Brawther talks to the real heroes of Underground Dance Music and finds out what makes them tick.

He’s the techno punk, the unboxable nomad: Berlin DJ, producer and label owner Alex Ridha, better known as BOYS NOIZE, made his DJ debut at the age of 15, taking a teenager´s love of house and techno to a global scale. Accolades have been bestowed by Rolling Stone, who named him one of the "Top 10 DJ's Who Rule The World" and Beatport, who elected him “Best Electronic Act” 3 years in a row. He´s rocked the world's biggest stages, lit up Coachella three times, took Lollapalooza by storm, and headlined festivals and clubs on every continent – from Berlin techno temple Berghain to Fuji Rock in Japan to Justin Vernon’s Eaux Claires Festival in the woods of Wisconsin.

As an artist and producer, Ridha has created a sound and a vision that’s peerless, uncompromising, and enduring – respected in the scene, banging from underground to mainstream, it flies in the face of convention at every turn. He’s remixed Depeche Mode, Daft Punk, David Lynch, Feist and Nine Inch Nails, collaborated with Snoop Dogg, Erol Alkan, and Jarvis Cocker, worked on Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Special” and on the soundtrack for upcoming Oliver Stone’s Snowden, and released group projects with genius pianist Chilly Gonzales (Octave Minds), Skrillex (Dog Blood), and Mr. Oizo (Handbraekes). The list of names alone speak volumes about Ridha’s multifaceted approach.

Ridha is also the heart of Boysnoize Records, the label that he started back in 2005. Founded originally in order to retain his full artistic freedom while releasing his own music under Boys Noize, The Berlin-based anarchist collective —and it’s sub-label, BNR Trax— became a home for multidirectional quality electronic music and is responsible for more than 150 releases incl. Strictly Raw (2015), Out Of The Black (2012), Power (2009), Oi Oi Oi (2007) and Octave Minds (2014).

"... and the spinner will spin. and the bass will be thunder subterranean. and the river will rise as raindrops. from berlin. my favorite electronic house music in the world. immediate. throbbing." - Justin Vernon (Bon Iver)

“One of the most prolific and brilliant artists.” - Zane Lowe (Beats 1)

"BOYS NOIZE makes brilliant music. He doesn´t make a lot of music but when he makes it it´s always CLASS." - Annie Mac (BBC1)

"BOYS NOIZE is the only DJ who can play underground techno for 30,000 people." - 2MANYDJS / Soulwax



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