90 Resident Spotlight #10-Vicious Creatures
Last updated on December 20th, 2023 at 07:49 pm
Vicious Creatures in the building!
We talk to lovely Glaswegian Laurence from Vicious Creatures this week. After shooting this whole interview in the heatwave, it was a tough battle, but turned out to be a great chat!
From his love for The Simpsons, to his unhealthy love for heavy music in inappropriate circumstances, the Glaswegian fills us in with what he’s been up to during lockdown.
At Number 90, where creativity and culture collide, we’re excited to spotlight the electrifying energy of the ‘house of vicious theme song. This track, embodying the spirit of our latest resident ensemble, Vicious Creatures, is more than just a melody – it’s an experience.
A Symphony of Sensations
The ‘house of vicious theme song, with its pulsating rhythms and captivating beats, perfectly encapsulates the essence of our beloved space. It’s a tune that resonates with the artistic flair and dynamic vibe of Number 90. As you step into our world, let the music guide you through a journey of sensory delight.
Vicious Creatures: The Maestros Behind the Music
Vicious Creatures, known for their innovative approach to music and art, have outdone themselves with this masterpiece. The theme song is a testament to their talent and creativity, seamlessly blending genres and emotions. It’s not just a song; it’s a narrative that echoes through the walls of Number 90.
An Invitation to Immerse Yourself
We invite you to immerse yourself in the rhythm of ‘House of Vicious’ as you explore our space. Whether you’re here for a night of dance, a serene evening by the canal, or a journey through our art exhibitions, this theme song is your companion, enhancing every moment.
Hello Laurence. Let’s get stuck in!
90: Quickfire question, 1 song for the rest of your life? No explanation.
Laurence: I’ve actually been thinking about this recently, before I’d have always said it’s either the 12 inch version of Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat or Talking Heads – This Must Be The Place but the other week during lockdown my girlfriend and I got very drunk and stayed up till silly o’clock and played the Mike Simonetti edit of Like A Prayer about 8 times and row, I ended up buying it on Discogs that morning as well. So aye, probably need to say it’s that now.
90: Top notch stuff! Introduce yourself.
L: I’m Laurence McAulay, or Lárus when I’m DJ’ing. I’m a DJ/promoter and sometimes radio host. Currently living in East London but originally from Glasgow where we started the Vicious Creatures party series in 2013 at the Sub Club (and various other Scottish venues) before moving to London in 2016. Over the years we’ve booked DJs such as Ellen Allien, Job Jobse, Spencer Parker, The 2 Bears, Intergalactic Gary, DJ Fett Burger & many many more.
We’ve been doing parties at Number 90 for almost 3 years now and it’s been great to be able to have the opportunity to just turn up and play tunes all night with no real music policy in place, just go for whatever feels good at the time. I’ve also been lucky enough to be able to have lots of mates and guest DJs down to play with me including Andy Blake & Ray Mang!
I hosted a show on bloop radio for 2 years and more recently have been lucky enough to do a few shows on Rinse FM. Although at the moment I’m having a wee break from radio and have been doing guest mixes for other platforms such as Stamp The Wax, ZeeZout and Number 90 (obviously). The ZeeZout mix is actually a recording of part of an all night long set from Number 90 which is pretty cool.
90: Awesome! What’s your prized possession record?
L: I went for a little look in Hidden Sounds in Bethnal Green on it’s opening day, when I walked over to the House section the first record I seen was Oni Ayhun – OAR003, the B side of which is my favourite electronic music track of all time, which I had never actually owned a copy of so I had to buy it while I had the chance. Since it’s my favourite tune I’d have to go for that.
90: What new music have you been listening to?
L: upsammy has just released her first full length album Zoom on Dekmantel. It has some really amazing sound design, interesting drum patterns & changes in tempo and is just pretty cool altogether. I’m a huge fan of the Amsterdam scene and she’s definitely one of the most interesting artists to come out of that incredible pool of talent recently which is saying something!
I also came across an artist on Bandcamp the other week called Kareem Ali who has some amazing music. In particular his EP Black Science is really cool. Has a bit of a cosmic theme running through it and the music varies in styles from ambient, hip house, bits of dark synthwavey/italoey sort of stuff and a few straight up house bangers. Really good stuff.
90: How have you been spending time in isolation?
L: I just started a new day job with Asahi on the 3rd day of lockdown which has been interesting. Still haven’t met anyone I work with as everything been done from home over Skype. It’s also been fucking mentally busy as everyone’s sitting at home drinking. Been doing a lot of running as well, was supposed to be doing the Hackney Half in May which was postponed but I still went and done the run the same weekend and managed to do a very respectable (for me anyway) 1h58. Considering I could only run for about a minute without stopping in January I was happy with that! Started reading Tim Lawrence’s Love Saves The Day which is a comprehensive history of the Disco scene in the 70s. Incredible amount of time and research went into it. Well worth checking out. Other than that just scouring Juno for records and Bandcamp and the likes for new tunes. Ended up down a few Discogs rabbit holes at points as well.
90: Have you got any tv show recommendations?
L: Not exactly a recommendation but I signed up for Disney plus so I’ve watched every episode of series 4-8 of The Simpsons about 4 times. Much to the chagrin of my girlfriend and flatmate who seem to think I’m a child. What We Do In The Shadows is great as well, I was a big fan of the movie (or anything Taika Waititi does really) and I didn’t even know there was a series until about 2 weeks ago so I ended up watching all of that in about 2 days.
90: Gotta love a bit of Matt Berry. What’s your musical guilty pleasure?
I wouldn’t exactly call it a guilty pleasure as it’s something I grew up with it but Happy Hardcore. It kinda splits the rooms at after parties though. I was lucky enough to warm up for Scott Brown (the Bonkers guy not the Celtic captain) at a club in Glasgow when I was 18 which to me then was a pretty big fucking deal. I’d actually probably say still say it’s the highlight of my DJ career and I had a 5 year residency at the Sub Club. Been all downhill since there basically. I also did a Happy Hardcore set on my radio show once and was told if I ever did a show like it again they’d kick me off the station, so it’s definitely not for everyone.
90: Give us your favourite recipe, and what’s the soundtrack to that recipe?
L: I bought some orzo at the start of lockdown despite not really knowing what it is and I’ve only really managed to find one recipe for it which is a sort of risotto thing with cavolo nero, cream cheese, Parmesan, peas and cod. I wouldn’t say it’s my favourite recipe but I’ve ended up making it 3 times in the last month or so just to get rid of the fucking orzo so it’s the first thing that came to my head. I’m a pretty stressy cook though so something frantic like a Venetian Snares album would be a decent fit.
