Fred Lenix is a young Brazilian music producer / DJ. The music has become his passion when he was just 7, while he was living with his uncle who is also a professional DJ playing in many clubs in Sao Paulo.

Fred is inspired by hypnotic and dark old school techno and electro music, which he then merged with new era electronic melodies with his unique perspective of Latin American and Turkish cultures. This combination is translated into his sets where he picks apart and infuses together all the pieces of these elements.

After being in the music business for a little while, Fred has accomplished to gain the support of respected names like Odd Oswald and Maceo Plex from Ellum.

WWD: Can you remember the first time you heard dance music and what impact it had?

Yes I definitely can remember. On the New Years Eve of 1999 my uncle gathered his friends to our house back in Sao Paulo. They arranged our basement as an underground club. They brought huge speakers and partied all night long playing B2b’s. Since then I would walk among them and watch them play for hours. That was a clear moment that I can remember of my first connection with dance music.

WWD: Why did you make and play it? How long till you got into it in that way?

Didn’t take me long time to start producing and playing since I got exposed to electronic music from an early age. I learned how to play when I was 9 or 10 and took me 2 years to start producing music for fun. So with 11 I was pretty much goofing around in Ableton. I have always had music in my life, it was and still it is my escape area from reality. I kept doing music for years to express myself and my feelings in to the notes, never thought of a career. Everything happened very naturally until I got recognized by Maceo Plex and signed with his label “Ellum Audio”.

WWD: What took you to Turkey from Brazil?

My mum married a Turkish man who then became my step father. They met over a business meeting over the internet. After years of relationship decided to get married. That’s why I live in Turkey since 18 years…

WWD: How does life there compare?

I like living in Turkey. In the beginning it was really difficult to leave all my family and friends behind and move to a country which I didn’t even know the language… Later on I really appreciated the opportunities and lifestyle I have here. Daily life in Brazil can be dangerous, there is not much safety in the streets. This is something that almost every Brazilian citizen has to deal on a daily basis, it gets really frustrating with time. One thing that I can say that I don’t have any safety worries living here and that’s a big privilege to have and I pray that my family in brazil would have this privilege too.

WWD: What is the scene like? The regime is pretty strict no?

I wouldn’t say that the regime is too strict, maybe from outside people have a different impression like that but I can’t say that we have problems within the scene. I love the Turkish scene, listeners are really hungry for electronic music and almost all the international artists stop by to perform. Sometimes I hear clubs or festivals struggling with some political issues here and there but in the end the music goes on and people dance anyway…

WWD: What gear do you make music with and does that matter to the sound?

I have a wide variety of gear from Roland Tr-8s to Arp Odyssey, Korg Minilogue, Arturia Matrixbrute and my Moogs… I’m not much of a gear talker to be honest, studio is my holy place. I don’t believe that sounding good has much to do with what gear you have… Everyone has a favourite piece of gear and a style to produce, but that shall remain my secret.

WWD: Do you make tunes to play in your own DJ sets, is that how it works?

That’s definitely something I go for while I’m producing a track. I try to play as much music from me in a DJ set so I produce the track in a way that would be the most effective as possible in a club or festival. Definitely test it many times before it’s out. And it is really satisfying to see my work interacting with other artists tracks that I like in a set. 

WWD: Should dance music be more socially or politically aware?

I would say dance music is something completely free of social stigma, nor does it stand for anything political. Music has always been an escape for me and I believe that it is also for people from all races, colour, sex and preference. A place open to all…

WWD: What’s next for you, what else are you working on?

I have an upcoming release on Ellum Audio which I’m also really proud of. The track is called “Slave Machines” which I have been playing almost for the entire year and had really good feedbacks to it. Meanwhile I’m working on another project but want to keep as a secret for the moment. Time shall show what’s coming up next…

WWD: What hopes and goals and dreams do you have for your career?

I want to keep producing and pushing my own limits and boundaries to be the best producer I can be. Expressing myself through sound is essential and I take my sound design characteristics very seriously. I believe I have a lot of stories to tell through notes and just want to create it and play it for the people…

Follow Fred Lenix on Facebook and Soundcloud.
His new EP on Elevate is out now Grab it HERE.