Born in East London and raised in Essex, British-Malaysian artist Lavan has spent the past decade steadily building a reputation within Berlin’s underground house community. First inspired by his father’s collection of funk, soul, and disco records, his musical journey evolved from experimenting with cracked production software to becoming a respected DJ, producer, and co-founder of Ascension on Wax alongside longtime friend Max.
Known for a sound that fuses classic house foundations with unmistakable UK influences, Lavan’s productions have found support from tastemakers such as Cinthie and Louise Chen, while his dedication to digging continues to inform both his DJ sets and studio output. After connecting with Intr0beatz through a mutual friend and bonding over a shared passion for records, it felt only natural for him to contribute to the Parallel Groove mix series.
For edition 007, Lavan delivers a mix that captures the essence of his musical identity: deep, soulful house rooted in the culture, records, and influences that first drew him to dance music. We caught up with him to discuss the mix, life in Berlin, the evolution of Ascension on Wax, and what’s next on the horizon.
Q&A
Your Parallel Groove mix feels like a very personal snapshot of your sound. What was your mindset going into the recording, and what story were you hoping to tell through the track selection?
I was preparing for some upcoming gigs around the time of recording this mix so I decided to just record my home mixes. One of them I happened to really get in the zone and just hold a vibe for the whole hour without straying too far away from the deep stripped back type grooves. This served as the foundation and then I re-recorded the mix, refining it a bit before sending it over to Intr0beatz. I feel collecting records means each of my records have a story to them which when combined kinda makes a story of its own.
You grew up surrounded by your father’s funk, soul, and disco records before eventually discovering house music. Looking back, which influences from those early years still find their way into your productions and DJ sets today?
It’s funny since it almost goes full circle where I have sampled stuff from my own digging discoveries and then years later found the same track on a b-side of one of my dad’s records. I still sample from my dad’s records to this day just so his spirit can live on through my music. Every time I make a trip home to visit my family I go up to the loft to grab a batch of vinyls to take back with me.
You’ve now been part of Berlin’s underground scene for quite some time. How have you seen the city and its house music community evolve over the years, and what continues to inspire you about it?
The house music community was always there but in my earlier years in Berlin there were less smaller promoters pushing house music, especially soulful sounds. Now that has changed and there is an abundance of house music collectives and parties. Berlin is still a unique place on this planet where the music aspect of the party is valued by the party-goers which keeps me inspired. The closer I can feel to the music, the better.
For people who may only know your productions, what do you think this mix reveals about you as a DJ and selector that they might not hear in your released music?
Hopefully it reveals a broader range of influences playing music that is not always similar to the style of my productions yet carrying this essence that still connects it to my beatmaking. I like to treat both crafts as separate entities and pour my energy into them without one trying to compensate the other.
You were introduced to Intr0beatz through a mutual friend and quickly connected through a shared love of records. How has that relationship developed over the years, and what do you appreciate most about what he’s doing through the Parallel Groove series?
2019 I was dancing away at the Hallo Montag party at Ipse with Intr0beatz spinning gems. Then fast forward to 2025 at an Aterral studio party I notice Intr0beatz chilling on the couch. He was super easy going and soon enough we started rolling to record shops together. Later he kindly invited me to join him in the studio too which is slowly developing into some collaborative material. On that note once I am done answering questions with you guys I gotta get back to those projects (sorry for the delay Intr0 haha). The Parallel Groove series represents keeping that community aspect alive within house music and I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of it.
Ascension on Wax has become a respected outlet for quality underground house music. What was the original vision behind the label when you and Max started it, and how has that vision changed or expanded since then?
Got to keep it real and give my label partner Max Logsdail the credit here for the AoW vision. We originally started Ascension as a party in Berlin before trying to expand it into a record label. We firstly wanted to honour the jazz influence that informed the house music we loved and also place a focus on collaborating with visual artists too since Max comes from an art background. Our AoW sound is constantly evolving as are our own tastes. Whilst we build a roster of artists we always express that we are not looking for a repeat of what they made before but more a snapshot of where they are at now in their artist journey.
Running a label while also maintaining a career as a DJ and producer can be demanding. What have been some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned from operating Ascension on Wax?
My time contributing to AoW has taught me a variety of lessons. Starting out as a new label mistakes happen and you just have to keep it moving. One other important lesson that sticks with me is to not compromise and make sure things are done properly.
What have you been focusing on creatively lately? Are there any recent projects, collaborations, or musical directions that have been particularly exciting for you?
I’ve been quite reclusive during the first half of this year just experimenting with various ideas. Refuge Worldwide allows me to use their studio occasionally which gives me the chance to just jam out sketches using the random synths and piano they have there which I then build out back at home. Direction wise I’ve been exploring both more instrumentation and compositional type tracks alongside more groove driven tracks which for me require a bit of restraint. Collaboration wise definitely excited to see how the material Intr0beatz and myself make progresses.
House music is currently experiencing another surge in popularity worldwide. From your perspective, what aspects of underground house culture are most important to preserve as the genre continues to grow?
OooOo this is the kind of topic that I could deep dive into over a coffee or beer. I guess the clue is in the question. Don’t focus on the popularity aspect and just remember your genuine love for the music itself. My favourite DJ Premier skit states “Underground will live forever baby”.
Looking ahead to the rest of the year and beyond, what can fans expect from Lavan? Any upcoming releases, label plans, gigs, or personal goals you’re especially excited about?
Label wise we just dropped the new DFRA EP with Jon Dixon on the remix. We have some other really exciting projects forthcoming from Glenn Davis and Yuu Udagawa. Lavan-wise I have a couple of gigs coming up at some of my favourite Berlin house music club spaces and I’m making an appearance in Düsseldorf later this year. There are a couple of Lavan releases on the way too. Will let time reveal exactly how they unfold but I will say keep your ears peeled for the K15 remix. Cheers.
