How People Live _ Interview With Alavux
When did you start taking the whole music thing seriously?
Well, from the age of 7. First as some kind of music collector, then as DJ. Later in 94/95 when I tried trackers on friends’ computers and then a Roland XP-50 in 97, I knew my path. Luckily. I got my gear; computer and MC505 which I still own today and was very much abused on Phutura Album.
Did you ever do any ‘normal’ jobs?
Yes I have and do.They are still a pain in the ass, but you must bring home some food and pay the bills. Luckily they always been very close to the home and working the first shift! Right now I’m working on a radio station as a sound guy. I never stress on work 🙂
Are you still doing the music freelancing, working for yourself thing?
Well, I’m always working for myself and wishing to freelance because I’d be at home with family, working at what I love to work at. Still dreaming that will be the only job someday. I do sample packs when I have free time and I have something in mind. Some sample packs were rejected for stupid reasons. Some packs I released them as a free giveaway. It takes time but when I mix or creating tracks I’m always using samples that I create. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.
Is there any money in sample packs? They seem to get utterly raped online in terms of being shared illegally; probably just as bad as software, music or films. Is it a labour of love, or is there a decent return for your efforts?
Fortunately, my packs weren’t cracked, but my music releases have been. It’s good money combined with regular payment from day job. It’s a lot of effort, especially when guys like Samplephonics tweak drum machines through gear.. or when small and independent sofware company have to work hard to find the perfect sound and then get cracked. I must admit that I visit that “No-No” sites from time to time and I’m flooded with all these sample packs. You may as well throw away all the drum machines and modules on the street, because it’s already been played and tweaked for you. No brainer! But that’s not the point; you must create your own sound!
The legal online ‘Sample Supermarkets’ obviously do alright as they are still in business. Are they a good thing for music and sound design in general? Or do they run the risk of having the ‘Beatport Effect’.. I totally believe that great samples can help to make good tracks.. but surely the opposite is true too?
Yes, but if you chop them up and if it fits well, its ok. It’s lazy just to re-arrange them.
Sure is – haha
Music production and history are my biggest passions in life.
Though people often say that Techno is faceless and should be about the music blah, blah, blah.. I believe in the need to document the people and stories behind it. Techno is a very small world in reality and I think it needs a proper resource.
I hope that everyone who is interested in Techno finds this blog accessible in terms of the way that it is written. I personally prefer to hear the artists voice as loud as the music and never enjoy synopsised and pasteurised versions of old conversation; the sort that's peppered with the occasional quote here and there.
Madden Wachsenhoff
Jun 19. 2013
Great interview! The next Alavux releases is forthcoming on Vocode Records, out June 30th 2013, 4 tracks of mad Berlin inspired electro entitled ‘Pitch’