Alex P Interview: The music is so good it still holds its own today

Alex P is one of the UK's original voices in the explosion of electronic music. Caught up in the acid house renaissance in the late eighties, he would eventually cut his teeth in the burgeoning Ibiza development as the UK's club-goers made the Balearic hotspot their mecca for being exposed to the thud of dance grooves. And then he had the bright idea to move some decks to the carpark of Space and start the terrace sessions. That will never work...

In the nineties him and long term sparring partner Brandon Block became to epitomise a funk drenched house sound, and as the UK became dominated by the need to dance the pair were one of the original superstar DJs, as legendary for their famed capability to enjoy themselves as their much loved DJ sets. 

Alex is due to play for brand new Leeds party Quench on Saturday 12th October (stream their promo mix above), the soiree focused on the harder edged sounds of the old skool spectrum, and with Skiddle given the chance to speak to one of the founding fathers of the UK's scene we did just that. Alex's new radio show, the importance of celebrating the old music and of course that infamous story about Space all cropped up.

Hey Alex, thanks for speaking to us. You’re scheduled to play in Leeds shortly for the launch of Quench. How has your relationship with the city been in the past?

First of all I'm really looking forward to Quench and coming up to Leeds, it's a great city in which I have a lot of fond memories of and also some friends I don't get to see that often. The city has always had such a vibrant club scene, I've got some crazy memories going back to the days of Up Your Ronson and Back to Basics which in their day were some of the best nights in the UK! 

Where else have you been playing this summer, and what gigs have you got coming up?

I've had a busy summer, managed to play some great festivals and been to Ibiza a couple of times - there was one or two mad nights were had. One of which ended up with myself and Blocko (Brandon Block) buying a Guitar from a busker and going busking ourselves.... we also managed to earn a few Euro's in the process! 

Having played such a crucial role in the development of the electronic music scene, how do you think it’s evolved over the past few years? Do you think that the current fascination with nineties sounds is emblematic of a genre indebted to its past or one running out of ideas?

For me house music is constantly evolving and growing. The advances in technology push it on along with the crucial input of young blood from new producers and artists. I have a Radio show on www.passionlive.co.uk which is dedicated solely to breaking new material and the response I get from listeners all around the world is incredible. The house scene at the moment is very much alive and kicking.

With it being nearly thirty years old now, modern dance music has learned to become very celebratory of it’s past with plenty of events dedicated to it. Being someone who was there in the beginning, do you think it’s a positive thing?

I think the current fascination with the nineties sound owes itself to the fact that it was such an amazing time for music,clubs,festivals and raves etc. and people now want to be a part of it or relive it! The nineties sound reflected what was going on at the time, recovering from a recession coming together,unity, making the best of bad times and of course the phenomena of XTC it all came together to revolutionise clubbing as we knew it. The music is so good it still holds its own today. Sampling of tracks has always been around and is prominent with nineties tunes at the moment but most nineties music was clever sampling of older music itself!

I love Old Skool events from any year as each is individual and has something different to offer, through the 10years house music divided and subdivided there was something for everybody. The ambience at the events makes the music accessible to the new and great memories for the old. The nineties were special and for me need to be revisited.

We’re sure it’s a story you probably tire of telling (sorry!), but how privileged do you feel to be the person responsible for the Space Terrace? And do you think it’s a shame that it can’t exist in the same capacity any more?

I never tire of telling the story of how I started it...

I was resident DJ in Amnesia and returned to Ibiza in May to be told by the owner Jose he had just sold the club, I was gutted! I met the new owner but we had different ideas so that was a non starter. I then asked Jose if he could introduce me to Pepe the owner of Space, the club was new and I loved it!

Pepe had heard of me and liked my Djing he and I got on like a house on fire, so that afternoon he offered me a residency and I was made up to say the least. My friend James Mitchell (promoter of Sunrise and Back to the Future Raves) was with me at the time and he had just split with his girlfriend, and was keen to spend a summer in Ibiza as well so we tried to hire one of the bars inside but they had all been taken.

We sat outside the club chatting, got caught up in watching all these lovely dancers going in for auditions and it seemed for ages that we had no plan for James. Then all of a sudden it hit me like a lightning bolt - lets put a bar on the outside patio area and offer alternative music to inside which at the time was harder and more techno driven. I'll DJ more funky vocally sound mixed up with the warehouse sound which was big in the UK at that time.

We went back to Pepe sold him our idea and the 'Full Moon Terrace' was born, it later changed to the Space Terrace as we couldn't pay for the artwork and the guy took it back! The first year was tough and the bar wasn't that busy so James decided it wasn't for him. I kept at it, DJing seven days a week inside and out up to 12 hours a night with a quick nap in the middle, but it was hard.

Soon though the bar picked up steam and created an identity, people came after other clubs as the terrace opened at 6 and some people got up at 5 to come just for the terrace. A new breed was born and it got busier and busier; I had big DJ's come and do an alternative set for me with the likes of Sasha, Coxy, DJ Dag,Sven Vath and Mark Spoon all playing something a little different to what you would expect, and the crowd loved it.

That time was incredible for me but super hard as in the mix of all this DJing Socialising and partying I still had to run a bar! I needed help and that's when Blocko entered the scene, he was the only man for the job and my word he did it well! We became partners in crime and the rest is history... I'm so proud of those days and so thankful to all involved it shaped my life!

Have you been to Ibiza this summer? If so what were your experiences of the island like?

People always ask me what I think now? It's a product of its own success, still amazing but I think it's lost a lot of character and is becoming a machine.

And finally, what else lies in the future for you?

For me now I'm just keeping in on doing what I'm doing. I have a new zest and love for music, and really enjoying the radio right now. Onwards and upwards let's see!

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