Anyone who occasionally indulges in the exquisite underground dance scene of Brisbane would have certainly bumped into one of the Valley’s permanent fixtures DJ Fergus Alexander. One would agree that Fergus doesn’t do things in halves. He enjoys all the good things in life and really knows how to party hard. And on Friday October 31, this date will mark yet another rotation of the earth around the sun for Fergus, so why not cater to the man’s needs and throw a massive celebration! As part of the crew who like to organise the best parties in town, Fergus’ upcoming birthday bash promises to deliver on smashing beats and erupting the dancefloor.
Over the last decade, Fergus has forged his reputation as a provider of cutting-edge house music to the masses. Fergus’ determination and passion for music has seen him evolve from a child who was “reared on a diet of Cat Stevens and *Pink Floyd*” from his mother’s vinyl collection to becoming a man who spent his “teenage years listening to acts such as Smashing Pumpkins, Metallica and Pearl Jam – although nothing could beat getting ripped and listening to Portishead while playing Goldeneye,” Fergus notes. The natural progression for Fergus was to end up behind the decks. One might say that the man looks like he belongs there or was born with vinyl in his hand, though Fergus tells us it was something he kind of fell into.
“A mate asked me to give him a hand throwing a party for the schoolies about ten years ago. Unfortunately it didn’t go as well as expected. Seems getting wasted and having sex on the beach was far more appealing to the school leavers. I bought my first record back in early 2000. For me, that was the ultimate defining moment and I have never looked back”. Fergus has made his mark in the Brisbane scene ever since, not only as a club DJ, but also wearing another hat as promoter for Logic Events which have seen high profile acts such as James Holden, Desyn Masiello, Paolo Mojo, Luke Fair, Martinez, Steve Porter, Gui Boratto, SOS, Joris Voorn, Phonique and Meat Katie gracing the venues of Brisbane.
Logic Events has been a key part of Ferg’s life since its inception in 2005 when he and fellow DJs Mike Redfern and BPM put their heads together. With the intention of developing a profile for themselves by catering to the appetites of the Valley crowd, they hoped to achieve deliciously fresh underground delights with quality music at quality events. And this definitely been achieved with Logic gigs, evidenced by the long queues to gain entry into venues as well as packed dance-floors well through to the wee hours of the morning. This level of success has been gained in less than three years, which is both astonishing and remarkable for these modest boys. In fact, they claim their triumph as a result of support from their many friends.
“Brisbane can be a very close knit community and everyone knows each other and pretty much all get along,” Fergus states. “We have some of the best DJs and acts here in Brisbane and I’m proud to call many of them my mates. We’re always encouraging each other, egging each other on, supporting one another and playing at each other’s nights”. This is certainly evident for Fergus’ Birthday Bash, where Logic has sought the help of two of Brisbane’s finest partying purveyors, Scott Walker from Drop and SyFi of the Sunday Roast to join the birthday boy himself at Bar Soma for some fine music, great dancing and a no doubt a few devious party tricks.
With many party tricks already under his belt, were there any highlights for 2008? “It’s hard to pick as they all have been special, but the one that does spring to mind was our first party of 2008 featuring Gui Boratto. Bar Soma ended up being rammed to capacity and a bunch of crazy Brazilians were running amuck as Gui played one of the best sets I’ve ever heard. Pure magic!” Fans agree that the beauty of Logic gigs are they have never kept to the one sound or style. Whether it be house, breaks, techno, progressive or disco, the Logic Crew have always strived to push the best and the freshest sounds which is then reinforced through the dedication of Mike, Fergus and BPM. “We all bring our own set of skills to the running of Logic and use them to keep Logic at the forefront of quality in Brisbane,” Fergus proudly maintains.
So what lies in the future? Currently, Fergus is working on adding an extra dimension to his sets through live on-the-fly recording and sampling – as many other talented progressive artists are these days. “Essentially it is almost like remixing and editing tracks on the spot but without the aid of a laptop,” Fergus explains. “The creative possibilities with DJing these days are endless and I am endeavoring to explore them. In terms of production I have mainly just been fiddling with editing music to make it sound how I want it to sound – whether it’s by completely cutting up a track and rearranging it or just adding effects onto it”.
Fergus is a master at his trade and for anyone unconvinced at this point, the best way to become fully converted is to use your ‘logic’ and see the man in action! He’ll be the tall guy in the hat, touting some garment in his favourite colour of red and undoubtedly bell-bouncing behind the decks. So rock up at Bar Soma on Friday October 31, and wish him a hearty “Happy Birthday”. At a party that Fergus flaunts as a good coming of age, he notes it will definitely be “a rocking good party with my friends, random nutters and looseness all around. If I have that I’m a happy, happy man”.
Catch Fergus Alexander playing Logic at Bar Soma this Friday October 31st.
