Contributing Writer
Alex Medina has been producing a wide variety of electronic music for well over 15 years. Following the release of his new EP on Secret Fusion ‘Trio Infernale’, we sat down with Alex to discuss the new EP, hardware and more.
Hello Alex Medina and welcome to Music is 4 Lovers! What have you been up to so far this year?
Hola! Thanks for the invitation. As with every year, my life goes from surfing to making music, touring, promoting my events and running my label Mumbai Records – as well as being a father and looking after my family. As you can see, very busy ahaha!
I’m also still celebrating my new EP, on Laurent Garnier’s label COD3 QR… very happy about it!
You’ve been releasing tracks as Alex Medina since 2007. What inspired you to start producing and pursue a career in music?
Well, I started playing music in the early 90s and the natural next step for me was to learn how to create my own music. Since then… non-stop learning!
When I was 18, I discovered house music and the art of DJing. From then, I knew that this was my thing and that I wanted to become a professional DJ and try to make a life from music.
You have a new EP out on Secret Fusion, the ‘Trio Infernale’ EP. What can you tell us about the release?
Trio Infernale is basically a jam session with my first, and still favourite, analog machines Elektron ‘Machinedrum’ and ‘Monomachine’.
I felt like I wanted to produce some very raw music, without thinking about the ‘perfect sound’; just jam and make some dark grooves with my two machines. That’s what I did, and the result was Trio Infernale.
This is your third release on Secret Fusion. At this point, do you find that your creative vision aligns with the label from the get-go, or is there still some back and forth to get the tracks where they need to be?
With the Secret Fusion family, it’s always very easy. They like my freak sound and they’re happy taking the risk to release some more unconventional music, away from modern melodic hype. I like labels that take the risk, and I like risky music, so the alliance is simply they like my sound and I like the label.
When you make music are you thinking ahead to what it will be like on the dance floor, or do you just focus on the music and trust that it will translate to the club?
Normally I just go with the flow. I never know what is going to happen when I sit in my studio but of course, if I want to make more dance floor bangers, I try to work and think about specific elements and how it will work at a club or festival or whatever! I can produce more techno one week and very deep stuff another. I don’t like to get stuck in one genre as I love many many different kinds of music, from classical to bossanova and from electronica to jazz… and everything in the middle. I basically love good music in general.
You have a pretty well stocked music studio out in the Canary Islands. Are there any bits of hardware that you could not live without?
Moog Sub37/ Elektron Octatrack / Elektron Analog Rytm/ Udo Super 6 are essential in my productions.
If you had to name an artist or DJ that more people should know about, who would it be?
Aphex Twin, Amon Tobin and many more electronica kings seem to be unknown names to many young people.
What would you say is the most important lesson you’ve learned through your music career?
Be patient, believe in your sound no matter what others say. Keep learning and working hard, and take care with ego and fake people. Most importantly, don’t believe the hype.
Finally, what can we expect from Alex Medina in the near future?
I have an upcoming electronica / downtempo album, with singer and label partner Alani, on Mumbai Records.
I also have an EP coming out soon on one of my favourite labels “Sum Over Histories”, from Frankey and Sandrino, alongside some other exciting releases on well known labels to come in 2023!
And, of course, keep touring, promoting, making music and surfing nonstop… that’s my life.
Alex Medina’s ‘Trio Infernale’ is out now on Secret Fusion – buy HERE.
Follow the artist here:
Soundcloud / Facebook / Beatport / Spotify / Instagram
