bar Grooves compilation and you've got an guy who's now equally at home making music as playing it.
Oliver has succeeded far beyond his years, which still only number 27. His arrival may seem smooth and seamless, but the reality is that he has been DJing for precisely half of those years, a precocious talent, brought up in an already musical household (his Dad played bass in 60's pop band The Mindbenders). Oliver was playing in clubs at 14. He had a record released at 16. At 18 he had already packed his record box and moved to Ibiza. So, his success and popularity are by no means an overnight concern – Oliver has been working hard to be the DJ he is today... the DJ turning every promoter's ear.
The gigs just keep on growing, from firm foundations at residencies like Dusted (London and Ibiza) and Plush (in his hometown Manchester) to far flung places like Beijing and Dubai. Everywhere he goes, the dancefloor laps up Oliver's mix of chunky house and electro, as well as that music's presentation in equally dynamic fashion, with live loops and editing. Oliver is a DJ who is not aloof, or distant from the dancefloor... rather he is a part of the party, likely to join the crowd after his set, rather than dive straight into a car home.
"My sound constantly evolves," he details. "It's not so different to last year but I would say that the electro sound has reared its head in my DJ sets. I do a lot more tricks and live edits in my sets than ever before and my understanding of the crowd and music is more honed than ever."
What's left for the man? Well, radio is the avenue Oliver is now pursuing, adding that string to a bow that includes production and touring. It all leads one to believe that Mixmag and Erick Morillo may be slightly behind the times. There's no future to it. Ask the dancefloor and they'll repeat: Oliver IS the hero of house.
