>> Alexkid
bio: Alexkid: born in France and raised in the Balearic Islands (his mother is Spanish), where he divided his time between the beach and his aunt's record shop in which he spent hours listening to music. He finally became a true Parisian during the first half of the 1980s. Learned to play the guitar at the age of 15. Interested in notes, he also has a passion for sound: "when I found the right series of chords, I would be looking at the same time to see how I could change the impact or the feeling by fiddling with the frequencies or by adding effects". Involved in musical life at his secondary school, he organised concerts and joined several punk or funk groups of the day (sometimes both at the same time). First raves and clubs in 1992: "I discovered electronic music and the role of the DJ. I also liked the slightly taboo side to it all". He got his first computer the following year and quickly saw the possibilities of IT after all those years of 4-track. After signing up at F-Communications, he launched 4 maxi-singles (1997/2001), in addition to "Bienvenida", his first album (July 2001) which received excellent critical acclaim (please see attached document) and proved a hit with the public. Following the launch of his first maxi, Alexkid spent many long hours on the mixing decks in clubs throughout France and Europe followed by the USA and Brazil.
Experience: working in the studio on his first singles, he quickly established his preference for sound recording techniques and quickly made progress, being taken on as an engineer for several albums: "for a long while I asked myself whether I wanted to become an engineer or a musician. Finally, I realised that the two careers were not incompatible". First official remix of a Suzanne Vega/John Cale duet put together by Hector Zazou. Propositions came in thick and fast, with the choice of a select line-up: Llorca, Sylk 130, Kemetic Just, George Michael, Fertile Ground, Astor Piazzolla to mention just a few: "reworking someone else's creations is a pleasure and should stay that way". It was also a pleasure to learn one morning that an extract from Bienvenida would be used in the credits for an episode of the cult American series "Six Feet Under", or to produce the original music for the advertisement for Jennifer Lopez? perfume (Glow by JLO): "I had five crazy days in New York and keeping the decision makers happy on a daily basis was almost as exhausting as making an album...".
Tools of the trade: naturally these include traditional instruments (guitars, bass and keyboards). Then we find the sampler, the computer and composition software explored from every angle over the years without ever exhausting the countless possibilities, nor avoiding their dangers: "when spontaneity gets stifled by too many options. It was in the studio that I realised that acoustics and electronics could go together". Nothing is set in stone for this engineer who is equally relaxed using digital or analogue depending on what he's looking to obtain. With ever more powerful laptops, the home studio "which for me is mainly a composition tool" is everywhere and anywhere. This means at home of course but also on the train, on the plane or in the hotel. And sometimes those long trips between two DJ sessions provide the occasion for the groundwork for new pieces, a large part of which constitutes the very essence of Mint.
Guest List: this includes friends who have become partners and partners who have become friends with the likes of St?fane Goldman (guitars), Philippe Monrose (percussion), DJ Seep (scratch) and Jean-Philippe Rykiel (keyboards). There is also Hanifah Walidah, for a happy reunion following "Not Every Angel" on "Bienvenida": "we were keen to work together again. In the middle of preparing her one-woman show for an American tour, she was able to find three days for me, finishing the texts between Oakland (where she lives) and Paris (for the recording of her voice)". When a sensitive masculine voice was needed "Philippe Monrose suggested one of his Scottish mates of Jamaican origin to me, Ian James Whitelaw, and we hit it off right from the start". When seeking a second female voice "it was a big thank you once again to Philippe for dropping by the studio one day with Lissette Alea". From Cuba (where she was born) to Amsterdam (where she has lived following several years spent in the United States), Lissette has built up an impressive musical experience and has a flattering reputation as a great live performer. "It was during a dinner at my publisher?s home that I came across the legendary American trumpeter Jon Hassell". A passionate discussion followed late into the night with this pioneering musician in world music, whose albums have become references in their own right. Collaboration projects are rare for him (Eno, Talking Heads, Mandalay, Tears For Fears and U2) "but I tried my luck without expecting too much and one morning found the trumpets placed on the basis that I had sent him. This was a moment of pure joy for me". An impressive geographical spread of talent, from Cuba to Glasgow, from Jamaica to Amsterdam, from Oakland to Los Angeles and Paris.
The Mint: "my second album, characterised by the near obsessional wish to avoid repeating myself or losing the way. I'm looking for a pure, global sound. I hear voices in precisely defined and pure locations to be able to appreciate them better. I want to experiment and to be surprised. To find some common ground between the song and the dance floor, and to inject a bit of Dub into the atmosphere. Don't ask me why I chose this title. It just came to me spontaneously and I took to it right away. It just seems so natural. Maybe one day I will understand why, then again maybe not..."
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