by Polly Lavin
As I quietly sit sipping a drink waiting for the nu – rave phenomena that is Boys Noize I am struck almost unexpectedly by the demeanour of a toweringly tall Alex Ridha. He greets me with a massive open smile and a soft hug. First impressions is Ridha is happy with life at present, down to earth and taking the attention and chaos that has ensued around Boys Noize in the last year in a casual stride. I find it difficult to understand his manner when I later witness the carnage he causes in ‘Spy’. The barrage of intimate and physical displays of attention he receives at this gig reaches a point where he cannot exit the DJ booth for an hour after the set finishes and where a fan from his description of “The Dublin Zoo” steals his cap from his head as a memento of the night.
Now he wears a dogtooth check jacket, which he states is “Rasta” in look. I disagree. It looks like a Yasser Arafat PLO scarf from the 80’s that some designer has concocted into a piece of clothing. I debate this with him and meet an “uninterested in fashion” look upon his face. He tells me “I’m not that fashion guy but I’d like to have my own clothes range as I have an idea about what I would wear”. This along with his Nike skater shoes and oh-so attitude peak cap screams “scene kid” and pretty much everything visual about nu – rave & electronic music right now. When I question him about superhero preference he tells me “If I was a superhero I would be superman because he can fly” and then randomly adds “Or if I had to dress up for a party a giant Panda that would be cool” I show him my panda t-shirt that I happen to be wearing; he seems impressed & laughs. Surprisingly when I talk about what DJ’s really get up to at after club parties he tells me “I don’t know I am always not there! I’ve gone to some but I’m not that guy”. Ridha it seems is part of the new generation of producers and DJ’s that prefer to concentrate on quality musical output rather then the hedonism usually associated with electronic music, though when I try to pigeonhole his personality and question his preference between geekiness or confidence he is quick off the mark to tell me that “confidence” wins hands down. In contradiction to his dis-interest in after-parties he explains unknowing to his parents he had been exposed to youth clubs & nightclubs since the age of 11 and working in a record shop for 6 years with a zealous boss opened doors that led to his first proper performance as a DJ at the age of 16. He adds “My first big gig came before a series of smaller ones”. I ask him did he feel the pressure at such a young age and he replies “Not at all even it was the other way around I wasn’t even nervous about my first gig. It was cool” confidence it seems ever present in his life, though in hindsight he adds “being very young going out is not so cool” .You do wonder as he tells you all of this where the balance in time came for him to “play drums for 5 years and piano for 4 years” which gave him the grounding in music that has honed his production abilities. We talk production techniques and how he brought old school techniques into his take on the 21st century digital sound, he tells me he enjoys real instruments and “electronic music and technology allows me to do things with music that I couldn’t do with instruments on their own. Even though I’m a musician this is the reason I became an electronic producer ”.
An intense workload with worldwide gigs and remixes for superstars such as Snoop, indie artists such as Feist and an album ‘oi oi oi’ released in the autumn made 2008 the year of Boys Noize. He tells me he only works a “Tuesday” laughs and then retracts saying his day starts at around 9am and finishes at 2am in the morning with breaks in between and cites to me he will take ‘2 months off’ in his schedule in 2008 for a “much-needed” break. The sound of Boys Noize is in your face rave a sound that was pushed to the side whilst minimal techno took off tonight in Spy it’s clearly the sound that relates to right now. Ironically, even supermodels such as Heidi Klum are citing it as “their favourite electronic music of the moment” he blames exposure in the USA with gigs in clubs such as Avalon & performances at Coachella & say;s “ I think maybe MYSPACE did it. I mean MYSPACE is where it is at for everyone. I didn’t do much promotion for the Oi Oi Oi album it was on my own label. I don’t have any money to spend for marketing!”
The Interview
What's good about dance music right now?
The good thing is it’s always changing back to where it started from and then it starts over again because it gets boring, I’ve gone through a lot of different styles. When I started in ‘96/’97 I was more about house and deep house, which now 10 years later is hot again. The minimal guys play deep house now. I can’t do it they were probably into techno 10 years ago though, it’s cool that Chicago house is being played again. I look at myself more as a musician and I like always to surprise myself in DJ-ing but also in a production way. What I’ve kept over time is my attitude in the music I play, music I identify with has to have energy and that’s what I pick when I buy or produce records.
What do you think is bad in dance music at the moment?
The sound you consider as ‘Boys Noize’ is the sound we had to build. When I started the label it was totally outside of what was going on. It took a long time to build that scene just because we were not the sound that was cool at the time so we didn’t initially get the exposure and that was just 4 years ago. The first Boys Noize party there was only 70 people in a small shit-hole in Berlin
So you were bringing in the electro sound and the clash sound when the minimal techno sound was the hype?
Exactly that was the peak time of minimal and I was the complete opposite. I wouldn’t say it was about clash it was more about the aggressive techno or the jacking techno sound. In the scene I actually thought there was no-one that could play my sound. There were DJ’s who bought my records telling me “yes I like them but I can’t play them because there is nothing else to mix it in with”I didn’t think that way. I had a lot of records to play with my sound.
