Photo credits: Lucas Hoeffel
alexander:louis has been immersed in music throughout his life. Whether is some funky house, techno, rock, or whatever, you’ll most likely find him dancing somewhere.
We had the chance to talk with alexander:louis about his current musical projects.
Electronic Groove: Hi, Mike, we hope you’re well. With everything going now with the COVID-19 virus, what can you tell us about your last weeks? How has it affected you and what’s your take on the whole situation?
alexander: louis: Hello all, I’m well, thanks! I think it goes without saying that we all have had to acclimate to our new environments. I’ve definitely ran out of shows to watch, and of course, eating a bit too much right now… But I think one of the biggest components of my life that has been affected is how I’m approaching new time management. In the past, when I had extended downtime, I may have used it more for R&R, as opposed to optimizing my time in a more constructive way. I’ve been able to start some new projects I’ve been thinking about for a while now and pick back up some older projects that were lost in the wind. In general, it’s of course, an awful situation on a person-to-person perspective with all that we have lost, and all that we will lose and be affected, but it has also allowed us as a society and world to have a chance to start somewhat fresh; which is kind of exciting to be optimistic of a bad situation.
Electronic Groove: What have you done to cope with what’s going on?
alexander:louis: I’m lucky enough to have a full-time job on top of my music career, so I’ve been rather busy with work. I have also been swamped in the studio with new personal projects, and a few collabs that will be coming out in the upcoming months that I’m particularly excited about. I’ve had the opportunity to connect with a few artists that have been role models to me in the music industry, and I couldn’t be happier for what’s to come. I think right now is a great time to do that little outreach you didn’t have the chance to before or weren’t sure if you could, and see if a new relationship flourishes from it.
Electronic Groove: Do you think the music industry will change in any way? What positive or negative outcome can come of this? And what do you think the industry should do to adapt to the current measures?
alexander:louis: Of course it’s going to change. I presume we won’t be able to have large gatherings for at least 8 months. It’s so unfortunate to see al of these flagships and clubs around the world struggle right now and even close down. I definitely foresee more renegade and DIY events popping up, and I think there will be new ways to encourage sanitation and cleanliness. A lot of people are speculating that Livestreams will become more relevant, but to me, nothing compares to being at the event itself. I’m not sure if clubs will start to try and monetize live streams from their weekend events or not; personally, even though it would be great to see some icons that I would love to see live, I’m not sure how I feel about the possibility that clubs will start to stream outside the event itself. There’s something special about having the unique experience of being there.
Electronic Groove: Moving into your like as a DJ, producer, and event coordinator. Tell us what have been your latest ventures?
alexander:louis: I’ve had the opportunity to connect with a few artists that I’ve been looking up to for years now to start some new collaborations. I’m very excited about this and keep an eye out 😉 Also I have been putting some of my own work together in preparation for when we’re able to start playing out again. I have been working with my partner from our homegrown events in NYC, vyvn, for some special plans when we are able to come together again.
“A lot of people are speculating that Livestreams will become more relevant, but to me, nothing compares
to being at the event itself”
Electronic Groove: Where does your artist name come from?
alexander: louis: (laughter) Some Australian bloke.
Electronic Groove: Recently, you were featured on our flagship series, the EG Podcast. What was the inspiration to mix the session?
alexander: louis: It was such a pleasure and honor to have had the chance to put out content on EG’s main podcast. Legends have put out content on this channel, and to have had the opportunity to be in this same space was an absolute pleasure. I wanted to approach the mix by sharing some of the genres, and sub-genres, of electronic music I’m into right now. For me, a mix is a great opportunity to get creative and take people through a story of color, wherein a live set you’re looking more for consistency and drive (imo). I wanted to add some Sunday vibes, some Tuesday grooves, and of course a little of that late-night banger too. Hope you all enjoyed it!
Electronic Groove: What is vyvn? How did it start? What’s the vision behind it?
alexander: louis: vyvn is our homegrown event series in NYC. It started as a Burning Man camp actually, and we transitioned from there into a night-life series. It’s about 20 of our close friends who like to party, throwing the type of parties we would want to go to, and it just so happens some other people want to go too (laughter). We’ve been at it for about 5 years now. Our events are typically 600-800 people, where we never release the lineup. It’s just vyvn. Though we bring in top-tier talent from all over, it’s important to us that our crowd comes for the vibes, knowing there will be global talent, and trust us in our curation. This also provides a great experience for each artist because they get to see our homebody vibes and the community we provide. If you’re at vyvn, you’re vibin’…
For vyvn, we typically only do 3 flagship events each year, with 2 club nights that accompany it. Up next for us is that we are planning a special pop-up event once this quarantine is done. It’s going to be a special one, so keep an eye out
EG: Finally, any upcoming releases or endeavors that we should be looking forward to this year?
alexander: louis: Yes. I have two releases coming out on labels that I’m particularly excited about. And then as mentioned, there are a few collabs that are being finalized now that should be pretty good.
EG: Many thanks and we wish you nothing but the best!
alexander:louis: Thank you again, EG, for all the love and support you’ve shown, and for having me on your podcast. It’s always a pleasure to put out content for you all, and I’m looking forward to future endeavors.
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