Alexkid, the electronic snail

Published: Friday, April 6th 2007
Author: Bianca Balan

But the big change was when I got my first sampler. I signed to F Communications in 1997 and started DJ-ing around that time. It's been almost ten years now, I'm 32.

Beat Factor: Which of the two jobs, being a DJ and a music producer do you consider more difficult?

Alexkid: I think that both are difficult if you want to do it properly. I think that very few producers are very very interesting. There's a lot of very good music happening right now, but very few manage to fill the music with emotions. I think that DJing is a little bit the same. I like when a DJ completely takes you to somewhere you were not expecting to go, makes you discover things and changes your mood and plays with your feelings throughout a set. Very few can do it properly. It’s easy to be effective, but connect with the people is more of a challenge.



Beat Factor: And between being a DJ and a music producer which has more priority for you?

Alexkid: Definitely producing. If I had to choose it would be the studio. I'm a musician, and that's where I come from.

Beat Factor: What do people most often say about your sound? How do they characterize it?

Alexkid: As I can be very eclectic, it's difficult to say. Even if my "partying background" is quite Techno and House, the first EP I signed to F Communications was Drum and Bass, but I got tired of the sound and slowly went through House Music, Nu Acid, Electro, and now I'm much more electronic. Electronic Music is about exploring paths. I don't like "generic" tracks/music. Usually people say that whichever music I produce, I have my very own groove. Well, I guess that I try to keep in mind that we're talking about dance floors.

Beat Factor: In 2006 you released a great album. How much did it take you to produce it?

Alexkid: A few months. I had quite a few base ready , but nothing completely finished. I spent maybe 4 months in the studio. Did a lot of tracks threw half of them, changed the others, started all again... I can be very picky...

Beat Factor: What message did you want to send with this album?

Alexkid: None, I just wanted people to "feel" the album in a more psychical way. The kind of albums that you like, but you don't know why, you can't really explain. I was looking for something a little bit abstract. I'm not a very extreme kind of guy, so it's somehow a difficult exercise to me not to think too much the music, and be not melodic. It was a challenge to me.

Beat Factor: What inspired you when you made the tracks?

Alexkid: Traveling, atmospheres, people around me, clubs.... Berlin as a city, the music from Detroit, the old school... I don't know, so many things... As I was saying it's something that can be explained, it's psychical, it's a feeling. It could be melancholy as much as it could be anger or passion.

Beat Factor: Which of the tracks do you like most and for which did you work the hardest?

Alexkid:I can't say. I really like Caracol though. As a matter of "production" it might be one of the most interesting tracks I've ever done.

Beat Factor: For the album production, did you use mostly software or also live instruments?

Alexkid: For the first time it's an album with no "traditional" instruments. I mean, it's only electronics. A lot of software, but also some hardware. I can't escape from my TR-909 and mostly from my Roland TB-303! :)

Beat Factor: Do you usually play your tracks also when you have a gig?

Alexkid: I do, but by the time they're out , I'm tired of playing them! lol. Still four years after, people ask me to play Come with me and I'm far from that sound now.

Beat Factor: Have you ever considered changing your musical style?

Alexkid: I do all the time as I like to explore. I mean it's always related to electronic music, but still, it's going from techno.

Beat Factor: o you have any new releases prepared for 2007 or for the near future?

Alexkid: I'm working on it. I'm also starting my own label as I've been receiving some really interesting music that I would like to be out and people to listen to. With the actual situation it is a risk, but Oh well, I love music so much, end even if I loose some money, it's for the good cause! F Communications gave me a chance in '97 , now I would like to defend artists that deserve it and try to help them putting their music out. The label is called Imprime.

Beat Factor: Do you think that at this point there is anything you have to improve about your career?

Alexkid: There's always something to improve. Answering no to this would be arrogant.

Beat Factor: If you hadn’t been in this music domain, where would you think you would have been?

Alexkid: I can't tell. Maybe I'd have a restaurant. I love food, and I love cooking.

Beat Factor: What else do you usually do, besides being a DJ and a music producer?

Alexkid: Hmmmm... nothing? Actually I'm a real workaholic, so I don't do much more than that. when I have a little bit of free time, I think about ...music. or I go to the movies.

Beat Factor: How does a usual day of your life start?

Alexkid: With coffee! a lot of coffee.

Beat Factor: You come from France. How is France in what the electronic dance scene consist?

Alexkid: Ah! Right now we're invaded by this "trying to sound like Daft Punk" revival. I won't say much about it because it is completely uninteresting for me. There's no edge to this music. It’s all based on the energy and it sounds just too generic to me. Not very elegant. I've been listening to this kind of stuff back in 1995. I don't see the point of listening to that again. Of course for someone being 16 that hasn't been through the period of the first album of Daft Punk, it can sound exciting and new, which I can understand. But to me it's not very exciting. Apart from that there’s still a very interesting scene. Great music and great producers.

Beat Factor: At the end, when was the last time you had a great laughter and why?

Alexkid: Oh I don't know that happens very often! But maybe last time I played at Weekend in Berlin with Jef K and Geoffroy. The craziest guys you can invite to spin at your party!