At last a recent trend seems to be that the PRD keeps on pulling in bigger and bigger DJ names. Internationally renowned DJ James Lavelle comes to the South coast this November, a real chance to witness a true legend at work.   In a career that has spanned 18 years, Lavelle's achievements are noteworthy for their diversity and sheer volume of output. The groundbreaking Hip-Hop of the '80s, whose ethos combined original music with other forms of art (breakdancing, graffiti), profoundly influenced the young Lavelle - all-embracing qualities that have stayed with him today. His new creative center, 'Surrender,' combines everything Lavelle is interested in - a record label, a studio and clothing line. "There's a whole new setup," explains Lavelle, "trying to keep everything as simple as possible."
   At 32, this is a more mature Lavelle. At 19 he founded the legendary record label MoWax, that burst with ideas but was somewhat more frenetic. MoWax became the launching pad for artists such as DJ Shadow, DJ Krush and Carl Craig, but it also brought in fashion designers and photographers such as David Bailey alongside new books and worldwide exhibitions. Records, packaging, music and images were sold as a whole lifestyle for the first time, spawning a global culture which continues today.
   While all this was happening, Lavelle carved out a name as a superstar DJ playing the biggest clubs in the world. He had also helped sign Massive Attack in the UK, the Beastie Boys in New York and Major Force in Tokyo, as well as collaborating with the likes of Radiohead, Oasis and the Verve. As if that wasn't enough, he also helped set up Bar Rhumba, Blue Note and Fabric, now London institutions.
   Besides DJ'ing, Lavelle is best known for the UNKLE albums, which in turn are famed for their high-profile collaborators and musical diversity. "If I want to make a record with someone one day, I'll do that. And the next time it might be someone else," says Lavelle. The first album 'Psyence Fiction' had contributors including Badly Drawn Boy, Thom Yorke and Richard Ashcroft. Then 'Eye for an Eye'enjoyed input from Ian Brown and Massive Attack. Of the forthcoming ¡®War Stories,' Lavelle says, 'If the first record is UNKLE does hip hop, and the second UNKLE does electronic, then this record is UNKLE does rock.'
   Despite a Bowie-esque chameleon approach to music, his quality has remained consistently high. In the cut throat DJ world, Lavelle's protean qualities have kept him not just in the game but ahead of it. 
  
James Lavelle will play DJ sets at Babyface Guangzhou on November 8 and Richy's in Shenzhen on November 9.