Words: Gerben De Louw
“We’re excited to present the sixth mixtape in our ongoing series: WR 006 by one of London’s best kept secrets: Alex Egan. Alex is an excellent dj, producer as both Astronomer and The Draughtsman, sells you the best pieces of vinyl at Phonica, is involved in art paper Symbol and runs his own platform Utter. Yup, he’s a very busy guy and we’re happy he found time to make this exclusive mix for us. Expect a perfectly balanced blend of Egan’s favourite electronic tracks.”
– Hi Alex! What have you been up to lately?
We just finished the third issue of Symbol so I’ve been getting that to our stockists. We still distribute it personally by hand so it takes a while! Other than that, the usual; working on music, DJing now and then, buying lots of records and putting mixes such as this one together.
– You are a man with many faces in which electronic music takes a central position: You are a dj, make tracks under different aliases, promote club nights, work at Phonica (record store) and also design sleeves and direct music videos. How does an average (busy) week in the life of Alex Egan look like?
Well, I tend to only focus on a couple of projects at once so it’s not too crazy. Sometimes all I want to do is work on music, other times it’ll be purely design. It’s usually more fun combining both of course. Then there are times when I think ‘sod this’ and just go skateboarding instead. I’ve slowed down on promoting club nights and I only work part-time at Phonica, but otherwise I’m always working on something or other.
– Track selection is an important part of being a dj, maybe even more important than having technical skills these days. As we’re always looking forward to your monthly dj chart at Resident Advisor, your selection is really unique and different than most dj’s out there. It’s something that really inspires us but at the same time it’s hard to fit you in certain type of music (which isn’t a bad thing at all of course!). How would you describe the sound you’re representing as a dj and how do you keep developing it?
Firstly, thanks for bothering to check the charts! You never know with those things if anyone is paying attention. I’m not sure I can (or want to) describe what my sound is though, I buy all kinds of different records. When mixing I try to find those strange combinations that somehow work really well together and the music selection always depends on the situation. Perhaps that’s obvious! What I do know is that I hate all these identikit mixes that have exactly the same sound throughout, yet I also hate ‘eclectic’ DJs who throw two completely different tracks together for the sake of it. Always aim to make it interesting and original, but not a complete cacophony…or what’s the point?
– Over the past couple of years you’ve played everywhere throughout the UK and Europe, either as Skull Juice or solo. We could assume you pretty much mastered all the skills it takes to become the perfect dj. Would you consider yourself ‘fully equipped’ or do you still learn new things every time you play somewhere?
Haha no, it would be enormously arrogant to say that! I know what I’m doing but there’s always more to learn. Anyone who thinks they’re ‘perfect’ needs to cross back over into reality.
– Continue looking at your history as a dj, which experience helped you move closer to some of your goals in the past or present?
It’s hard to say. There have been plenty of ups and downs. I guess the obvous answer would be winning the Bugged Out! mix competition back in 2006, because even though Ben and I had been DJing for a while before, it gave us our first taste of DJing in a proper club (The End) and a lot of opportunities came our way afterwards.
– Besides dj-ing, you’re also putting quite some time into producing tracks. As Astronomer you’ve done several remixes for (big) projects such as The XX and Jori Hulkkonen. Is it just coincidence or do you find yourself more comfortable in remixing artists instead of doing original work as Astronomer?
It’s just a coincidence. I was pretty obsessed with remixing for a few years and it just happened that Astronomer was that outlet. A year or so ago I decided to stop doing so many and focus on my own material, but I still think they’re great fun to do. Original work as Astronomer? Maybe one day.
– More recently you released an original EP as ‘The Draughtsman’, which is a one-off project. Could you tell us more about this release, why you decided to not just release it as Astronomer and how it’s different from the things you did before?
As pretentious as it sounds, it’s very much a concept record. There is a single source of inspiration and from that I obsessed over every detail; the alias, music, the artwork, the titles…everything, right down to the etchings on the vinyl. I’m really happy with the complete package so I can’t wait to work on something in a similar way again.
– The ‘The Draughtsman’ package also includes a remix by Roman Flügel, which is one of your core influences (correct me if I’m wrong). Why do you like him so much as a producer/dj, what do you learn from him and did you immediately think of him as a one of the remixers for the project?
Roman’s very much an influence. He’s just one of those producers who can do it all. If you go back through his discography it’s actually awe inspiring just how much there is and how consistently good the records are. He was way up at the top of my dream remixers so it was an absolute honour to have him involved in the project.
– You’re also promoting parties, from time to time. What’s your vision on doing a club night? Does it depend on the location and what kind of places do you prefer?
It’s been a while since I promoted a party, but there are a load of factors that are always important. Most promoters will say the same thing: you need the balance of great sound, a decent space with open-minded owners and staff, adventurous and inspiring DJs, an enthusiastic crowd… basically it’s really difficult getting everything just right, yet there are more and more great parties happening in London, which is reassuring. A smoke machine always helps too.
