Chemistry

For Chris Lake, releasing his debut album two decades into his career was worth the wait. “I didn’t really know how to put together an album’s worth of material in an interesting way,” he tells Apple Music. “But that changed in the last few years. I developed more as a musician, and I had the vision for it.” Though the idea of an album once felt distant, the UK-born, LA-based producer had already made his mark through a long run of club and chart successes, from his 2006 breakthrough “Changes” to later hits like “Turn off the Lights”, “Deceiver” (with Green Velvet) and “In the Yuma”. But after wrapping a tour in late 2022, he stepped back to reset. Digging through old demos, he uncovered a melodic side of his sound that had since taken a backseat in his recent work. “I’d kept refining my music to where it became more and more simple and effective,” he says. “I wanted to put more musicality into what I was doing.” Two years later, Chemistry is the realisation of Lake’s vision. Packed with bright melodies, driving percussion and magnetic vocal hooks, its 15 tracks show off his expanded range and depth, moving through different textures and moods: house woozy with infatuation (“In My Head”), melancholic UK garage (“Broken Hearts”), warm disco-funk (“Ease My Mind”)—and yes, even a peak-time banger (“Psycho”). But the album, at its core, is also about collaboration. Nearly every track features a vocalist or co-producer, reflecting Lake’s desire to learn from the people around him. “I just gravitated toward people that I like and whose music inspires me,” he says. That instinct led to sessions with Bonobo, Amber Mark, Riovaz, long-time collaborator (and wife) Aatig and more. Most of the songs came together in his home studio, with Lake adapting his process to each artist. “There are so many different ways that songs can come together,” he adds. “I really enjoy the challenge of figuring out how to get the best out of the person I’m working with.” Read on as Lake takes u