Fresh from his debut on Malmö-based imprint House Music With Love, emerging talent Alex Moda takes five to feature in the latest edition of the Select Cuts mix and interview series. He gave us an insight into his day to day routine, detailed the inspiration behind his latest work and told us just why HMWL is so special to the local DJ community. Moda has delivered an exclusive 65 mins just for you ears. It does not disappoint!
WWD: Thanks for joining us Alex! Where in the world are you right now and what’s your schedule been like this week?
Thanks for having me! I’m actually currently visiting relatives in Serbia after a rough week filled with long working days and studio nights. So I guess you could say I’ve been pretty busy!
WWD: Tell us about the new release “A place called Myanmar” on HMWL!
Huh.. Where to start.. It came out of pure nothing. I was working on a couple of tracks during my 2 week vacation this summer when I suddenly found myself creating something, that for the first time, I myself thought – Ok, this here, it is a good one. I guess I just entered a stage of emotional conscience where every bit just fell in the right place at the right time.
WWD: It’s a beautiful tune, what were the inspirations behind it?
Thank you, really! I’ve always been an emotional person and I always try to channel those emotions into my music. Sometimes it goes well, other times it does not. And occasionally it turns into something like “A place called Myanmar”. The name of the song I believe, represents the feeling, when you listen to the song, that you are somewhere where very few people have visited or seen. Or I would like to think so at least 🙂
WWD: How did you first come into contact with the label?
I actually worked at the same place as Alex Esser, the founder of HMWL and also got to know Edgar Ariza under some funny circumstances. It was actually Edgar who recommended my song to Alex. After that, we decided that I should join Josefine and Edgar in the EP. Something that I was really happy and excited about!
WWD: How important is HMWL to local artists?
I find labels such as HMWL super important for local artists. Especially like HMWL who have a great network and really believe and are willing to invest in local talent. I guess you can really feel the southern Swedish hospitality and quality in everything they do. Super fun!
WWD: Talk to us about Malmö as a city for electronic music. Is the scene in good health?
Yes! I love Malmö and I love what is going on here at the moment. I mean, during the years we’ve breeded artists like Minilouge, Per Hammar, Johanna Knutsson etc. And still, there is ALOT of talent in Malmö – Aaron Mody, Rimbaudian, Sumorai & Sebastian Lindros to mention a few. I think you will hear some great stuff from Malmö in the future and I am happy to be a part of it.
WWD: Your three favourite hang-outs in Malmö?
Uh, hard question. I would say: 1. Babel 2. My apartment 3. All of the “unofficial nightclubs” since that is where the real magic happens!
WWD: Can we expect more new music from you before the close of 2015?
I’ve only produced for roughly a year and I am still working full time as a project manager. So for me time is really scarce. I got nothing official yet coming out. I’m working on a couple of melodic techno and dub tunes at the moment. I guess i’ll have to leave that for next years releases!
WWD: Finally, tell us a little about the mix you’ve recorded for us – what are we to expect?
A part from the really bad mixing (classic excuse) the mix contains some of my favorite electronic artists. The mix is really melodic but at the same time punchy and viby ranging from 120-126bpm. I would say that it is not usually what I play on my gigs but I wanted to try something different and also add some of my favorite ones in one mix. Feel free to enjoy it when ever and where ever you are, as with all types of music 🙂