A longtime resident of the Marine Parade label as well as close compatriot to his boss Adam Freeland, the star of Alex Metric just keeps shining brighter the more records and remixes he puts out. And not unlike the refreshed and renewed Adam Freeland that we saw last year when he put out his infamous Global Underground compilation, Metric has a sound that travels effortlessly across breaks, tech and Ed Banger style noisy electro. But just make sure you don’t explicitly mention genres when you’re in his company – he gets a bit titchy…
With a catchcry of “Fuck genres, fuck fitting into a style… it’s hooky electronic music, with real song writing,” Alex ain’t taking no prisoners. “I just hate this preoccupation people have with pigeonholing and genrification. Stuff should be taken on face value,” he says. And on that same note, he tries to harness his background as a vocalist to allow him to bring something deeper and more substantial to his music. “A lot of ‘dance’ records have vocals there merely to fill that space, but that have little soul or substance to them. I’m not saying I’m Shakespeare, but the songs… can all be traced back to a real emotion.”
Alex spent the best part of 2007 focusing on remix work, giving his dancefloor polish to Gus Gus, Splittr, Jape, Metric, 30Hz and even indie act Hard-Fi. He’s in the country for the first time ever this weekend, and ITM gets the good oil on his upcoming new album, as well as what it’s like to work with Adam Freeland.
Tell us a bit about your upcoming album?
I’m 11 tracks into it. It’s turning out really well I think. It definitely has got to a place where it doesn’t quite sound like anything else. The 11 tracks demoed so far are all songs, I’m gonna get home and do the same amount of instrumentals and cherry pick the nest. It’s got everything I love chucked in: its rocky, its 80’s, its bleepy, its poppy, its underground. It feels multicolored and up in vibe – I’m really excited.
What’s it been like getting that together?
It’s really come together quickly. After my run of remixes last year I’ve been fitting in my album in between sessions on the Freeland album. The actual songs are the hard bit and I’ve got them nailed, so the easier bit begins now where I can go deep on the production side and try some crazy shit.
Is it similar to first single In Your Machine?
In Your Machine is a good half way point. There’s a couple on the album like that, but so far they are a lot more song based, less club arrangement. I might end up doing two mixes of every track to readdress that. It’s hard to balance a song format with a club arrangement without compromising the song. I’m also enjoying making slow stuff right now. Tracks at 110bpm can rock harder than fast tracks. There’s three on the record like that and they are my favorites, Robot Dreams is my fave track I’ve ever done I think.
Did the success of Whatshewants open a lot of doors for you?
It helped for sure. After that EP i had a long run of remixes. Those in turn opened a lot of doors and helped my profile. Whatshewants is the biggest selling record I’ve made so far too, I hope In Your Machine will do even better.
You’re also a singer by trade. Does that background give you a different perspective when producing?
I guess it makes me more open to vocals. Melody is a big thing for me too, maybe that comes from singing. To be honest till I started the album I’d had my producer hat on for so many years and not sung, I really didn’t feel like a singer. I’m really enjoying doing it again now, I wish I hadn’t stopped for so long.
You’ve been working with some pretty big names, like Darren Emerson and Adam Freeland. What have you learned from them?
The Freeland album I’ve been co writing and producing has made be learn an insane amount. I’ve really been pushed out of my comfort zone and had to try some new things. We’ve really developed some production tricks that no one lese has done before on it. It’s turned out really well, me and Adam are very happy with the results – it’s epic. Working on another project has also really made me appreciate the time I get on mine more. It’s good to have diversions from things. It can get lonely on your own in the studio all the time, and on the flip when you working with someone you want some time to yourself. So to have both is perfect.
Will the red keytar be making an appearance at your shows here?
Not yet. Once the albums ready and the live show is sorted I will rock out the keytar. I want to gather an array of weird and wonderful keyboards and keytars for the show. I have my sights set on the next purchase already.
You’ve said of your music, “Fuck genres, fuck fitting into a style… it’s hooky electronic music, with real song writing.” Would you care to elaborate on that?
I just hate this preoccupation people have with pigeonholing and genrification. Stuff should be taken on face value. I guess the songwriting point in that quote is about meaning something. A lot of ‘dance’ records have vocals there merely to fill that space, but that have little soul or substance to them. I’m not saying I’m Shakespeare, but the songs on the record can all be traced back to a real emotion. Though I like ambiguity in lyrics too. If it’s too direct it’s not open to interpretation, I like the fact lyrics can mean totally different things to different people.
How do you define or describe your sound?
Alex Metric.
This will be your first trip to Australia – what are you expecting?
I’ve got a feeling I’m going to really like it. Everyone I’ve spoken too raves about oz. I can’t wait to see it.
And what can Australian crowds look forward to from you?
I’m coming straight from finishing the Freeland album to oz, so I’ll road test loads of that, try some stuff off my new record out and jump about whilst doing it.
Catch Alex Metric bringing the Marine Parade sound to the following club shows…
Fri Mar 14 – Ambar, Perth
Sat Mar 15 – Chinese Laundry, Sydney
Thu Mar 20 – Base, Magnetic Island
Sat Mar 22 – Breaks N Enter, Brisbane
Sun Mar 23 – Revolver Upstairs, Melbourne
