"A new mix of relaxing, largely beatless music of the kind I like to listen to myself.
It seems there is a lack of good quality downtempo mixes so this will be my first of several."
Alex Smoke
Alex Smoke is a Scottish talent making electronic records that blur together European minimalism, pop structures and emotional strings and pads. He has released two full length albums, ‘Incommunicado’ and 'Paradolia' [Soma Records] and a slew of singles and remixes, many of which have arrived on Soma and German label Vakant.
His debut release ‘Random As’ came out in January 2002, but Smoke has always been immersed in music. In his youth he sang in a choir for four years (a far cry no doubt from the mournful tones on his ‘Don’t See the Point’ or ‘Never Want to See You Again’), his parents are involved in classical music, and he has classical training in cello and piano.
Smoke’s own productions are often described as moody, a reputation he doesn’t shy away from. His debut on Soma was the euphoric ‘Chica Wappa’, described by Smoke as “undoubtedly the most optimistic track I'll ever write. My music will never be this upbeat again.” His wish might have come true: recently Smoke’s remix work on Vakant and especially his reedit of Junior Boys ‘In the Morning’ have focused heavily on melancholic electronica, although Smoke has a noisy, brash side too, evidenced on big tracks such as ‘Meany’ and ‘Brian’s Lung’.
Smoke both performs live and DJs, and his agenda as a spinner is perhaps well represented by ‘Sci-Fi-Hi-Fi Vol. 3’ from 2006. His debut DJ mix combined a fascination with dub techno, classic Detroit (Smoke is not averse to playing old records at all) and new European minimal techno.
Tracklist:
Hope Not Dope – Aardvarck
Words (Processed) – Aphex Twin
Let my Fish Loose [Aphex Twin Remix] – Nobukazu Takemura
Uritual – Boards of Canada
tcp d4 7 count in russian different voice irdial – The Conet Project
Inside The Shadow (W. Metals) – Burning Star Core
Duet – Gonjasufi
Brutal – Dean Blunt
Let’s Go Swimming – Konx-om-Pax
P2101V – Arpanet
Bugged in Gaza – Madteo
Self-Playing Schmaltz – Holden
Oil – Jonny Greenwood
Cosm – Alex Smoke
Disorder Whiteroom 3 – Alex Smoke
From no part of me could I summon a voice – Colin Stetson
Ascension Phase – Kuedo
OD Drone 4 – Alex Smoke
Caves Of Paradise – Actress
Silent Night – William Basinski
Laibach – Koran [Alex Smoke Remix]
Disintegration [Alex Smoke Remix] – Laføden
Inside The Shadow – Burning Star Core
Faust (Dream Of Home) – Alex Smoke
www.alexsmoke.com
