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TheBeatRanch.com - Interviews - Valex


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Starting off our 2010 interviews we have Valex.

Hailing from Norwich, Valex is no stranger to the hard dance scene, with tracks like "Bitter Sweet Techno Harmony" and "Artificial Drugs" being played by pretty much everyone in the scene, its no wonder that his DJing has landed him gigs all over the world in places such as Thailand, Australia and of course all over the UK. Last year saw the birth of "Nitroktane", (his new label with Adam M), releasing two very successful CD releases as well as his label Bezerk releasing a very successful CD with more on the way!

Now with out any further ado, Valex

Welcome Valex, this is not your first time here at The Beat Ranch, you did a guest mix for us last year which had alot of people talking and downloading. For those who do not know where abouts are you from and what is the scene like out there at the moment?

Thanks for having me back, yeah my last Beat Ranch mix was a production showcase but I think this new one will be from a variety of producers who's sound I really enjoy. As for about me I come from Norwich on the east coast but my work takes me all over the world so I am not home that much, Norwich's scene is very funky house orientated but there is pams house which does pull in 1000 plus crowd but again is very commercial,there is also a few smaller promoters that I have played for but its a small hard dance scene.

Do you remember your first gig and if so how did it go?

My first gig was for Fidget, a night run by Barry Diston in Coventry,I had just made my first Bezerk release, Bitter Sweet Techno Harmony and Artificial Drugs so I got to test run them which was excititng. My fav gigs still have to be went I went over to OZ an played Frequency in Adelaide an I had 2 live mixs on the radio,its suprising how nervous I felt playin the radio more than the club gig haha, then on the way home I played the vinyl club 4:30-6am sunrise set at the anniversary of the full moon party in Thailand, 23000 people as it was in April, Thai New Year month, I remember droppin my Sweet Dreams remix as the sun was comin up over the sea,amazin!

If you could play anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

To play anywhere in the world I would love to play Forbidden Forrest in OZ or Dance Valley in Holland, they just look like massive events with true dedicated clubbers.

What has been your most craziest experience either while DJing or at a club?

My most crazy experience is when I was playin the full moon party an lookin up an seeing 1000s of people from around the world dancing to my set on the beach an in the sea especially all singin along to wet dreams, before I started DJin I only dreamed I would play such a huge event,especially as I had done 2 full moon parties previously as a backpacker an thought it would be ace to actually play one. Dreams can come true!

When can people see you play out next?

People can next see play out at Xstatic an Deprivation's night at Subway City, Feb 13th with Karim, Ilogik, Amo from The Tidy Boys an JP an Jukesy, should be a wicked night,see u there.

You run several labels, such as Nitrox, Bezerk and Nitroktane with Adam M. Can you give our readers a bit of info on what makes each label different from each other?

The difference with my labels is that Bezerk vinyl an now the cd series is bootleg/remixes of my fav tracks from yesteryear that I loved that I thought I could improve or bring up to date in todays scene. Nitroktane with Adam M is our two sounds comin together in new productions or remixes as well as signin up an comin artists tracks that we feel suit the sound of our sets, as for Nitrox I stopped it a while back as vinyl was almost dead, but have decided to do some 4 track Nitrox CDs later this year with CD 1 (or Nitrox9/10) comin out around June, featuring "Imaginary Forces - We Can Touch This" an "Valex - Just Let Go", plus two more.

You mentioned that Nitrox & Bezerk were at first a vinyl labels, speaking of vinyl do you remember your first vinyl and if so, what was it?

I was really sad when vinyl died as I used to love vinyl shoppin. CDs will never sound as good as vinyl, the pop is just so much better. The digital era we live in makes vinyl less attractive. I have been buyin vinyl for years which started with my drum an bass collections like Ronnie Size - Brown Paper Bag to the darker sounds of Ram Records. Then progressing through to my trance collection, gradually gettin harder to the sounds I play now, but if I am totally honest the first vinyl I ever bought was the rape scene cover of Guns an Roses - Appetite For Destruction.

