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.
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. Read more