The great Alavi destruction of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is Out Now On Vinyl & Digital Download!
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Interview : Alavi!
* I know this is a generic question but for some new indie cultivators, who’s Patrick Alavi?
“Patrick” is a loser from Germany who eats a lot of croissants; no really… it’s just because in my past as "patrick" alavi I had a different sound that I’m not very proud of! I don’t like the past, but that was me back then… Call it development maybe... Now I’m just “Alavi” & I have my spastic funk cut (spunkut ?) style, love the present and future. & Concerning who “Alavi” is, only the upcoming album can answer this question.
* Last year I bought a 2004 promotional disc from ebay that contained “Power” and “Glory”… what were these 2 tracks released for, I can’t seem to find any info on them? They sound completely different form your current work!?
Yeah it was released on Kris Menace’s label “Workitbaby”… But I was still in my transition phase and it was a sort of an experimental period that led to me to my Rerox sound! My music really changed since then.
* You’ve recently reroxed TEPR’s “En Direct De La Cote”, is there going to be more releases by him under RoXour in the future? What does “En Direct De La Cote” mean in English?
Yeah, TEPR told me to do another one... but for the moment there is no new release planned. We licensed this release to “Wall Of Sound” records and I hear it’s a big release for them, especially with the new datA remix. I’m happy for TEPR, He comes from the westcoast and he’s proud of it. This just shows that France is not only Paris on the music map.
"En Direct De La Cote" means: "Direct From The Coast"
* On you’re Myspace you mentioned that you signed a new artist “Flairs”, It also mentions that both the 12” and video will be out in September? Have they, coz I haven’t heard the track yet or seen the video! Tell us more about him!?
“Flairs” is a phenomena. I personally think it’s an outstanding funny and intelligent mixture between rock and electronica. I heard "Better Than Prince" once on someone else’s MySpace and a fat, hairy clown in my head screamed "Fuck, Sign this record Mr. A". Also to mention is the fact that it’s mixed by the golden fingers of Alex Gopher and Etienne De Crecy.
I’m quiet proud of this package, the single will come out in the beginning of February with remixes by Benjamin, 25 Hours A Days & a little Alavi ReroX. The video will be amazing; it’s done by Mtv heroes Jonas & Francois, the guys responsible for Justice “D.A.N.C.E.” and Kanye West “Good Life” videos.
* Now I know you have done a number of amazing remixes for fellow friends in the indie scene, some may not admit that some of their best work could be involved with mainstream, in your case I think it’s the Click-Clack-a-Smash-a-Shout remix of Jamelia’s “Beware Of The Dog”, I’ve never heard a remix so perfect to rave to like it! How did you construct it? Did it come together easily? Do you agree that it’s one of your best?
Ohh, Thanx for these kind words. Well, I think that I just slaughtered Jamelia in "aahhh"s and "ehhh"s and that gave the track its energy… Or wait, could it be because of the tons of Redbulls I was drinking while I was doing it...?
* Your remixes sound pretty complex in texture, sometimes combining several layers of noise simultaneously, how painful is the process of remixing a song that is already loud or complex!?
Well, usually I don’t work like this. I mean I don’t listen to a track and then ReroX it. When I have listened to the original once I get back to the cutted samples a few days later and I build my own shit with it... so I’m never inspired by the original.
* Another thing some DJs told me about, is that sometimes when they make music, every time they add a sample or change a bit they have to play the track over and over so many times they end up not being able to know what they are listening to “literally”? Did that ever happen to you? If yes, describe it? How do you deal with it?
Yeah, this happens to me really often. But now I just work on so many tracks at the same time... it’s really interesting how one track can be a result of an idea that did not work with something before.
* Now what’s the story behind Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack” rerox, it’s actually better than some of the official ones! Why haven’t you offered it to his label?
Thanx for the compliment, but sometimes it’s better to be unofficial.
* Congratulations on releasing “Smells Like Rerox”! But the track is not a newborn right, you’ve started making it long time ago! I’ve been rocking to it for almost a year now, but it seemed like a loop, a good one though! Is the officially released version any different from the one roaming the blog fronts? What made you finally decide to release it?
I made it about 3 years ago, and then last year re-discovered it again and uploaded it for 2 weeks on MySpace... the reactions were good and someone managed to rip it from there, & that’s how many Blogs had it long time ago. To be honest, I never wanted to release it but then later Courtney Love contacted me to help me on clearing this. I thought I should do it because I wasn’t happy with the version everyone was playing... I mean, it’s crazy; a friend called me one night and told me that Annie Mac at Radio1 was playing this low quality MySpace version on her show... imagine that.
