The 'Shine A Light On' Mix: Maxime Alexander

Music

Based in Cape Town Maxime Alexander has sprung onto our radar in a manner somewhat out of the blue. All of a sudden there was an LP: now several months later a rather explosive mix has landed in our inbox. The design and aesthetic of the 1991 label is outstanding and every detail is considered. It makes sense that this mix is articulate and clean cut, polished and precise it sees Maxime slam hard through House and Techno, past and present. Listen and read the interview below:

Please introduce yourself…

Hello, I’m a 20 year old producer from Cape Town, South Africa. I was originally born in America and have been making music/performing live under other aliases for roughly 5 years. I’m also involved in co-production, mixing and mastering. I’m currently signed to 1991.

Your album recently came out, how long was it in the making?

I started writing what became MA14 two years ago while in Berlin, I went travelling around that side for part of the year. All the music was written pretty quickly, what took forever was refining the product into something I was happy with, hence it’s release only recently.

What do you use to produce?

Logic Studio. Waves, Soundtoys and Arturia make some great plugins, it’s all ‘in-the-box’ really.

Where was the mix recorded?

At my friend's in Kalk Bay by the sea.

What would be the ideal setting to listen to the mix?

Anywhere you can listen to it nice and loud. If you have a set of funktion-ones in your bedroom that would be cool.. or your car, or if you were lucky on xmas then your beats by dre.

What should we be wearing?

Whatever keeps you comfortable in an air-conditioned environment.

What would be your dream setting to record a mix: Location, system, format?

In a Testarossa with a custom made Funktion-One x Ferarri sound system while driving through swiss alps, but more realistically my bedroom/ableton/mp3..

Which track in the mix is your current favourite?

Dense & Pika – Bad Ink is great.

What’s your favourite recorded mix of all time?

Unfortunately I don’t really have one, but here’s one of my favourite songs instead: Erykah Badu – Bag Lady (Basement Boys – Afrocentric Remix).

If you could go back to back with any DJ from throughout history, who would it be and why?

Nitzer Ebb comes to mind first, i’d be part of their band for a gig. Watch them ‘live at technoclub 1989’ on youtube, skip to 4:28 and you’ll see why.

What was your first DJ set up at home and what is it now?

I used to borrow my friends CDJ-100s, now I use Ableton Live and an APC40.

What’s more important, the track you start on or the track you end on?

What if you start and end on the same track?

What were the first and last records you bought?

Recently I bought a great Oscar Peterson record and Nirvana MTV unplugged in New York. First one I got was a gift a few years ago.. Justice – Cross.

If this mix was an edible thing, what would it taste like?

Marlboro Gold

If this mix were an animal which would it be?

A whippet?

One record in your collection that is impossible to mix into anything…

I haven’t tried yet, but probably something from that Oscar Peterson record.. or Everything In Its Right Place by Radiohead with its sneaky 10/4 time signature.