Breaking Beats and Frederick Crew have joined forces.
Bringing you one of the biggest names in DnB.
We will be showcasing him at the freshly decked out San Fran (Cuba St) along with our usual steez of lighting and visuals.
Keeping the consistent flow going after Re-O we thought who better to get than the one and only….
- ALIX PEREZ – (Shogun Audio / Exit Recordings)
Belgian born Alix Perez is regarded as one of the most ground-breaking and innovative producer-DJ’s of his generation. His second album, Chroma Chords, dropped in 2013 to the acclaim of heads across electronic music, let alone drum n bass, led by the stratospheric vocal roller “Annie’s Song”. Blending glitch-hop, dubstep, electronica, funk and R&B with half time drum n bass breaks, it drew huge reviews from Mixmag, IDJ, Trap Magazine and Resident Advisor.
“The most forward thinking and most refreshing album we’ve come across in a very long time.” Trap Magazine
“sexy electro-vox kaleidoscope – 10 out of 10” Mixmag
“Chroma Chords is a personal triumph, taking him down his own path away from trends or expectations.” Resident Advisor
Of the album, Alix himself says: “I made a conscious decision to have more electronica, because that’s the kind of album I wanted it to be. But my roots still lie in drum & bass, and I still play it in my sets. I’ve done that for years, and I feel I need to develop and move on—not move on as in leave drum & bass, but I don’t want to repeat myself.” The result is an album that improvises on a theme and explores natural tangents like a talented jazz musician, while always staying grounded by a halftime or traditional drum n bass backbone, much like his acclaimed and genre defying dj sets. This exploration has continued with his latest release, the ‘U’ EP on the highly respected Exit Recordings. Alix delves into subgenres of electronica with footwork, halfstep, wonky and stepping beats – described by Juno.co.uk as ‘next level business’.
In some ways this eclectic vision of drum n bass and electronica should always have been expected. Raised in Belgium and France, he was introduced to jungle by his mother through her collection of early releases on Metalheadz – Goldie’s infamous label, which Alix himself would later release on. He began by producing hip-hop, taking cues from US producers like DJ Premier and J Dilla, and linking up in the UK with MC DRS’ Manchester-based Broke n English crew, and a couple of young rappers called Foreign Beggars.
He was djing from the age of 14, producing from age 17 and as a fresh faced 18 year old he was seeing his tracks played drum n bass heavyweights like LTJ Bukem, Marcus Intalex, Fabio, Friction and everyone else in between. Back then, his potential was clear, and he was prophetically named as “the future of drum n bass”.
His early releases evidenced his roots in jazz and soul, French hip-hop, breakbeat and cut with British funk and rare groove. Records like “Solitary Native” and “Just Memories” in 2006 drew dj play across the scene, “Refusal” did the same in 2007, as did the “Allegiance EP” with Lynx in 2008 – leading to his first world tour, and visit to New Zealand.
But 2009’s debut album “1984” was the true delivery on all that promise and proof that he was one of the genre’s trailblazers. It featured crossover hits like “I’m Free”, raw bangers like “Cut Deepens” alongside old mates the Foreign Beggars, and soulful rollers like “Forsaken” featuring Peven Everett and Spectrasoul. “1984” went on to be one of the most highly regarded and rated electronica albums of 2009, gaining extensive support globally, chart topping positions and rave reviews in publications such as the Metro, Mixmag and more.
Since then his own success, in terms of an endless demand for tour dates around the world, has limited his production output, although he found time to release the “Dark Days” EP on Shogun Audio, collaborate with Noisia and Jubei, make beats for the Foreign Beggars, and pursue his breakbeat and hip-hop alter-ego ARP 101.
Finally though, six years after we last saw him in Wellington, he’s made the long journey over once again. This time he’s got a record bag bursting with a brand new album and tracks from across the electronic spectrum, all the while having reinforced his title as the future of drum n bass. We are extremely proud to welcome back the one and only ALIX PEREZ.
Support from:
Frederick Crew
Gimik x Yanik x Cynikal
Drop x Mohanz
hosted by Timmy P MC
