If you have checked out Lee Burridge’s “NuBreed” mix for Global Underground, you have probably noticed that aside from the quality music and mixes featured in the CD, there is something else equally captivating about the album. Just as engaging as the sounds of both discs is the picture on the cover of the “NuBreed” record, which features Lee sitting on the floor against a white background wearing a red T-shirt and black pants, smiling radiantly and looking relaxed, yet confident. After taking to Lee for just a few minutes, I realized that the picture is not just a unique photograph, but also a rather accurate representation of Lee’s personality. “I fought for that cover,” said Lee, as we casually sat on a comfortable couch in the lobby of the Grand Tribeca Hotel in lower Manhtattan for what turned out to be a fast-flowing, laughter-ridden and engaging, 45-minute conversation. As we sipped on our waters with lime in the hotel lobby, I snapped casual shots of Lee while he told me all about his international travels beginning in his native United Kingdom and extending to Thailand, Hong Kong, and back to the UK, to begin building from scratch a reputation that has today earned him a place amongst the elite players in the international dance scene.

A DJ since 1985, Lee’s earliest gigs where in the countryside of England, where he is originally from. He confessed to: “having done wedding parties” until he accepted a job offer in Hong Kong playing for “middle age types.” It was in Hong Kong that Lee’s sound began to pierce through in his sets. “I would go to the club with one crate of records for the crowd, and one crate with acid house and a variety of other diverse styles of music,” said Lee.

Within months of having been in Hong Kong, Lee’s eclectic blend of acid house sounds began to catch on fast. After meeting a variety of ravers from the UK, Australia and the US while in Hong Kong, Lee and his mates began the process of building a dance scene where, at the time, there was no underground dance scene.

While in the early days, parties would only draw “about 100 people,” Lee pointed out that “by the second party we had about 500 people. We had to set up road blocks.” Then came weekly Sunday parties, which eventually turned into doing shows 6 days a week! There was such an international buzz building around Hong Kong’s scene that the parties would last “from 6 at night to 6 in the morning. People would come in at all times; it was very cool!” Amongst those people was Sasha, who would years later play a pivotal role in helping Lee break through in England after having conquered the underground dance scenes he helped create in Hong Kong and Thailand.

“Thailand’s, Full Moon parties used to be guys playing guitars on the beach. Some parties people just played tapes to dance to,” said Lee while reminiscing about his times in Thailand in the mid-90’s after leaving Hong Kong. Convinced he could do the same here as he did in Hong Kong, Lee brought his decks to Thailand and set upon his mission of creating another underground dance scene. Soon after his arrival, the locals took it upon themselves to hook up a sound system for Lee to mix on. “Kind of in the spirit of those home-made, Jamaican, reggae sound systems with big bad bass?” I asked Lee. “Yeah, something like that,” he responded with a wide smile on his face. “It was truly a magical time in 1994 because trance was much more emotional, for us it was a way to unlock our minds.” Not surprisingly, Lee’s parties in Thailand again became the center of the local dance scene. The combination of trance, a loud sound system and the beach was one the Thai’s, like their counterparts in Hong Kong, took to rather well, helping Lee continue to build his reputation as a pioneering force in the international scene.

Not content with having helped create quite a buzz around Hong Kong and Thailand, after much time spent abroad, Lee started looking back west towards his homeland. Having frequently been in touch with his mates back in the UK, who for years supplied him with records, Lee’s return to England seemed inevitable. “I would go back to the UK twice a year to pick up a massive quantity of records, but after a while I just needed to come back for good.” Notwithstanding the fact that Lee was a celebrity in his own right within the dance music circles of Hong Kong and Thailand, back home, Lee still had plenty to accomplish.

“I did not DJ for a year,” said Lee, “it was difficult not doing
parties on a regular basis.” Despite a slow start, things would soon get better for Lee after his first year back home. “It started with “The Cross” and “The Hanover Grand” in London, and from there it was “Atlantis, which was a breaks night. Then came “Cream” in Liverpool, and “Golden.” Thereafter, Lee’s long-time friends, Craig Richards and Sasha hooked up with him to start “Tyrant” (which now consists of Craig and Lee). As if that was not enough, Lee was also a part of the parties at “The End” in London, which has now evolved into perhaps one of Lee’s most notorious nights, “Fabric.”

So after having achieved success on an international scale, what is on deck for Lee next? “I would love to do a residency here in New York!” “This notwithstanding the many laws in New York and across the U.S. intended to thwart club culture?” I asked Lee. “True, it is harder because of the laws,” responded Lee, “but there remains a pretty cool excitement and passion throughout the cities of the U.S. regardless of whether the night is big or small. It is always entertaining for me to see the different types of people that come out to hear me.”

On Saturday, April 24, Lee had the opportunity to spin at one of the very last parties at the now defunct Club “Arc” (formerly known as “Vinyl”). The venue, located in the south western depths of lower Manhattan, for years served as a haven for those left without a club to call their own following the closing of the world-renown “Twilo,” (now “Spirit”) just a bit up north from “Arc” over on the west side of 27th street in Manhattan.

“Arc really went out on a high note,” said Lee. “An awesome night of music and people. The night really flew by and my 5-hour set seemed like five minutes. Definitely a night to remember.” The feeling was not just shared by Lee and the many others (including yours truly) who came out to pay our respects on the dancefloor. According to Danny Howells “it was one of the best 9 hours I’ve ever had.” "We were all a bunch of dancing fools sharing such a very special moment in history all together in that room that will remain in our hearts forever," added Danny Tenaglia.

As our interview drew to a close, I asked Lee about his plans for the future: “Other than scouting New York City for a possible venue to host your fantasy residency, what else can we expect from you?” “I’m working on some music with Andy Page which I hope to release through my own label.” For those of you wondering what his productions will sound like, do not expect Lee to release anything that will confine itself to a particular genre or sub-genre of music. If you have heard Lee’s live sets or mix CDs, then surely you know that his style consists of a diverse blend of tech house, breaks, electro, house, progressive and some trance. “When I write music, I want it to be just as diverse,” explained Lee.

With Lee’s productions pending release in the near future and his globe-trotting DJ career still in full force, it should not be long until Lee takes the helm at the DJ booth for a residency in a Manhattan venue. After all, Lee is not one to wait for opportunities; he is the type to create them from scratch and watch them rise to notoriety. That is what innovators are supposed to do.

You can check out the photos from Arc's Closing Party featuring below.