DJ James Lee on Club Suzies, Electrowerkz and London queer clubbing memories (EXCLUSIVE)
"We would drink wine ... and then before we knew it, it was 4am and we’re in Room Service"
East London DJ James Lee regularly fires up dance floors with a signature blend of high-energy house and tech thumpers. He’s head of music and programming at London’s iconic club Electrowerkz, as well as one of the forces behind queer club beast ROAST, and the mind behind his new sober day rave Club Suzies. And his collab with US duo Thando & Charlé worked its way into the top 100 dance tracks on the Beatport charts earlier this year.
Here in Attitude’s Beats and Pieces feature, the DJ discusses his ABBA guilty pleasure, a career-defining moment in Ibiza, and the remix that never fails to slap…
What can people expect from a James Lee set?
Big energy, usually featuring a powerhouse vocal and a tech-kicking thumper of a beat to match. My sets are always high-energy. I’m an energy man, so my goal is always to share that spirit and energy I have with the audience and take them on a proper journey. We’re very much in the rave together.
A track you’re loving right now?
‘Loving You’ by Kideko and A-Trak. My favourite track of the year so far. It’s feelgood, high-energy house at its best. And right now, in the troubling times we live in, we need tracks like this to bring us that good energy and joy.
Which song introduced you to dance music?
It has to be ‘High Energy’ by Evelyn Thomas. As a baby raver, I would head to the Eagle on a Sunday for Horse Meat Disco. I have vague memories of disco balls, haze, strobe lights and the scent of poppers in the air while spinning circles to this track. It made me feel free and connected!
The dance record that changed your life?
Erick Morillo’s ‘Live Your Life’. I first heard this track in Amnesia, Ibiza, in 2012, aged 21, and it changed everything for me. I was coming down the stairs in Amnesia from the toilets (you know the ones), and I found myself looking out over a sea of our electric energy with this record playing. In this moment, it was like a message telling me I needed to be a DJ — yes, I know that’s hippy-dippy — so I rushed back to tell my friends, and they laughed as they thought I was just ‘merry’.
What secret weapon do you have in your DJ catalogue?
‘Somebody Else’s Guy 2009’ (Laurent Wolf Remix). When paired with a big room house/techy beat, I’m in! This track never fails to slap on dance floors across the world.
The go-to club to DJ at for the energy?
I’m going to have to say Electrowerkz, London. The home of the big, the bold and the outrageous.
Your greatest gig ever?
I got flown out to NYC to kick off Pride in 2023 at Musica Club — incredible venue and community.
Who would be your dream person to DJ with?
Eats Everything. I’ve grown up on his fusion of underground club thumpers. He also seems like he could just be my mate — easygoing and what you see is what you get, which I love in artists and generally in people.
Name an up-and-coming or underrated artist, DJ or producer we should look out for.
I’m gonna have to say fellow Electrowerkz resident DJ Steele. This boy is gonna go big places.
What were your first set of decks?
I had a Pioneer DJ DDJ-SB-R Red Controller. And every Thursday at home, I used to get my decks out to show my flatmate my progress. We would drink wine and he would give me feedback, and then before we knew it, it was 4am and we’re in Room Service… I’ll let you fill in the blanks on that one, babes.
Guilty pleasure: which song would you love to play at a club but never would?
‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)’ by ABBA, but I’m talking the OG version, not a housey remix. But this is selfishly because I wanna live my ABBA fan-girl fantasy behind the decks, in the middle of a rave.
A dance record that represents your outlook on life?
‘Free’ (Samuele Sartini Remix). Pop it on your speakers and play it loud… you’ll see and feel why!
Your ultimate dance record: who would you produce it with, who would do the vocals, and what club would you play it out at?
Easy one: James Hurr would produce it with me, and Teni Tinks would be on the vocals. And then we would all perform it at Electrowerkz.
This feature appears in issue 365 of Attitude magazine, available to order here, and alongside 15 years of back issues on the free Attitude app.
