Touching Bass: Lapalux

Recent Brainfeeder signee, Lapalux, has creviced himself a mini, sensual spot in my iTunes. From the sexual, glitch-filled wonders of his Gwen Stefani ‘Luxurious’ remix to pacifying smoothness via ‘Time Spike Jamz’, the 22-year-old Essex resident is creating himself a moniker as the Barry White of electronica.

How did you get into music?

Sort of just playing instruments from an early age. Not really anything major, like learning grades or anything but it was stuff like the electric guitar and a bit of violin and generally mucking around with things. I think it was just a general progression and it obviously through school and software, generally trying to get the ball rolling in the early days with PlayStation One games. With the music programs and using that to make little beats. It was sick.

What was the name of that PlayStation game?

It was Music, Codemasters Music or something like that. Then they made Music 2000 and all of that. I think that’s what really got me started actually.

Were you into games much, then?

Not a major gamer, no, but obviously I had the SNES before, but you couldn’t really do much musically with that. That’s where it all started though, definitely.

In terms of your music influences, who would you say is up there?

Quite tricky. I wouldn’t name an actual artist, I would just say that in terms of genre, IDM and old school hip-hop really got me thinking about how I can mash a sound up out of lots of these different, electronic sounds. A lot of Aphex Twin, old school hip-hop like Souls of Mischief.

That’s quite interesting. What’s your opinion on how the direction of hip-hop nowadays?

I don’t know. I’ve thinking about this, with all the Gucci Mane and all of that and I just remember how back in the days, it was all about stories and getting out of the ghetto and that sort of stuff. Now, it’s gone into how much money you’ve got. Even people like Eminem have gone absolutely wack with all these sob stories about his daughter and that. Which is fair enough, I guess, but I’d just rather have some meat on the bones rather than some frail old ‘I’ve got all the money in the world’ b*******.

How did you get into making the kind of music you make now?

I guess it was just via process of elimination really. Just coming up with ideas and just constantly learning new things and learning new software. Eventually, I just get into this whole Lapalux moniker because I’d tried everything else. I just niched my sound out of just trying loads of over things, because none of the other stuff really worked. I’d make all different styles of music, but I think nowadays I’m trying to separate myself from listening to too many things because I get swayed really easily. If I listen to Aphex Twin, for example – as in really deep IDM – I just start making it. So I just want to focus on this thing that ends up making itself.

Where does the name Lapalux come from?

It’s basically just a mish-mash of ‘lap of luxury’. I came up with it when I was really drunk round at one of my mates’ house and we were just kicking it back. I just fell on the sofa and said ‘I’m in a lapalux’, when I actually meant to say ‘I’m in a lap of luxury’, but it just seemed to merge together well. Ever since then, I just kept it because I really like it.

In terms of dubstep, what’s your whole vibe over that scene?

I’ve never been crazy over the whole Rusko side of dubstep. I mean, it’s good in the club sometimes when you’re having a good party, but I prefer the whole James Blake, Mount Kimbie stuff. I’ve been trying to involve a bit more of that kind of thing. Chill it out a bit more rather than just having wobbly crap all over the place.

What have you got coming up, release-wise?

I’ve got a new EP coming out on vinyl in November and a Brainfeeder release in January too. I signed with them not too long ago. It’s all done, just waiting for it to get out.

Lapalux has provided his remix of Fink’s ‘Perfect Darkness’ for download.

Lapalux by Touching Bass

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