What effect did Erol Alkan playing your sound have?
He was one of the guys who was supporting my label at an early stage that sound obviously got really big. It’s a natural thing that something fresh is going on underneath the main sound then the kids find it, love it badly and its almost like they overproduce to feed the market. That’s when there is too much shit. Happens with all the genres. Having those stupid noisy records and bassline its something, which is so annoying but at the same time it’s a motivation for me to go on and to try to do something else. Quality production will always survive and I think that is what people in the end appreciate. When the hype is there the handful of guys/producers that are ahead already move onto something else.
What’s coming up for you in 2009?
I’m focusing on creating new music and writing music with friends like Erol Alkan and we’re writing songs for a new project in development with Gonzales. I’m just trying to figure out and focus on what the next Boys Noize record should sound like
Any kids toys or instruments in your set up?
Yes. Speak & Spell and Speak & Read. I also have a little glockenspiel I used it on the Apparat remix
Most overused piece of software or equipment?
Probably my Nord Lead it’s an analog synth. The LFO is so great it was the first synth I bought and I still use it now.
Who are you watching for musically in 2009? Club wise, labels etc?
Look out for Shadow Dancer, he’s wicked. He’s an industrial electronica producer. He’s been in the scene a long time and he produces like Autechre/Warp records. It’s a sound that’s becoming more dance-floor friendly. In terms of labels the 2001 guys in Amsterdam interest me and Raster Noton from East Germany it’s very intellectual electronic music, which is the German version of Warp records. Club-wise if it really has to come down to one I would say it has to be the Boys Noize parties in Berlin. They are always off location and never in an existing club.
Tell us about the sound of Boys Noize for 2009?
It’s not really about one particular sound it’s more about quality in electronic music. All of them are really different to each other like DIM is one of my oldest friends from Hamburg he is producing like real techno Les Petits Pilous are like 2 wild boys from France they are also quite noisy and are the new generation of the noisier sound. Strip Steve is doing more old school filter/disco house. With Shadow Dancer I found him on Myspace. It’s incredible.
What is real techno?
For me techno was always like punk music, harder, it has that punk attitude.Techno was there because house music wasn’t house music anymore it just got harder and harder in the middle of the 90’s.
So you surf MySpace?
Yeah I did a lot. Right now I feel like I have my crew and I can’t sign really anymore. Everyone is doing new records and I have to release them and focus on that.
If you have no budget on marketing etc can you explain what is the phenomenon that is Boys Noize?
I think a lot of kids they just identify with the music before MYSPACE I had an old school way, a lot of 12 inch vinyl releases and only DJ’s and producers knew me so I got booked to smaller clubs which were very underground. Obviously doing remixes for bigger bands like Depeche Mode or Feist that puts you into the next level
What do you think makes a good set in a club? New music, old music or something else?
It’s a good proper mix from both also to find the right balance in playing very new and fresh sounds and trying to always move ahead and try out new things. Many DJ’s don’t have the balls to try out new things they just see other DJ’s playing each song and they pick that song up. Being the guy who plays it first is hard to achieve though.You should rock the party.
I’ve heard about sampling of major artists going on in electronica lately, one artist told me they sampled Kate Bush on one of his tracks?
That’s the good thing about electronic music the technology makes it so easy to sample anything just bits of 60’s, 70’s, 80’s music there is no real border production wise
Have you ever had anybody on to you about copyright? – Would you use anything so obviously without permission?
Of course there is the thing about copyright but when you sample something and it’s unrecognisable the lawyers cannot get you. There are millions and millions of records out there that are based on samples so artists cannot really say to you “oh that’s a cheek to rip that”. There was a time at the end of the 90’s also when filter house and disco house became bigger and bigger and everyone started to use samples with a house beat but it was an original house idea at the beginning of the 90’s.
Do you think we need more or less electronic producers on the scene at the moment?
I wouldn’t say so. I think we always need more surprising electronic music. I am happy with every student having a laptop at home and trying to produce electronic music its cool. That’s what it is for but I mean most of the producers they orientate on the sound that is out right now and what is in fashion. So I think it’s more about trying to create something fresh.
So if you were to listen to say 50 promo’s a week how many out of 50 would make your ears go ‘oh that’s interesting’?
Only one
Are producers missing the ‘quality production’ point?
That’s how it is there are only a handful of guys that are interesting to me. You get to know a lot of sounds and I have been through many styles over 10 years is well so I don’t get excited that easy. Your ear and knowledge develops. The viewpoint for a new kid who just starts now to DJ is a totally different point of view to mine.
Majors – Vs- MYSPACE – your take?
