thePULSEThe Only Thing This Music Biz Wizard Can’t Do Is Slow Down!
By Steph Moore
Alex Ridha ~ better known to the world as Boys Noize ~ has been making electronic music and working as a DJ for over half of his life, which is no small feat considering that he’s only 29 years old (and has already received the Independent Music Award in 2010 and been named Best Electronic Artist on Beatport 3 consecutive times). As a DJ, Ridha has established himself as one of the world’s preeminent wizards behind the DJ decks, having played some of the world’s biggest stages alongside some of the biggest names in dance music. As a recording artist and a producer, Ridha has created his own sound and pioneered his own brand, amassing a formidable body of work in the process. He has released two albums (2007’s Oi Oi Oi and 2009’s Power) and countless singles as Boys Noize, plus he’s done profoundly influential work as a remixer and a producer for everyone from Depeche Mode, Feist, and Daft Punk to David Lynch and Jarvis Cocker. He has also collaborated extensively with Erol Alkan and Mr. Oizo (on a project called Handbraekes). At a time when most of his peers are just beginning to make a name for themselves, Ridha is already a proven industry veteran whose talents as a musician, a DJ, and label curator pretty much ensure that he’ll never stops moving, playing, and creating and will always be in demand. And things got even more hectic with the release of his third long-player, Out of the Black, this fall.
“It was hard for me to put together a new album because I basically never stop playing shows,” Ridha told us. “So last year, after spending nearly two years working as a producer on records for Gonzales, Spank Rock, Santigold and the Scissor Sisters, I finally took some time off to just work on my own stuff. I had almost forgotten how nice it was just to be at home in my own studio. It felt really good.”
The raucous, schizophrenic sound of Out of the Black ~ much like previous Boys Noize’s records ~ is a wonderfully positive symptom of what he admits is a very limited attention span: “I get bored really easily with sounds,” he explained. “The exciting part for me is trying to come up with new sounds, putting new sounds in a new dress. I’m sound obsessed. I buy a lot of machines and synths, and I’m always looking for a way to destroy sounds in an unconventional way. I’m always drawn to music and productions that sound entirely different or really naïve or sometimes just stupid. I don´t like it when it sounds too clean and generic, there needs to be some sort of soul. I guess that explains a lot about my sound which I think I instinctually capture. But I do try to keep in mind what I loved about dance music when I started doing this and how it made me feel. Those thoughts were also very much on my mind when I was making this record.”
The new album is the perfect bridge between his previous two efforts, providing the requisite in-your-face electro bang of classic Boys Noize on tracks like “What You Want,” “Rocky 2,” and “XTC,” plus more melodic songs like “Ich R U“ and “Reality.” At a time when mainstream electronic music ~ particularly the pervasive cultures of EDM and dubstep ~ have moved dance music out of the clubs and into the stadiums, Ridha is quick to acknowledge that old school house and acid records shaped him as a DJ, and that explains why the very same records continue to bubble up as an influence on Out of the Black.
“I was playing music ever since I was a kid,” shared Ridha, “I played drums in bands for years, and before that I was around 10 when I would record myself on cassette tape playing songs on a keyboard and singing in German. I started to DJ when I was fourteen and I immediately got really addicted to buying vinyl. I had to hold down two jobs in order to pay for my records. The feeling I had playing records and making people dance was the same kind of feeling I got from learning how to use a sampler and make beats. At the time, I didn’t know anyone else who was a DJ and all my friends thought the music I loved was weird. There was no big culture for it then, but to me it was just the most fun in the world…and it still is. I just learned it by doing it…and that is still kind of my approach.”
In addition to his role as a DJ and producer, Ridha is also the heart of Boysnoize Records, the label he started back in 2005. Founded originally as a means to get his own music out into the world, Boysnoize Records ~ and its sub-label, BNR Trax ~ is now home to more than a dozen artists (including up-and-comers like Spank Rock, 17-year old SCNTST, Le1f, Strip Steve, Housemeister and Siriusmo) and responsible for almost 100 releases ~ while remaining 100% independent.
“Everyone has their own sound,” says Ridha. “It´s kind of a non-conformist DIY collective, multidirectional and escaping any ill-fitting genre pigeonholes. This inspires me, that´s why having a label is so great. That’s the kind of stuff I want to support. I never compromise when it comes to creative or musical things. I only do what I think is cool and what I like. It’s not about what the market wants or what people expect. Maintaining artistic freedom has always been the most important thing to me ~ for my own music or for anyone on my label.”
