Contributing WriterAlex Banks operates in an electronic world of his own. Drawing from the diverse styles of jungle, broken beat, techno and IDM, he cooks up scintillating sounds with grand architecture. Analogue machines are often at the heart of his work, and his boundary-pushing ideas have come across three experimental albums and plenty of EPs for labels like Max Cooper’s forward-thinking Mesh as well as Modeselektor’s Monkeytown and Ninja Tune. As such, he is a perfect fit for Sasha’s label where he now returns after previously contributing to the ‘TEN’ compilation…
Hey Alex, thanks for chatting with us. What have you been up to recently?
Thanks for having me! Right now, I’m out in the Canary Islands, where I usually escape the U.K. winter. I’ve got a small portable studio setup with me, so it’s a great time to sketch out new ideas, work on edits and sound design, and put together DJ mixes. I find that getting out of my main studio and working in different surroundings can be really inspiring—especially somewhere as beautiful as this!
This month, you’re back on Last Night On Earth with Afterlife. Why did you decide to return to Sasha’s label for your latest release?
I had been working on some ideas for new tracks, and these two stood out as needing to be released as their own EP. I’ve been releasing a lot of music on Max Cooper’s Mesh label over the last few years, which suits the more left-field electronica I make. But these tracks have a slightly more euphoric, dance-floor feel, so I felt they would be better suited to a different label. Having previously released a collaboration that Sasha and I wrote together on LNOE, it felt like the perfect time to return to the label with these new tracks.
Could you give our readers some insight into your previous work? Which projects stand out to you?
My first notable release was my remix of Bonobo’s The Keeper, which came out on Ninja Tune back in 2012. That track was really well received and pretty much launched my career! After that, I released my debut album on Modeselektor’s Monkeytown label, which was the perfect home for my music at the time—blending elements of Berlin’s techno and electronica with U.K. bass and post-dubstep influences.
Since then, alongside many remixes, most of my albums and EPs have been released on Mesh, including my latest release, Phase Shift, which came out at the end of last year. Aside from that, the LUZoSCURA project that Sasha put together during the pandemic was a real highlight. With all the clubs shut, he was inspired to create a more reflective project, calling on artists to contribute music that was less dancefloor-focused. I wrote my track Resurgence for it, which was recently featured in The Outrun film soundtrack.
Following that, Sasha asked me to collaborate with him on Australia, which was released as part of Last Night on Earth’s ten-year anniversary series.
What’s your typical production process? We’d love to know what pieces of analogue kit you like to use.
It really varies depending on how I’m feeling and where I am. If I’m in the studio, I might start a track by playing around with a drum machine like the TR-8S or programming beats in Logic or Ableton just to get a starting point. Then, I’ll experiment with one of my many synths—some of my favourites being the Roland Juno 106, SH-101, Moog Voyager, Matriarch, Mother-32, DFAM, and Sequential Prophet-6.
Next, I might start manipulating samples, taking old vinyl recordings and mangling them through granular sampler plugins like Output’s Portal or Ableton’s Granulator. I also love working with Eurorack gear, processing audio through modules like Qu-Bit Nebulae or Mutable Instruments Beads to get unexpected results.
Recently, especially when I’m away from the studio, I’ve been going back through old projects and repurposing recorded ideas. I’ve realised I have hours of cool synth lines and beats that never got used, and revisiting them has been a great source of inspiration—especially when I don’t have all my hardware around.
Brighton has a rich electronic music heritage. Has that influenced you as an artist?
Indeed, Brighton’s musical history has played a huge role in shaping the U.K. music scene. The building where I rent my studio space, Metway Studios, has been a key part of that over the years. The room I use was originally occupied by Adam Freeland, one of the pioneers of the breaks scene, and later by Evil Nine. I still have a Marine Parade sign (the name of Freeland’s label) in my studio as a nod to that history.
Orbital also had a studio at the end of the corridor, and the whole building is owned by The Levellers, a folk-rock band who were big in the ’90s and played a huge role in Brighton becoming a hub for the hippy/traveler culture.
That said, I wouldn’t say Brighton has directly influenced my sound, but there’s still a thriving community of producers here, and I find it inspiring to be surrounded by so many talented people.
What’s your favorite and least favorite thing about the music industry in 2025?
One of my favorite things is how easy it is to release and promote music directly to your audience without needing a label. When I first started, the only way to get music out was to press CDs and try to sell them yourself. I remember being so excited when a record shop in Brighton agreed to stock a few copies of a record I self-released back in 2007—though they didn’t sell any, lol. Without label support, reaching an audience back then was incredibly difficult.
My least favourite thing, is actually a product of my favourite. Because everyone is releasing music and so much of it is happening online, we are getting lost in a sea of noise and have become beholden to the algorithms. My social media feeds are so full of electronic music and cool visuals (things I of course love) that I’ve become desensitised to it. Our attention spans have become so short as we are wired for instant gratification, it’s become difficult to engage an audience with meaningful journeys that take time to evolve and reach their conclusion.
I feel very fortunate to have launched my career and grown a fanbase in an age before social media and smart phones had taken over our lives to the extent that they have now.
Have you had any records on repeat recently?
Four Tet’s latest album, Three, has been getting a lot of plays. There’s something really warm and familiar about it—it invites repeated listens and feels like an easy choice when I’m not sure what I want to put on.
I’ve also been listening to Bicep’s Chroma series a lot. I love how they released it track by track rather than dropping a whole album at once. It’s perfect when I just want a quick fix of music rather than committing to a full-length project.
What are your main goals for the year, both in and outside of music?
In music, I’m finishing up my next EP, which will be out later this year, and I’ve got a few remixes to work on as well. I’m also putting together a new version of my live show, so I’d love to book more dates and connect with my audience. My goal is to keep my release schedule busy and get lots of music out there! I’ve spent much of my career focusing on albums, which has been crucial for my artistic development, but I’ve recently recognised the importance of releasing singles and EPs. They take less time to make and are easier for audiences to engage with, helping to maintain my creative flow while keeping listeners connected to my musical journey.
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Follow Alex Banks: Instagram – Soundcloud – Beatport
