Recently we caught up with Brazilian artist Alex Stein to chat about his recent releases on labels such as Senso Sounds and Jannowitz Records, plus discover what it’s like playing to a home crown in São Paulo.
Alex Stein has also released on imprints including Suara plus Sincopat, and we look forward to hearing more from him in 2018.
> For the people reading this who haven’t heard your music before, how would you describe your style, and the key elements that define it?
Edgy Techno with an attitude.
> I understand you are currently based in Brazil, could you tell us a bit about the local club scene, and what it’s like DJ’ing to a home town crowd?
I love living in São Paulo and also playing here. The scene is very wide spread and big, there are a lot of very big events like Tomorrowland and Lollapalooza as much as there are smaller Techno events in awesome industrial venues around town. It is a very well balanced city and there’s music to please every taste.
> Your most recent release was on Oliver Huntemann’s label Senso Sounds… could you tell us a bit about the idea behind the release, as I checked it out prior to speaking with you today, and really enjoyed listening?
To be honest there isn’t much to say about the production itself as in this case it was very organic. “Zeit” was a track that I made after a time away from the studio and on that particular day I was messing around with my Moog Sub37 when I made the bassline that runs along that whole track and basically gives it that character. Once that had been created, the rest of the track just kind of came together and in 3 hours it was ready. Atomkraft was just plain fun as all sessions with my buddy Kalil happen in a really organic and comfortable manner. We just have the same taste in music so it’s always easy-going and it doesn’t even feel like we’re working at all. To top it off, Andre Winter made a great remix for my track Zeit that just shows why I am such a big fan, his signature sound but as a re-interpretation, just great!
> One of the tracks on your Senso Sounds release titled “Atomkraft” is collaboration with K.A.L.I.L, could you tell us a bit about K.A.L.I.L., and how the track came to fruition?
Like I said above, Kalil is a very good friend and an incredibly talented Producer. We have a very similar taste in music and a very similar way of making music. In this case we had gotten together to have a beer and catch up on each other and then decided to start a track. We messed around with the a new synth I had gotten the night before and the whole track just came together very nicely, it was a very good session.
> When working in the studio do you use any specific bits of equipment that are essential to your sound?
I absolutely love my Moog Sub37 and have gotten so many great bits of sound out of it that it has almost became an essential tool to my productions. I also love the stuff from Artutia and U-he.
> Recently you also released a remix of Rocksted and Fractall’s track “This Is The Bass” on Jannowitz Records, how would you compare the process of doing a remix in comparison to working on your own music?
I like working on remixes as they are always a different approach to making music. You are given samples to use from the original track but have to envision them in a different way altogether. It’s always a fresh experience but it can also be very frustrating when you have a deadline to deliver and nothing gets your creative juices flowing. Still, I’ve always managed to deliver, usually the deadline pressure even helps a little haha
> Do you have any new releases or forthcoming gigs we should be on the lookout for?
I have another remix coming out in January on Dear Deer Records and also an EP on Hydrozoa in March with a brand new track together with two other tracks that people have been asking me to release for a long time. In January I’ll be in Australia for my debut at Rainbow Serpent Festival and some more cool stuff to come.
> Could you give some advice or words of wisdom to any aspiring producers who would look to your music for inspiration?
Be original. At least give it a try. Don’t make music that is selling at the moment or try to imitate an artist that has already done it. Originality takes more time but is a thousand times more rewarding and will guarantee that your fans are fans of your sound, and not just some music you made for a while. And of course, as cheesy as it sounds: never give up. Others have made it, so can you, determination is key!
> Thanks for taking the time to speak with us today, we like to finish our interviews with a couple of questions that are a little bit light hearted… without getting to personal, could you tell us something many don’t know about you?
Thank you guys for your time and for the questions! Well, I got expelled from 3 schools when I was younger, I am crazy about cars and motorsports and I broke my nose twice on the same spot, skateboarding. Bet you didn’t know that!
> You don’t need to mention names, but what’s the most “outrageous” thing you’ve ever seen happen in a club… was it something outrageously brilliant, like a blindfolded DJ mixing seamlessly and scratching with their elbows, or something outrageously cringe-worthy, like some embarrassing drunk guy urinating on the dancefloor?
I’ve basically seen both to a degree hahaha. You do get to see some very cool things when you are on the road but I think that the coolest thing I ever saw was at a club in Brazil where a disabled young man was on the dance floor with his wheelchair and the crowd around him raised him over their shoulders because he couldn’t see over the crowd, really cool moment!
> Thanks for taking the time to speak with us Alex, and for those looking to check out his music you have find him on Beatport …HERE…