Despite his ever-expanding label roster and the increased demand for his time, both as a producer and a remixer, Ridha’s primary loves continue to be the twin pursuits of making and performing music ~ two activities that continue to provide the same charge they did back when he was just a kid back in Hamburg. In addition to his label duties and endless DJ gigs, Ridha is looking forward to bringing a more “official” Boys Noize show to the masses in support of Out of the Black. “I have played at pretty much every music festival in the world,” he said. “I was happy with just being able to show up with my CDs and play. I never really thought about having an actual production. I always figured that in the end the music was the only message that was important. I still do believe this, but now I feel like presenting a show that’s specifically about my own music. I really want to give people a concert, you know? It’s also a way for me to keep this interesting. I don’t want to ever feel like this is a job. That would be boring. And weird.”
As for the title of his new record, Ridha explained that it didn’t just come to him randomly; in fact, just the opposite is true. “I tend to make and produce music only at night. I also generally only perform at night, so this is music that’s coming totally out of the black. Also, they say the color black can absorb all other colors, which is a cool way to think about making music. You absorb every other kind of music ~ every possible sound ~ and what comes out of you is something new, something out of the black.”
The new album perfectly bridges the gap between his previous two efforts Oi Oi Oi and POWER; providing the requisite in-your-face electro bang of classic Boys Noize on tracks like “What You Want,” “Rocky 2,” and “XTC,” plus more melodic songs like “Ich R U“ and “Reality.” At a time when mainstream electronic music, particularly the pervasive cultures of EDM and dubstep, have moved dance music out of the clubs and into the stadiums, Ridha is quick to acknowledge the old school house and acid records that shaped him as a DJ; they’re the very same records that continue to bubble up as an influence on Out Of The Black.
Out Of The Black is available worldwide via Boysnoize Records. The first rousing track from the album ~ “What You Want” ~ can be heard now on Rolling Stone at www.rollingstone.com/music/news/song-premiere-boys-noize-this-is-what-you-want-20120723 and via his SoundCloud at soundcloud.com/boysnoize/boys-noize-what-you-want.
CATCH THE EXPERIENCE THAT IS BOYS NOIZE AT THE HOUSE OF BLUES IN BOSTON ON DECEMBER 2, AND BE SURE TO VISIT THESE SITES:
THIS JUST IN!
Boody & LE1F Release Liquid EP on Boysnoize Records
New York’s finest gems ~ Boody & LE1F ~ have just been signed to the BoysNoize Records roster, bringing with them their talents as producers, beatmakers, rapper and vocalist. After his murky debut mixtape Dark York, LE1F’s now hooking up with his long friend Boody to present their first release, Liquid EP, on Boysnoize Records. The digital and 12” are out November 19.
The record opens with “Jellyfish” ~ deadly, deep kicks sphered by drippy ice rinks, it’s a brilliant balance between low-kicks and driving sirens unleashing the track’s unique shapes. “Buoy” swooshes away into a howling, cryptic, and moody underwater action ~ closing gates, chirping birds and vanishing claps building a dark, cavernous tension. As the subs shift from high to low, Boody & LE1F blessed the track with whispered vocals, giving everything a vogue-ish breeze.
Next, “Soda” chops up the classic “The Ha Dance” of Masters at Work into a kunty juke-ballroom mix. Furious “Ha Samples” winding through the track as minimalistic footwork kicks and aqua drops join in the game. LE1F demonstrates his excellent rap skills here and shows us how to run this catwalk! With its UK Funky- rooted percussion and dominant bass lines, the New York collaboration takes it to another level with “Sweet Tea” while Khalif’s stargazing performance glides across the track. Following is Cedaa’s remix of “Sweet Tea.” He loops LE1F’s strongest lines ~ “Damn Mama put it down this is way too hot for me!“ ~ and permeating hollow pitched “Oh!“ in the back. His hydraulic mix pumps the original to a one-of- a-kind club monster.
The EP closes with the East Coasts Ballroom beats remix from MikeQ and Divoli S’vere of “Soda.” Together they reconstruct the original to a deadly vogue anthem and bring the taste of the New Jersey ballroom underground to those who are in the know.
Boody & LE1F give us an extra treat, too ~ a booty shaking composition for 12” exclusive-track called “Born Underwater.”
Boody & LE1F ~ Liquid EP track list:
01. Jelly Fish
02. Buoy
03. Soda
04. Sweet Tea
05. Sweet Tea (Cedaa Remix)
06. Soda (MikeQ & Divoli S’vere Daughter’s Ha Remix)
Released by: Boysnoize Records
Release/catalogue number: BNR088
Release date: November 19, 2012
Listen to the EP here! soundcloud.com/boysnoizerecords/sets/bnr088-boody-le1f-liquid-ep.
Special thanks to Inge Colsen – Girlie Action Media
