Sao Paulo’s Alex Stein stops by following his debut release on Senso Sounds to discuss his addition to Oliver Huntemann’s label, the buzz in Brazil and all that is to come in 2018!

WWD: What can we expect in this final stretch of 2017  from you?

My first release on Senso Sounds is something I consider important. I’ve always been a fan of the label, labels artists and Mr. Oliver Huntemann himself. It’s a big deal and accomplishment to me to have an EP there, even cool to have my friend KALIL be part of it and then get a crunchy remix from Andre Winter to top it all off.

WWD: A young talent like you working for a techno legend like Oliver Huntemann and remixed by no less respected André Winter. What could be the lessons that an artist can learn by working for such names?

I’ve been so blessed to able to work with people I admire and that in itself is a lesson. But mostly it’s about just putting the work in, producing as much and as often as you can and just aiming high. I get turned down from various labels and it’s always frustrating but you just got to believe in your potential and keep on working.
-How does it feel to be working with a label like Senso Sounds and what is it about the imprint that makes you think it can be special going forward?

Like I said before, I consider it a privilege and I’ve always been a big fan of Senso and Oliver himself. I truly hope we can do more together but we’ll have to wait to see what the future holds.

WWD: If we’re not wrong you’re “one of a kind”, born in São Paulo (Brazil) but also holder of German citizenship. Pros and cons? How do the roots of each nationality affect / influence to your sound?

Well I’ve lived a good part of my life in Germany so I do also consider myself as much a German as a Brazilian. The chance of having dual citizenship and being able to travel back and forth has helped me a great deal. Either by allowing me to study Audio Engineering in Amsterdam and Frankfurt but also when I’m touring, I have two homes, one in Germany and another in Brazil. My sound is in itself influenced by things from both cultures but mainly by the things I see and hear on my tours.

WWD: I’ve seen you play a lot, but seriously a lot in your country, would you like to play more in Europe? When / where was your last great experience here? Have you already performed in Britain?

Yeah, Brazil is a big country, lots of parties, but I love traveling and spend at least 3 months every year touring around the globe. Last highlight has to be my 4-hour set at Sisyphos in Berlin in July, one of my favourite places in the world. I wish I would play even more and spend at least half of the year touring outside of Brazil, we’re working on it! I’ve played in Britain once at Noisily Festival, was a great experience in the woods, great crowd and energy.

WWD: Are you able to tell some of your secret weapons when producing at the studio?

Well I have a pretty basic setup. I like Moog’s and/or emulations of them. I have a Minitaur and a Sub37 who have both been just a joy to work on, so many of my sounds and tracks have come out of them, as an example the main bass/lead from my track ‘Zeit’. I use the Arturia stuff a lot also and the synths from U-he are also beasts that I work a lot with. I think with time I got into the ‘less is more’ thing so I tend to try and keep it simple.

WWD: We’ve noticed you have a wonderful friendship with other talented Brazilian artists like Victor Ruiz. How it all started and how is working with him in a track or why not, sharing DJ booth?

Me and Victor have known each other for almost a decade now, we met playing at a party waaaay back. Our friendship evolved from there, when I moved to Europe we kept in touch and when I returned we started making a lot of music together. Fast forward a few years and we’re still buddies, a little more busy, a little harder to get into the studio because of our schedules but we still found some time to do a couple od B2B sets this year. We have a very similar taste so mostly we don’t talk or plan much before going into the studio or playing a set, we’ve know each other a long time so I guess it just works. I love working with him and consider it a privilege to have him as a friend.

WWD: Who are some up and coming Brazilian artists to look out for?

KALIL and Andre Salata are cooking awesome beats, watch out for them!

WWD: When was that time you remember as if it was yesterday that you said “I nailed it”?

I’ve had a few moments like these, thank God. One in particular was this year at a Festival in France where the whole 5000+ crowd was singing vocals for one of my tracks with me and that brought me to tears, it was special.

WWD: What five tracks are you currently loving the most at the moment?

Can’t tell you, they’re my secret weapons haha!

WWD: What can we expect from you in 2018?

More interesting music, more touring around the world and hopefully more good memories for all of us! Thank you guys!