Nitroktane has had two very succuessfull CD releases last year, when can people expect the next release?

Nitroktane seems to be doin quite well, myself an Adam have no.3 pretty much ready which should be out by end of Feb featuring some tunes from Defective Audio an djOpel, Superfast Oz, Jody 6, OD404 an myself an more, if Adam gets time he wil do something too as he has his new project Hi-Oktane Records featurin DJs who rock the Hi-Oktane nights' dancefloor appearin on the label. Its gonna be busy year for us both.

You do alot of your productions with Dave Owens at the helm. Have you worked with anyone else besides Dave?

Yeah most of my production is done with Dave Owens, we work really well together an have such similar taste its easy to get a track soundin how we intended it to be. We have created a new collaboration name, "Kumite", its a more darker sort of trance sound which is how we felt hard trance should have sounded, but I have worked with Dom/Defective Audio alot, after the success of our first collab - Chasin Cows we have just finished a new collab but we have not decided on a name yet,as for other engineers I have worked with Ingo, Colin Barratt, DNG, Tom Urwin, Kam-Pain an Barry Diston. For Nitrox an Nitroktane I intend to do some more work with Dave an work with Ben Townsend, Matt Capitani an Karl Davis. I also have some collabs due with Weazel, WhiteHayz an Frank Farrell as soon I can get time plus I wanna try an get in with Ben Stevens at some point.

Your collab productions have recieved rave reviews with tracks like "Snowed Under" with Ben O on Carbon Recordings and "Cafe Del Munted" with OB1 on your label Bezerk. Are there any more collabs of yours coming up that people should be on the look out for?

Snowed Nnder an Cafe Del Munted have been big tunes for me an I enjoy doin collabs. It is nice to have a slightly different view on my ideas an I really like the social side of producin. This year I am workin on a Valex an friends double album, one side the usual suspects, startin this month with a collab with F1/Paul King an then people like Ian M, Andy Farley, JP an Jukesy, Nik Denton, Dave Owens, Munkjack, Defective Audio, Adam M an Karim has said he might well be up for doin a collab too which is great news! Hopefully 12 collabs an cd 2 the unusual suspects will feature people like Amber D under her new techy trance sound, Jon BW, Nick Sentience an hopefully Ali Wilson, BK, Technikal, Lisa Lashes an Kutski featurin 8-10 collabs! I hope this album will be finished the end of this year as I got to juggle it with workin away, my home life an all my other labels too.

What tracks have been making thier rounds in your CD wallet lately?

Tracks in my wallet lately always feature new ones from me includin Kumite Remix of Bitter Sweet Techno Harmony, Valex - Satisfied an Valex - Cried an Tested, other than that I got some new gems from Dom recently an from Dave like his new remix of Echelon an his bob-b-q, I really like JP an Jukesy remix of More Drugs, Dave Curtis - Pacman is quality too an I been enjoyin Nik Denton's remix of Set It Off, its a proper crowd pleaser. What James Nardi an Ben Townsend been producin of late have been top ,some quality new tracks comin out this year. Big tune though prob has to be Dubz Vol 3, an my Access Remix,(KY Gives U Access).

What track do you not leave home with out?

Never leavin my wallet tune would probably my Cafe Del Munted tune as it still gets the crowd up for it but a few tracks never leave my wallet like alot of wallets I guess, Janes' remix of Lost In Love or BK - Bad Ass, I love Nick Sentience remix of Energy Flow an Glazby's remix of 99.9. too many.

When you are not DJing or producing what do you get up to in your spare time?

When I am not producing I am usually somewhere in the world building a new super structure for Vector-Foiltec.com or on holiday with the other half of Imaginary Forces (Miss Leadin) or we are just chillin at home with the fire blazin watchin movies an being lazy,gotta rest some times as I dont get much time to do nothing.

Any last words or shout outs?

Shout out to all those who buy my music, thanks for ya support, the DJs that play my stuff I appreciate the plays, I hope Hard House gets back to where it belongs an the gigs r always full,......live each day like its ya last but party like u r gonna live forever....much love an keep it bezerk x