* So is it an official single or just an independent 12’ you decided to put out there?
Yeah, it’s official. I had various license offers by major labels but I don’t want to make this bigger than it is right now. It’s just for those who appreciated it & wanted a better quality version.
* How come there won’t be any backing remixes to it?
A remix of a ReroX doesn’t really make any sense to me.
* “Bitchee Bichee YaYaYa”, their music generates the same energy your reroxes does! Do you know them?
Yeah, I like their sound!
* It seems like “Pink Floyd” is one of the top choices for a rework, I mean a lot of successful DJs and bands are re-using their hits… for example “Scissor Sisters” and “Eric Prydz”! Why?
Ahh, from the top of my head… I really don’t know.
* If you go to DsQuared MySpace, there’s a clip of one of their runway shows and it features your music! What’s it called? Are we ever going to be able to have it?
It’s called "The A", and it’s a possible album track!
* WOW an album! What can you tell us about it? When do you expect to finish it?
I have finished more than 60 tracks for it, but now I really can’t decide for the final tracklisting... I don’t want to repeat one style, that’s for sure... I think that the whole project will be ready around summertime.
* Will there be more releases before the album?
Yeah, at the moment I’m finishing my real first EP. It should be ready quite soon with 4 fresh tracks, kind of a preview to the album.
* Are you remixing for anyone at the moment?
Yeah, I’m currently ReroXing the new single by Tronik Youth.
* Do you have any unofficial remixes that you’ve done or haven’t finished that you’re hiding?
Yeah, RAMMSTEIIN, GUNSN´ROSES, LL COOL J ... but most of them are just for my shows... on my MySpace you can hear the beginning of a ReroX for "O Fortuna" by Carl Orff.
* Blogs writing about new artists and posting their mp3's? Great free promotion or disposable sabotage?
No, it’s great promotion!
* what’s the best gift you received this Christmas?
Nintendo Wii: Mario at the Olympic Games!
* The best album of the year?
Karen Ann’s "Karen Ann".
* I’ll mention some words and you say whatever you want related to them :
Machine: Evil
Britney Spears: Spam
Crown: king Randor
10.000.000$: Hip-Hop
Sexy: Motherfucker
Cowbells: Beastie Boys "Hey Ladies"
Trash: Destruction
Rainbow: Summertime
* Thanx a lot for your time & wish you a happy new year in advance!
* Last year I bought a 2004 promotional disc from ebay that contained “Power” and “Glory”… what were these 2 tracks released for, I can’t seem to find any info on them? They sound completely different form your current work!?
Yeah it was released on Kris Menace’s label “Workitbaby”… But I was still in my transition phase and it was a sort of an experimental period that led to me to my Rerox sound! My music really changed since then.
* You’ve recently reroxed TEPR’s “En Direct De La Cote”, is there going to be more releases by him under RoXour in the future? What does “En Direct De La Cote” mean in English?
Yeah, TEPR told me to do another one... but for the moment there is no new release planned. We licensed this release to “Wall Of Sound” records and I hear it’s a big release for them, especially with the new datA remix. I’m happy for TEPR, He comes from the westcoast and he’s proud of it. This just shows that France is not only Paris on the music map.
"En Direct De La Cote" means: "Direct From The Coast"
* On you’re Myspace you mentioned that you signed a new artist “Flairs”, It also mentions that both the 12” and video will be out in September? Have they, coz I haven’t heard the track yet or seen the video! Tell us more about him!?
“Flairs” is a phenomena. I personally think it’s an outstanding funny and intelligent mixture between rock and electronica. I heard "Better Than Prince" once on someone else’s MySpace and a fat, hairy clown in my head screamed "Fuck, Sign this record Mr. A". Also to mention is the fact that it’s mixed by the golden fingers of Alex Gopher and Etienne De Crecy.
I’m quiet proud of this package, the single will come out in the beginning of February with remixes by Benjamin, 25 Hours A Days & a little Alavi ReroX. The video will be amazing; it’s done by Mtv heroes Jonas & Francois, the guys responsible for Justice “D.A.N.C.E.” and Kanye West “Good Life” videos.
* Now I know you have done a number of amazing remixes for fellow friends in the indie scene, some may not admit that some of their best work could be involved with mainstream, in your case I think it’s the Click-Clack-a-Smash-a-Shout remix of Jamelia’s “Beware Of The Dog”, I’ve never heard a remix so perfect to rave to like it! How did you construct it? Did it come together easily? Do you agree that it’s one of your best?
