Angel Alanis has been a staple of the house music community for over a decade now. Boasting literally hundreds of production and remix credits, it would be difficult to find a big-name house, techno, or progressive DJ that hasn’t caned several of his tracks over the years. From the underground hit ‘Cold Fused’ to his critically acclaimed ‘Do You Like the Way You Feel When You Shake?’ under the A2 moniker, he has cemented a name for himself through diversity and innovation.

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What got you into EDM Music?

I started in Chicago listening to the radio every Friday and Saturday night. I listened to DJs like Bad Boy Bill, Julian Jumpin Perez and Farley.

I know you’ve been producing since at least 1997, were you a DJ first or did making music come first?

I started as a DJ when I was 14 and started producing music when I was 22.

Who were you influenced by and who currently (if at
all) influences your music today?

A couple of the people that influenced me when I started were Bad Boy Bill and Hyperactive. These days I am into people like Antoine Clamaran, Junior Jack, Felix Da Housecat. I am also influenced by acts like Nine inch Nails and Ian Brown.

What are your favorite pieces of equipment in the
studio?

My 303, Mac G5, and my Virus.

What is the process you go through mentally when you make a track? Do you start with an idea of what kind
of track to make, or do you just go with the flow?

If I am working on a remix for someone, I usually have an idea of the direction I want to go with it. When I am working on an original track, I usually just start playing around in the studio pushing buttons until I find something that sounds cool and take it from there. Sometimes I end up with a breakbeat song, sometimes an acid track, and sometimes something more techno. It all depends on my mood.

Is there one producer out there that you haven’t
worked with that you would love to collaborate with?
If so, why is there that draw?

There is no one person in particular. I have definitely been lucky enough to collaborate with a lot of the people I have wanted to work with. I am always excited to collaborate with anyone who is willing to put the time in and work.

Tell us what brought A Squared to a realization? And
what can we expect from the label in the next year?

I started A Squared because I wanted to be able to release music without the constraints of another label telling me how they wanted my songs to sound. It is also a great way for me to give other producers who haven’t had a chance to get their music out there an opportunity to do so. Coming out in 2005, I am working on a full length album that will be released on A Squared (CD and Vinyl).

Do you prefer any other medium over vinyl when
performing? (ex: mp3, or CD)

I have been playing more CD’s lately for 2 reasons. A lot of the newer tracks I am playing now are not available on Vinyl yet, and airports have changed the weight restrictions for carry on luggage which makes it more difficult to bring a lot of records. But I do not “prefer” CD’s to Vinyl.

What do you see happening to house music in the
future?

I think like every genre of music it goes through phases. One month there are 10 great tracks out and then for 2 months everything sucks. Playing in Europe, you get a different perspective on the future of dance music because it is so much bigger over there. Hopefully the future will bring more open minded people looking to hear good music instead of trying to categorize everything.

What caused you to leave the realm of funkier,
filtered disco house productions that you seemed to
push in the 90′s for the more techy, tribal based
house / techno that your productions express today?

I don’t think I have necessarily “left” that sound. I have put out some tracks recently like “Love Fuck” (on DJ Dan’s label “In Stereo”) and a remix I did for a new artist on my A Squared label that comes out this month called “Don’t Stop”. I enjoy producing all kinds of different music and don’t like to limit myself to one particular sound. For instance I have an electro remix for Felix Da Housecat coming out and a really funky deeper house remix for Harrison Crump that I am working on. It all just depends on my mood.

How did you feel about progressive producer/dj
heavyweight John Digweed featuring one of your tracks
on his latest mix cd release for Fabric?

It was definitely unexpected and flattering. It is always nice when someone you respect appreciates your work.

Did the feature on Sir Digweed’s CD earn you any gigs at Bedrock, or anywhere in the UK / Europe for that
matter, as this must have been excellent exposure of
your name for listeners outside of your normal
listener genre base. ?

It was definitely great exposure, but I have not gotten any gigs out of it.

Word through the grapevine is you are not producing
with studio partner – Rees Urban – anymore? Was it a
parting of creative differences, or did you two just
drive each other up the wall?

No comment

Can you tell us about the worst setup that you ever
had to perform on?

I was playing on turntables that were set up hip hop / battle style, the needles were shot, one of the tone arms was bent, the monitor was on the floor, I was playing on a wooden stage that people were dancing on causing the needle to skip, and the mixer was bleeding on one channel. This has happened on more than one occasion.

Is there anything that you would like to add?

Please go to www.angelalanis.com and check out my free download section. I am constantly updating it with released and unreleased tracks for people to download in high quality for free.

Related posts:

1. Unified Culture Interview With Angel Alanis
2. DJ Mix: Angel Alanis – Angel Alannis VS Mastik Soul
3. Hatiras Presents Angel Alanis 02
4. Hatiras Presents Angel Alanis 02
5. Hatiras Presents Angel Alanis 04