Music
Lawrence Burden
· techno producer, live electronic musician
Detroit producer and co-founder of Octave One, the family act that took techno from a Transmat debut in 1989 to world stages with “Blackwater”.
- Also known as
- Octave One
- Detroit years
- birth–present
- Field
- Music
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Lawrence Burden and his brother Lenny are the core of Octave One, the Detroit group sometimes joined by their brothers Lorne, Lynell and Lance. The Burdens entered the techno scene through Derrick May, who released their first single, “I Believe”, on Transmat in 1989; the track reappeared in 1990 on the compilation Techno 2: The Next Generation, which introduced Detroit's second wave to Europe. That same year the brothers founded 430 West Records, a family-run label that released their Octivation EP and later records by other Detroit acts. Octave One developed into a live act, performing with synthesizers, drum machines and mixers on stage, and toured internationally for decades. Their 2000 track “Blackwater”, with vocals by Ann Saunderson, became a club anthem well beyond techno; a 2002 remake with the Urban Soul Orchestra charted in the UK. Beyond techno the brothers have also produced house, soul and jazz-inflected recordings.
Highlights
- Debut “I Believe” on Transmat (1989), included on Techno 2: The Next Generation (1990).
- Co-founded the family label 430 West Records in 1990.
- “Blackwater” (2000) is Octave One's signature anthem.
- Performs internationally as a live hardware act.