Ohh, Thanx for these kind words. Well, I think that I just slaughtered Jamelia in "aahhh"s and "ehhh"s and that gave the track its energy… Or wait, could it be because of the tons of Redbulls I was drinking while I was doing it...?
* Your remixes sound pretty complex in texture, sometimes combining several layers of noise simultaneously, how painful is the process of remixing a song that is already loud or complex!?
Well, usually I don’t work like this. I mean I don’t listen to a track and then ReroX it. When I have listened to the original once I get back to the cutted samples a few days later and I build my own shit with it... so I’m never inspired by the original.
* Another thing some DJs told me about, is that sometimes when they make music, every time they add a sample or change a bit they have to play the track over and over so many times they end up not being able to know what they are listening to “literally”? Did that ever happen to you? If yes, describe it? How do you deal with it?
Yeah, this happens to me really often. But now I just work on so many tracks at the same time... it’s really interesting how one track can be a result of an idea that did not work with something before.
* Now what’s the story behind Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack” rerox, it’s actually better than some of the official ones! Why haven’t you offered it to his label?
Thanx for the compliment, but sometimes it’s better to be unofficial.
* Congratulations on releasing “Smells Like Rerox”! But the track is not a newborn right, you’ve started making it long time ago! I’ve been rocking to it for almost a year now, but it seemed like a loop, a good one though! Is the officially released version any different from the one roaming the blog fronts? What made you finally decide to release it?
I made it about 3 years ago, and then last year re-discovered it again and uploaded it for 2 weeks on MySpace... the reactions were good and someone managed to rip it from there, & that’s how many Blogs had it long time ago. To be honest, I never wanted to release it but then later Courtney Love contacted me to help me on clearing this. I thought I should do it because I wasn’t happy with the version everyone was playing... I mean, it’s crazy; a friend called me one night and told me that Annie Mac at Radio1 was playing this low quality MySpace version on her show... imagine that.
* So is it an official single or just an independent 12’ you decided to put out there?
Yeah, it’s official. I had various license offers by major labels but I don’t want to make this bigger than it is right now. It’s just for those who appreciated it & wanted a better quality version.
* How come there won’t be any backing remixes to it?
A remix of a ReroX doesn’t really make any sense to me.
* “Bitchee Bichee YaYaYa”, their music generates the same energy your reroxes does! Do you know them?
Yeah, I like their sound!
* It seems like “Pink Floyd” is one of the top choices for a rework, I mean a lot of successful DJs and bands are re-using their hits… for example “Scissor Sisters” and “Eric Prydz”! Why?
Ahh, from the top of my head… I really don’t know.
* If you go to DsQuared MySpace, there’s a clip of one of their runway shows and it features your music! What’s it called? Are we ever going to be able to have it?
It’s called "The A", and it’s a possible album track!
* WOW an album! What can you tell us about it? When do you expect to finish it?
I have finished more than 60 tracks for it, but now I really can’t decide for the final tracklisting... I don’t want to repeat one style, that’s for sure... I think that the whole project will be ready around summertime.
* Will there be more releases before the album?
Yeah, at the moment I’m finishing my real first EP. It should be ready quite soon with 4 fresh tracks, kind of a preview to the album.
* Are you remixing for anyone at the moment?
Yeah, I’m currently ReroXing the new single by Tronik Youth.
* Do you have any unofficial remixes that you’ve done or haven’t finished that you’re hiding?
Yeah, RAMMSTEIIN, GUNSN´ROSES, LL COOL J ... but most of them are just for my shows... on my MySpace you can hear the beginning of a ReroX for "O Fortuna" by Carl Orff.
* Blogs writing about new artists and posting their mp3's? Great free promotion or disposable sabotage?
No, it’s great promotion!
* what’s the best gift you received this Christmas?
Nintendo Wii: Mario at the Olympic Games!
* The best album of the year?
Karen Ann’s "Karen Ann".
* I’ll mention some words and you say whatever you want related to them :
Machine: Evil
Britney Spears: Spam
Crown: king Randor
10.000.000$: Hip-Hop
Sexy: Motherfucker
Cowbells: Beastie Boys "Hey Ladies"
Trash: Destruction
Rainbow: Summertime
* Thanx a lot for your time & wish you a happy new year in advance!
Alavi Myspace
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