For London-based drum and bass DJ and producer Alix Perez, playing his gigs in India is one of his top favourite things to do. In the city to headline the XII edition of the Bass Camp Festival, India’s first and only bass-heavy electronic music festival, Alix was here the first time in March 2012 for a three-city tour. This time, he again toured Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai adding Pune to the list.
Recalling his experience, the Belgian says he feels kind of integrated a little bit with the city because of the similar weather. “My last time here was good too. I was quite surprised with the large turnouts. I didn’t know there was quite a following for my music, so it’s great to come back.”
On what he got along this time, Alix says: “The show is going to be bigger with a lot of new music. In the last two years I’ve made a lot more music for people as well as stuff from my latest album U to listen to and love.”
Easily one of the most sought-after drum and bass producers in the industry, the DJ recently released a music video for the title track of U, featuring the ancient, traditional Indian battlefield art of Sanatan Shastar Vidiya, and its current custodian and last living master Gurdev Nidar Singh Nihang. Along with producers in India, including Vachan Chinnappa, BREED, SickFlip, Sandunes, Ez Riser and Ox7gen, Alix is part of the bass movement organised by Krunk, the company that pioneered it for the last five years.
Looking back, Alix says his journey with music began when he was 14. “I was already into music before that and used to listen to a lot of French hip-hop. I lived in France so there wasn’t really much of a scene there. But then I moved to the UK and discovered drum and bass through a friend. It seemed the most natural thing for me since I was always looking for new things to do and that music really caught on to me.”
His debut LP 1984 was released in 2009 and shot him to instant fame becoming one of the most highly-rated electronica albums of the year. “The year 1984 is when I was born and also the year in which the George Orwell novel was written. I really feel close to him and found it was something meaningful for me to use. From 1984 to U , the music has gone through a natural development - progressing and evolving with a lot of influences from life experiences such as music, people and travel.”
On the future of his music, Alix says drum and bass has covered a lot of ground and will continue to grow. “The trend is that it will constantly evolve. Everyone jumps to the sound. There is lots of room for experimentation. It may also operate in circles going back to a certain era.” On an Indian perspective, he adds: “India has a lot of potential. The scene is still nascent here but it will surely grow bigger and bigger here. I like coming back here and the audiences only keep growing.”
