DJ and producer Lex Luca follows up his highly-rated Bounce / Do It release on leading UK house imprint Cr2 Trax with two more hot house grooves on the acclaimed label. Fast gaining a reputation as a talented producer, he’s also a rising name as a DJ having recently played alongside the likes of Dubfire, Todd Terry, Louie Vega, Coyu and Eli & Fur. DMCWORLD checks in…
Interview by Dan Prince
Lex, a huge welcome to DMCWORLD…where on planet earth are you right now?
Right now, I’m in my living room, in east London, enjoying a mint tea! I know…Rock n Roll!!
The best piece of new music you have heard today since springing out of bed?
It’s quite difficult to pick one as there’s so much new music coming in every day, but right here right now, I’d say, New York producer Joeski’s new EP Our Music on Lower East is sounding pretty dope, especially ‘The Drummer’.
A really exciting time for you at the moment thanks to the release of a brand new 2 track release ‘Best Thing About/I Feel’. Please talk us through your new music…
I wrote these two as a set, so hopefully they compliment each other.
I Feel is a straight up feel good track, ripe for the dance-floor. A simple vocal hook, and chord stabs to latch on to with high-energy drums. It’s a club banger! And I was really pleased to hear Annie Mac spin this on her Radio 1 show on Friday night!
Best Thing About has a bit more atmosphere and vibe with the chords. Production wise it has a bit more going on, but again lots of energy and groove in the drums. Danny Howard just made this one his Friday Fire.
Buy now : https://hyperurl.co/LLEP2bp
The release is of course the follow up to ‘Bounce/Do It’ which was picked up by Pete Tong and Danny Howard, another Cr2 Trax classic. No pressure on the follow up then?
Haha. Well if you put it like that…! I just wanted to focus on my own personal development as a producer, build on the success of that EP and have some fun with it along the way. I’m obviously delighted that the music is being picked up by some of the biggest taste-makers in the industry
Okay let’s rewind for a moment and check out where this musical adventure began. Classical trained in violin, drums, piano and guitar…what is your early musical memory from your childhood?
Earliest? Well.. It was violin lessons, learning scales, learning music for grades and playing in symphony orchestras. And then drum lessons and being the drummer in various bands!
At what age did electronic music first appear on your radar and how?
My entry point to electronic music was when I was 14/15, my older sister had some cool friends who were DJs. I wanted to do what they were doing! I saved up some money, brought a pair of belt drive turntables, a limit 200 mixer and a box of techno records for £200 [thank you Steph!]. Then spent the summer working out how to beat-match! The rest, as they say, is history.
It was the mid 90s that saw the whole vinyl, pirate radio and squat raves scenes take over your life. What was the career game plan back then, or were you just winging it?
At that time I was doing it for fun, playing out as much as possible, and not really thinking past the next gig or the next trip to the record store.
What was your first real break into the industry?
I did some work experience at Radio 1!
Early musical-influences?
Once I’d got the DJ bug, I would spend ages digging around for new music, and spending all my money on new records. I was a big fan of the early days of Daft Punk. I remember buying vinyl from names like MAW, Roger Sanchez, Todd Terry & D.J Pierre (and all their pseudonyms like Kenlou, Underground Solution etc) as well as garage sounds like Wookie, Roy Davis Jr, Scott Garcia, Double 99 and so on. At that time big names like Carl Cox, Paul Oakenfold, Pete Tong, Darren Emerson, Sasha, Digweed etc were all on my radar, as well as radio DJs like Gilles Peterson and John Peel.
Can you remember your first ever DJ gig, the tunes, any cash change hands…?
After playing a bunch of house parties and squat raves around London, playing acid techno, my first proper club gig was at the now defunct Bagleys nightlcub in Kings Cross 1997. I had a big box of vinyl, and mixed some house with speed & 2-step garage. Probably sounded more like a horse race, but I had fun!
How would you describe your production style in 2016?
Accessible, dance-floor friendly, house music.
What are the big 5 tunes in your box this weekend…
Illyus & Barrientos – Touch My Mind (Glasgow Underground)
Feel good, party starter. Love a disco cut at the right time.
Secondcity – Getting Down (Abode)
Big fan of Secondcity. This track brings a bit of funk to the dance-floor.
Green Velvet & Joeski – Rouse (Relief)
Solid groover from two of my favourite producers. With a quirky vocal!
Juanito – Rappelle Toi (Playmobil)
Decent tech-house roller from hot French producer Juanito.
Andre Winter – Argo
Love the deeper dark vibes on this tune.
Some of the stand out gigs of 2016…
There’s been a few this year! It started off in style, playing at a super cool spot in Colombia called Miko for NYE. It was part of a five-country central America tour I did in January. I also played over in Costa Rica at a full moon party on the beach. I ended up playing for 5 hours, to over 1000 people, which was pretty nuts. Also on the main stage at 51st State Festival in August, where I DJ’ed after Todd Terry and before Marshall Jefferson, Roger Sanchez, Louie Vega, in-front of about 8 000 – that was a very special 60 minutes!
As you say, you have played alongside some superstars of dance music…when though was the last tine you danced to a DJ?
I caught a few cool sets at ADE this year, including Julia Govor and Hito. I also went to see Carl Cox at Space Ibiza, for one of his Final Fiesta parties over the summer – it would have been rude not to!
What is your take on the whole Fabric story….?
For me Fabric has been a leading force of clubbing culture and the music scene as a whole, and I’ve had so many incredible music experiences there. So I’m really pleased for Rob, Shaun, Kirsti & all the fabric crew, and for London’s music scene as a whole, that they’ve got their license back. Clearly some mature conversations need to evolve into some forward thinking solutions, but Fabric along with events like WHP are paving the way for progressive policies in the UK as well as curating some of the best line-ups in the world.
Has 2016 been a good year for dance music?
I think it has. In part because of the Fabric getting their license back! It’s an ever-evolving scene but that’s better than it being stagnant.
Let’s skip forward 12 months, what does Lex Luca want to have achieved by this time next year?
I’m just looking to enjoy making more music and hopefully people will continue to enjoy playing it and hearing it! I come with a big background in DJ’ing, so I’m also keen to push forward with that, and continue sharing all the great music that I get week in week out!
And finally, what is coming out next from you studio wise?
I’ve got a few bits up my sleeve….#WatchThisSpace
Catch Lex at the huge BackTo95 Boxing Day Party at Scala in London alongside the likes of Norris Da Boss Windross, Scott Garcia, Mike ‘Ruff Cut’ Lloyd, Ramsey N Fen, the Firin’ Squad, Jumping Jack Frost and Top Buzz. www.backto95.com
