Lee Van Dowski

Lee Van Dowski

Artist Biography

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• Date: 02 Jun 2009, 04:56
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Lee Van Dowski: The very name exudes style and intrigue—a country
lord, perhaps, who at night throws open the manor gates to host all-
night bacchanals legendary for their wine and song.

And though the French-born, Geneva-based artist may not have a manor
to his name, the rest isn’t far off the mark. Born Renaud Lewandowski,
Lee has earned a reputation as a kind of dark prince of uplifting
electronic music—a trickster who spreads his mischief via long,
undulating DJ sets and bewilderingly funky releases. And he’s done
this in a remarkably short span of time. In 2004, he and Philippe
Quenum released the well-received “Extension"/"Oregon" single for
Luciano’s Cadenza label; since then Lee has gone on to unleash a
deluge of material on labels like Mental Groove, Bpitch Control, Memo,
Plak, Defrag Sound Processing, Mobilee, Leena, Wagon Repair, Soma
and still more. He’s a regular fixture at some of
the world’s most celebrated nightclubs—Weetamix, Panorama Bar, Goa,
Rex Club, D edge etc…and even more celebrated afters. And as the
director of two labels—Num, alongside Quenum, and 60Sec, with Agnes—
he’s released dozens of records from the likes of Ripperton, Mike
Shannon, Dachshund, Alex Attias and many more.

But while it’s been a comparatively rapid ascent, Lee’s roots go deep.
His musical prehistory may be similar to many of his generation:
raised on rock and hip-hop, complete with the obligatory attempt to
learn to play guitar followed by short-lived bands with schoolmates.
But Lee was the beneficiary of his stepfather’s eclectic musical
tastes, which spanned classical, jazz, funk, rock and even musique
concrete and academic electronic music. “I was fascinated by the
metallic sleeves and their geometrical designs,” he remembers,
suggesting a possible source for the shimmering timbres and clever
vectors of his own music.

The pieces first fell together in 1993, when a friend invited Lee to
attend a rave in southern France, near where he lived. “That was the
shock of my life,” says Lee, echoing a sentiment that will be familiar
to many. “That was what I was looking for, without really knowing it—
thousands of people dancing and sweating in the open air. An amazing
soundsystem. And this never-ending kick that drives you to madness…
Since that day, I’ve devoted my life entirely to being a part of this.”

Lee got involved with the infamous Dragon Bal raves, where Miss Kittin
got her start; he worked mundane jobs, saved money, bought decks and a
mixer and taught himself to spin. He came to production the same way,
beginning with an MPC2000, but translating the sounds in his head into
its fat, blocky pads wasn’t as easy as it seemed. His ambitions took
Lee to Geneva, where he earned a degree in music engineering, but it
may have been his next job, working in a Lausanne music shop, that
really signaled his entry into the world of electronic music. “Even if
the boss was a crazy guy, the shop was like a goldmine, full of gear
and old analog synths, drum machines, all the recording and mixing
tools you could dream of,” he recalls with awe. He took advantage of
his employee discount to build out his studio, and just as
importantly, the shop served as a focal point for all the area’s
musicians. It was here that Lee would meet both Quenum and Luciano—and
from there, as they say, the rest is history…

There’s no single description for Lee’s productions, which have proved
unusually malleable in his half-decade of releases; an early interest
in the skittish rhythms of labels like Warp and Skam remains evident,
but reformatted for the supple grooves of deep house and classic
minimal techno. His time in the Lausanne music shop clearly served him
well; Lee’s tracks immediately stand out for their fine sense of
detail, an almost intangible shimmer. Utilizing samples, drum machines
and all manner of synthesizer, Lee’s music remains open to every
possibility. “It’s an empirical process,” he says of his method. “Each
sound or loop brings me to the next one, and so on, until the moment
that I feel I have all the elements I need to finish the track. Of
course, there are always surprises and accidents—that’s what makes the
magic in writing music.”

2009 finds Lee stretching out as never before. The year began with his Free For All Crash Endeavors, released on his and Quenum’s Num label, and The Variable Man (Leena), with one track featuring Lee’s longtime colleague Agnes; Lee also collaborated with Anja Schneider for Mobilee’s 50th release, “Deseo"/"La Roulette.” Further releases are out now, or due soon, on Saf Series, Material Series and Curle Recordings. But the year’s biggest development may be Lee’s return to Cadenza, the label that helped launch his career five years ago. In May, Lee will appear alongside Luciano, Glimpse and Guy Gerber on a split EP; he also joins Cadenza Booking, joining a family-style roster that includes Luciano, Thomas Melchior, Petre Inspirescu, Rhadoo, Mirko Loko and many more of electronic dance music’s most innovative players. Count Lee has returned to his Swiss manor, the gates are wide open, and the beat is beckoning.

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