We’ve invited Greek DJ & producer Alex Dimou for a talk about his fantastic release “What Keeps You There” on Damian Lazarus’ Crosstown Rebels record label. It is a fantastic ride you ought to hear. Furthermore, we dug deeper about his influence, past and future. With over 25 years in the business, he has been at some places and must have something to say about music and life.
Enjoy the interview!
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Hello Alex,
How is your summer going so far?
Hello! Summer is good! And given the fact that I live in Greece, summer is more than good! Not too busy with gigs and this means more studio time for me! And I’m really happy about it!
You are about to release a damn nice EP on Crosstown Rebels. “What Keeps You There” is simply fantastic. The 2 remixes are stunning with the rolling bass. Talk us through the release, please.
Thank you so much! I’m glad you like it! Well, the release came really naturally. It was a summer afternoon, together with Vili and another friend in the studio. We were jamming and I had the idea for “What Keeps you There”. I told Vili how the vocal line goes in my head, she wrote the lyrics and we decided to record it. After a couple of weeks, I reopened the project and made the original track. When I sent it to Damian, he was really excited about the track! I remember he sent me a late-night email saying “Let’s do this”! That was it!
It’s your debut on the imprint. How did this come together? What is your connection with Damian Lazarus?
I have released 2 EP’s with Rebellion. Crosstown’s sublabel. I didn’t have a connection with Damian before. I went to a lot of Get Lost parties as a clubber and I really love him as an artist!
We also have a mutual friend who is also a DJ, K.atou. She helped me sent him my first demo and then my manager took over. Since then, we are continuously building a solid relationship. He really seems to believe in me and I’m really grateful for it. And he always has me in mind whenever he comes to Greece for gigs. And that feels huge to me! I really respect Damian as an artist and moreover, as a person. You don’t get to meet people like him often.
Did you road-test the tracks, and how did the crowd react?
I can’t play the remixes because I only do live acts, but both originals have a great impact. Especially “What Keeps you There”. People were asking me for information since day one. I haven’t got such a reaction for many of my tracks. And that gets me even more excited about the release!
You already have a nice track record. Looking back at it, what’s your favourite track until now and why?
Well, that’s a really hard question. I love many of my tracks. I don’t think that they are great, good, bad or whatever, I can’t judge that. But I do have connections with them. “What Keeps you There” is definitely one of my favourites. “This Time“, “Quiet Riot“, “White Rabbit” are also tracks I have deep connections with.
If you could have produced any record in the world, which one would it be?
Easy! “I Want to Sleep” by DJ Koze!
What’s more on your schedule for the summer you are really looking forward too? Maybe also release-wise, what can we expect?
It’s been a weird year for me. Besides making music for “Alex Dimou”, I have been exploring many music ways lately. I tried to make music for theatre plays, short movies etc. And I really enjoyed it. Other than that, I have been working with Vili (the singer from “what keeps you there”) and we really make a good duo. Not just in house music, but in other genres as well. So, yeah, I don’t really know what’s going to happen but I love
exploring and having choices!
I have been exploring many music ways lately. I tried to make music for theatre plays, short movies etc. And I really enjoyed it.
What kind of music did you listen to growing up, and does it have any influence on your current sound?
Well, to be totally honest I was really into 90’s pop music. Backstreet Boys, Eminem, Gorillaz etc. I can’t really spot the influences but I’m pretty sure they are there!
What else gets you inspired music-wise?
I really love cinematic and classical music. You can “see” stories without even seeing. Classical music feels really trippy to me and it intrigues me!
What else are you doing to push things forward?
It’s pretty much the whole idea with the choices. I love exploring and expanding. Trying to find new ways to present my live acts, trying to see if I can make any other genres rather than electronic music, working with people, meeting new forms of art … It’s all in the concept of expanding!
The process of learning to make electronic music reveals to you how little you know. What do you think?
There is definitely no “right way” to make music. You can have the same result with hundreds of different ways, and the opposite. You never know enough, even if you spent a decade studying. Meeting other artists and see how they work, is the best learning process for me.
There is definitely no “right way” to make music. You can have the same result with hundreds of different ways …
Doesn’t it make you increasingly aware of how much more you need to learn to get anywhere close to where you want to go?
Well, I’m not quite sure because I’m not sure of where I would want to go. I don’t have a certain goal, so it’s not like I have to learn something specific in order to achieve my goals. I’m just learning. Anything! Anything that can keep me motivated and gives birth to new ideas, new ways of expressing myself. And that never ends I think.
Where do you see yourself, in let’s say, 10 years from now?
Hopefully, I’m healthy and lucky enough to be at peace with myself. I would love to have the time, the money and the need, to keep making music!
Thank you so much & have a great summer!
Thank you too for the nice talk! All the best!