– Your eduction isn’t based in music at all: You studied graphic design at Camberwell College of Arts (University of the Arts London). Are there any similarities between your approach on being busy with music or designing a record sleeve?
Well, that’s not strictly true, I studied Music Technology for a while before I went to Camberwell, but you’re correct that design is at the core of my education. A lot of creatives seems to dabble in both audio and visual work so there must be a strong connection, perhaps they stimulate the same areas of the brain. I tend to approach both with the same mentality anyway.
– The art paper you’re the creative director for, Symbol, looks really interesting. An easy question: Could you tell us more about it and how our readers can get their copy?
Symbol is a contemporary art paper edited by Amy Knight. I oversee the look and feel, so brought in David Rudnick as the designer, who did a great job on the paper’s identity. Issue 3 has just been released, so if you’re in London you can pick it up for free from our stockists. Otherwise we sell them online via www.symbolpaper.com
– One of your latest projects is Utter, a creative audio visual platform and record label at the same time. Dazed & Confused asked you a lot about it last year, and it sounds really exciting. However, besides a party there hasn’t really been happening a lot with it until now. Facebook tells us it’s getting prepared for 2013 though! How come it still isn’t launched 100% properly and more importantly, what can we expect this year?
Unfortunately, the problem is money. I need more of it to get the initial release manufactured! I jumped the gun a little with the Dazed article, but these things happen. Everything is ready except the physical product, which is frustrating, but I decided to keep it all under wraps until I have saved enough cash. Having headliners like Trevor Jackson and Raudive at the first party was incredible so I’m looking forward to reviving the events too. There’s a lot to do this year.
– The main occupation in your life right now seems to be doing a lot of different things you like, and trying to combine them as much as possible. Isn’t it hard sometimes? Aren’t you afraid of losing track and afterwards find out you should had taken more time for just one project instead of many?
That’s a very good point. I’ve often thought life would be a lot easier without splitting my time between all these different projects! It’s a bad choice financially, there’s no security, but I always think it’s better to have a shot at something different than regret never stepping outside your comfort zone.
– Moving on to the future: We already figured you’re a big fan of this new NY imprint White Material, but could you spill some of your latest discoveries or favorite artists which we should keep an eye out for the future?
I really like the NCW ‘Golden Lands EP’ on Ali Renault’s new label Vivod. I reckon that’s a label to watch, as is Berceuse Heroique. They’ve only put out one 12″ so far, by Ekman, but it’s superb. There’s a new record by Tagwell Woods coming out on Willie Burns’ label W.T. which is stunning. Bee Mask, Pye Corner Audio, Photodementia… Oh and keep an eye on these labels too: How The Other Half Lives, The Trilogy Tapes/Hinge Finger, Going Good, Trax Couture, One Eyed Jacks, Blackest Ever Black, Public Information, Dixon Avenue Basement Jams, Tabernacle, PAN, Human Level, Power Vacuum and yes, White Material. Some of those you already know of course!
– And what can we expect from Alex Egan and his work in the near future?
More mixes, a little design, perhaps the odd remix, some label rumblings and eventually, more of my own music. A rather predictable answer I’m afraid!
– Last one: What can our listeners expect from the exclusive mix you’ve made for us?
I decided to make this Wichelroede mix quite different to those I’ve recorded before. It starts very slowly but gradually picks up pace. My favourite Oni Ayhun track, OAR002-A, kicks things off. It’s one I’ve never had the opportunity to play out..OAR003-B is the usual suspect there (for good reason). I won’t go through the whole tracklist – let’s just say it meanders through a lot of favourites, old and new – but it ends with one of my most loved and well-worn records. I hope you like it.
Tracklist:
01. Oni Ayhun – OAR002-A [Oni Ayhun Records]
02. Aardvarck – Stay Stupid [Eat Concrete]
03. Madteo – Sheepdipping [Meakusma]
04. Berliner Ring – El Amarna [Meakusma]
05. Prostitutes – Through Their Hungry Lips [Digitalis]
06. Heinrich Dressel – Journey Through The Caves Under The Hill [Strange Life Records]
07. Le Dust Sucker – Everybody Used To (Rebolledo Mix) [Boxer Recordings]
08. Marquis Hawkes – Higher Forces At Work [Dixon Avenue Basement Jams]
09. Florian Kupfer – Feelin (Dubb Micx) [L.I.E.S.]
10. Legowelt – A Cold Winter’s Day [Clone Jack For Daze Series]
11. Bam Bam – Where’s Your Child? [Desire Records]
12. Lord Of The Isles – Galicia [Shevchenko]
13. Simoncino – WereHouse [Echovolt]
14. Nami Shimada – Sunshower [Crème Organization]