I had the chance to put my album out on bigger labels to have marketing and money and pluggers trying to push it but it was never something that interested me. Being on a major is super scary. People spend money on you and they want it back. Then you start to commit to things and you end up committing to stuff you would never do. I know a lot of people they have only had bad experiences. If you are a super looking guy, you write great pop songs and you want to be on stage then they can support you and you can be the new Robbie Williams. It’s also marketing, promotion and just about money. Being on a major wouldn’t have made me happy at all. I’m happy to have my own label and to release my own work. When I started to do all the Boys Noize stuff I kept saying to myself I just want to do what I think is cool. So I never did any remix just for money even right now bands approach me to produce them and I know I could and it would open new doors for me but I don’t feel comfortable with that. My inner taste and intuition goes against it. I wouldn’t feel right producing a band where I don’t like them so much.
If we are effectively in a recession what effect is it having on clubbing?
Well, it starts with the onus of the clubs. They have to find the right balance in having more famous DJ’s that they have to pay a lot of money to and that they just can’t afford.
Have you had to adapt any of your parties?
‘Bring Your Own’ I heard this is going on but I haven’t tried it
Is ableton and other software killing the clear sound and identity that music from cities like Chicago etc once had? Because the software is controlling the sound now rather then the artist.
Playing from a laptop the sound is not as good as playing directly from vinyl or cd’s cos its converted through the software you have through another cable through a box and then into a mixer. The more machines you have you are filtering some of the sound. There is no real art to that. Then you have new possibilities like having some extra effects or having those crazy mixes where you play a song for 30 secs or something but you just have to push a button to adjust the record. I mean dj-ing is super simple it’s not like playing piano to me its like I can adjust the record in 2 seconds. 10 Years ago you could tell a record was from Chicago because of the rough sound they just recorded like a 909 and a 303 directly into a mixer and it sounded shit but that was the sound so it was cool. Whereas everybody now is using pro-tools or ableton.
What do you think it’s going to take for identity to come back to the cities?
You could probably say that Chicago and Detroit and Berlin they have this rough feeling off recordings and it’s not as polished as sounds coming out of LA or London. When you produce something that you use the analogue production on you can’t control the hi hat so it sticks around and its really dirty or the snare is just way too loud but that’s the thing that makes the record interesting. To have this signal sound which just sticks out because its not mixed right or it’s just roughly combined with other stuff that is the attitude in the music that came out from the guys over there (USA) back then. Dancemania or Trax records had this really rough idea. Even the beginning of house music I really liked the idea of having a drum machine and then like soulful vocals over it. The mix and the roughness and the soul you could feel which made it identifiable to Chicago. It was amazing.
How do you feel about Real instruments – Vs- Electronic Production?
Well you can use a sample bank that holds 70,000 samples but does it really pick up the velocity of the sound that a real instrument provides? My album comes from machines. Real drum machines, real filters, real compression. It’s probably not as hi-fi as the digital sound but it’s something more. Its breathing and its got more warmth. I wouldn’t say ableton or logic or fruity loops destroy that thing. I produce with logic 10 years and you can use all the digital plug ins that push the sound crazy loud but then I can really tell sometimes because there are quality differences between those sequences. Fruity Loops and Reason to me is not really the best for sound quality. It’s very small sound wise and not the best for me.
Where is making better music at the moment Europe or the USA? Why?
Europe is always a step ahead. The USA seems to orientate on what is going on and 2 years later they come up with the sound that in Europe is already gone. The sound of Europe at the moment is a mix of house and techno, more party sound then reduced techno– I like the idea of minimal being minimal. Even on my album I reduce the music on only a few parts, but minimal minimal is just nothing anymore it’s ridiculous.
Why did Good Charlotte rip that skull image? Are you going to go to court?
I don’t know? Well it’s not me its christophe steinmeyer the artist who made the skull. He already had some conflict when Damien Hirst came out with his skull, the problem is a skullhead is really hard to have a trademark against. I could possibly trademark it as Boys Noize but in the end I cannot take it so seriously. It’s just a big laugh about them. It’s so ridiculous they had a Steve Aoki and an Ed Banger remix on their album. So they knew us for sure. It’s unbelievable that they take the exact same spinning skull.
How do you separate creative and business time?
It got hard for me because my studio, the office and living area is in one place. I am the typical self-employed musician. I would get up earlier if I am not dj-ing but I get up at 10am if dj-ing and go to bed at 2am – work, work, work, work in differing parts of the day, be in the studio, go out with the dog…it’s all mashed together
What’s better clubs or festivals?
Clubs. Sometimes it’s more personal and I can be more experimental – Tonight in spy they’ll probably be naked : ) The thing that happened to electronic music in the last year is because of MYSPACE and blogs. It became huge first it affected indie rock, then hip hop got electronic and now even Britney Spears is looking for electronic producers. It just got crazy big so that’s why it’s more present on festivals.
What’s the funniest or weirdest experience you’ve had in the airport?
Well it’s no fun to be at the airport and the most shitty thing was just once a couple of weeks they had a bomb scare in London. I had to walk with all my records, vinyl, clothes everybody the whole plane had to walk across the airport field and then there was nothing cos some guy left his bag in the wrong place.
http://www.myspace.com/boysnoize
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Interview/Article by courtesy of Polly Lavin
All rights reserved Polly Lavin
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