Rising producer and DJ Lucas Alexander stopped by to chat with us.
Lucas Alexander is a one-of-a-kind artist. The fusion of his childhood is far from short in his music, with a combination of roots ranging from Wales to Jamaica. He cut his teeth on early UKG, traveling long distances with his record bag in tow from his hometown of Cardiff to play shows in Manchester and beyond. He has perfected his technique over the last 10 years, becoming a fixture in the Welsh dance music scene, performing with every heavyweight under the sun. Richy Ahmed, Jamie Jones, Detlef, Darius Syrossian, The Martinez Brothers, DJ Deeon, Patrick Topping, Marco Carola, and others have all picked up on his few productions. After a musical break, a slew of new productions infuse all of the sounds he’s accumulated during his many years of partying, from early Garage parties in Malia to Richie Hawtin’s Enter in Ibiza and the minimal sounds of Fuse and Arpiar, his influences run as deep as his ancestry.
Hello Lucas, thanks for stopping by to chat with us. How have you been spending the past few months?
Hello, thanks for having me! I’ve been spending most of my time in the studio, just refining my sound and creating some of my favourite tracks to date. Really enjoying the process now more than ever, and I think getting to play what I’ve been working on all week at gigs, has a lot to do with that.
Your forthcoming ‘FM Dial’ EP is set to release on Richy Ahmed’s Four Thirty Two imprint in May. Could you please tell us more about what’s special about this EP?
Yep May 20th, this one’s exciting! The reaction the lead track FM Dial gets when it drops is special in itself but I think what makes this one really special is the legends that feature on it with me. I’ve got one of my favourite MCs Fernquest on ‘Itchy Feet’, he voice-noted that hook and I immediately knew it was going to be a favourite. ‘Move It’ was made with my studio partner, Joey Rich. You’ll be hearing some unbelievable tunes from him very soon, we also teamed up with Harrie Summers on that, such a tune.
It also features a remix by UK artist Seb Zito. How did you feel when you heard Seb Zito’s remix for the first time?
I first saw a clip of him road testing it on his Instagram and it sounded unbelievable! I haven’t stopped smiling since I got the full version through. Seb is one of my favourite DJs and producers in the scene, I knew with the Garage and Pirate Radio influences on this one he’d be the man for the job!
You’ve had a significant amount of gigs during the years. How do you translate the idea for a track from the dancefloor to the studio?
I use the same process each time. Get a groove rolling, sit back and picture where I’d be listening to the track. If it’s a dancefloor track, which club, what time, who would be playing it. Standing on the DC-10 dancefloor when the vision came true was pretty surreal.
What was your first hardware synth? Do you still use it?
I believe it was the Roland TB-03 and it’s in pretty much every track I make. If I’m ever lost and need a bit of inspiration, a jam on that always gets the creative juices flowing. I recommend every producer gets the TB and a Subpac!
How is your spring tour going so far?
I’m absolutely loving it haha, every single part of it. Playing tracks, meeting like minded people and just getting to see new places. I just love being around music, you can always catch me on the dancefloor before and after my set, nothing compares to it.
What are some of your favourite ways to unwind?
I love food and fancy myself as a bit of a chef. Throwing dinner parties for friends and cooking up a storm with good wine and good music is one of my favourite things to do. My dream’s to have a restaurant with a record shop underneath, watch this space haha
If you could give one piece of advice to upcoming producers, what would it be?
Just be persistent and never give up! If you love making music and DJing, what’s the rush? Keep doing it and if you end up making a career out of it it’s a bonus.
Finally, are there any upcoming festivals or releases you can share with your fans?
Lots of exciting gigs and festivals are coming up. Inside Out Festival in my hometown will be world class and ’m closing Into The Woods festival in Hereford after Oden & Fatzo so I’m massively looking forward to both. I’ve also remixed one of my idols Todd ‘The God’ Edwards, that one hasn’t got a release date just yet but I can’t wait or even believe that’s coming soon.
Thank you once again for joining us. All the best to you!
Thank you for having me, hopefully do it again soon.
Follow Lucas Alexander on Social Media:
Facebook | SoundCloud | Instagram
