Original link: http://www.junodownload.com/plus/2010/01/11/ones-to-watch-no-6-alex-egan/
In the latest instalment of our series on emerging talent, we speak to Alex Egan, a young man who has already worked under a number of aliases: Faex, Skull Juice (with partner in crime Ben), and, most recently, Astronomer. He spoke to Juno Plus about buying records in bed, moving to Brighton and his plans for 2010.
How did you get into electronic music?
I don’t think there’s a defining moment, but I remember discovering Endtroducing
by DJ Shadow in my early teens and becoming obsessed with it. I’ve
probably listened to that album more than any other, ever. I was
intrigued by the idea of it, an album created almost completely with
snippets from other records. It just seemed bonkers. I had to know how
it was done, so that led me to sampling, and eventually programming. I
got my first computer around 2000 or so, and my dad gave me a few music
programs. Being able to manipulate sound in all kinds of ways using a
computer excited me. I got really into Aphex Twin, Amon Tobin, Boards Of
Canada, that sort of thing. Quite moody really, but the production was
astounding and inspiring. It was around that time that I really started
to appreciate dance music, which only a few years before I’d thought
pointless and boring! So from there, I opened my ears to a lot of
electronic music, old and new.
Where are you based?
I’m from London but I recently moved down to Brighton with my
girlfriend while she’s doing her MA here. I miss London, but it’s
brilliant being by the sea.
Why did you decide to start a new alias, Astronomer?
It was an accident really. At the end of 2008 Ben and I met Micachu
and offered to do a Skull Juice remix of their track ‘Lips’, but Ben was
busy at the time so I ended up working on it alone. I then offered to
do a remix for my friend Matt Walsh’s Clouded Vision project. After
that, I was lucky enough to be asked to remix The xx, who of course blew
up in 2009, and Metronomy, who I was a big fan of anyway. From there, I
had the opportunity to do more, so I went for it. I seem to learn a bit
more production-wise each time too, which is a bonus.
Is the darker, deeper side of you coming out with Astronomer, as opposed to your previous work?
Perhaps, but not intentionally. I’ve just been trying out new
techniques with each remix, so naturally they all have a different
sound. Personally, I wouldn’t say the Metronomy one is dark at all, but I
can see how the mixes of The xx or Micachu come across that way.
Your mixtapes and DJ sets suggest a deep knowledge of
different musical genres – do you still believe in the art of crate
digging?
I’m just curious, I want to hear new things. I can’t think of
anything worse than listening to or playing out the same stuff all the
time. It’s boring! I’ll take any opportunity to look for new records, so
yes, I believe in crate digging, but I don’t think it’s an ‘art’. Some
people are happy to spend a lot of time looking for music, others prefer
it to be rounded up for them. The internet has obviously made it a lot
easier to find things (and believe me I love being able to buy records
in bed at 4am), but it can make you lazy. It’s immediately apparent when
you see DJs charting the exact same 10 tracks as someone else. It’s
funny, we have this brilliant tool to discover new music, yet it seems a
lot of DJs are content to play it safe. Typical!
You were involved with the High Horse night in London, is that right? Why has it come to an end?
Yes, it finished recently, we had our last night on the 18th
December, which was a huge success. Always nice to go out on a high. I
was a resident alongside Ben, Casper C and Matt Walsh. It was great, I
loved having the opportunity to play deeper records, mostly house and
techno, to such a receptive crowd. It lasted two years and may well
return one day in a different form, but we’ve all decided to concentrate
on other things for the time being. I should say that Ben and I ran our
own club night called Walk The Night for about three years, and we’re
still residents at Casper’s Bloggers Delight which has been going even
longer so putting on a night wasn’t a completely new experience, but
certainly a different one this time.
How is your Skull Juice project going?
We still DJ together all the time and we’re working on music when we
can. Unfortunately, it’s not that often as we live in different cities
now, but we have some projects in the works. A couple of our remixes
were released recently, for Filthy Dukes and The Phenomenal Handclap
Band, and we’re slowly trying to finish our first 12″.
You’ve also worked under the Faex alias – it got a massive response didn’t it? Did that come as a surprise to you?
The Faex edits were just a bit of fun, DJ tools to play out. I heard
an early version of “Phantom” by Justice on a mix CD, must’ve been late
2006, and realised they sampled Goblin’s “Tenebre”, which I love, so I
wanted to make an edit of both together. I shared it with a few blogs
and the next thing I know someone emailed me a video of 2manydjs playing
it in Tokyo. Insane. That and the SebastiAn edit had thousands of
downloads each, which I find bizarre…because horrible overuse of beat
repeat aside, the sound quality is pretty rubbish. I didn’t really know
what I was doing back then! The name says it all really.
What are you working on at the moment?
I have a few more remixes to complete then I can concentrate on
finishing the Astronomer EP. As for Skull Juice, we’ll plough on with
more tracks together and hopefully have the 12″ sorted one day.
What has been you best DJing experience?
There have been a few, but the best has to be our recent Skull Juice
gig at Optimo. They only ask DJs to play if they themselves can’t make
it, which is rare, so it was an absolute honour, especially as they’re
our favorite DJs on the planet. Ben and I named our old club night ‘Walk
The Night’ after hearing it on the ‘Psyche Out’ mix. We also played
their remix of Liquid Liquid, just so we can say we played the Optimo
remix of Optimo AT Optimo!
What’s the most embarrassing song on your iPod?
Luckily I only have a nano, not enough room to store guilty pleasures!
What does 2010 hold in store for you?
Apart from DJing here and there, making more music when I can. I’m
looking forward to locking myself away in the studio for a while. My
remix of Joakim’s “Spiders” will be available digitally soon on !K7 and
my remix of “Stand” by Othello Woolf is out as a limited white vinyl 7″
at the end of January on Young And Lost Club. I’ve just finished a remix
under another name too, which will be out in February.
Check out Alex’s work as Astronomer and Skull Juice at Juno Download. He also has his own website – http://www.alexegan.net