LAMP Weekly Mix #223 feat. Lex Luca

Today we welcome UK recording artist Lex Luca to the weekly mix series. His releases from Simma Black, Cr2, Dopewax and Undr The Radr and many others caught our attention a couple years ago and we have been keeping an eye out ever since. His productions have also gained attention from the likes of BBC Radio 1's Pete Tong and Roger Sanchez to name a couple. In addition he has recently launched his own successful label In Tune Recordings. We are really excited for the trajectory that Lux Luca is on at the moment and are so happy to share his music with all of you. I had a chance to ask Lex a few questions this week to go along with his incredible mix, so make sure to press play and keep reading down below.PZB: Hi Lex! We really appreciate you joining our series and finding some time to record this mix. What have you queued up for our listeners?Lex Luca: Hello! Thanks for the invitation! I’ve put together a selection of cool tunes that I’m into right now. There are a few of my own in there, some unreleased bits, and some exclusives and upfront goodies. This is aimed at the dance floor, with the intention of bringing people together, dancing and happy. It flows along real nice. I’m all about positive energy & good vibes, and you’ll feel the energy shift as you listen through to the whole mix…PZB: We first came across your music back with your “Push” release on Simma Black, which I am fairly sure was pretty early on in your emerging career. Additionally you have had music signed to Cr2 , Dopewax, Undr The Radr and a few other notable labels. Aside from your own label do you have any other projects in the works or currently out we should be aware of?LL: Yes, Push was one of the first tunes I put out a few years ago. Brings back memories! I’m really enjoying the creative process right now and my main focus is on making music. I’ve got a couple of collaborations on the go and I’ve got some exciting releases on my label, plus some events around those. I have an EP on Nervous coming soon too with a remix from The Golden Boy. I’m also launching my new Global In Tune radio show, more info TBC… I’m DJ’ing alongside Mat.Joe & Kinnerman end of this month. And playing at 51st State Festival in August with Lee Foss, Louis Vega, Derrick Carter and Derrick May amongst others.PZB: Wow that all sounds amazing. Love The Golden Boy, he also did a mix for us a while back, and look forward to hearing that when it comes out. As I mentioned briefly above you also recently started your own label In Tune Records, which has been getting a bit of love from BBC legend Pete Tong. Tell us more about the label and what prompted you to start it?LL: A few things really. I had just curated Cr2’s Ibiza Underground compilation. I really enjoyed the A&R process, and the LP hit the top 20s so that gave me more confidence. Obviously a lot of other key players in the scene have their own label,too and I wanted to create an outlet for my own tunes, as well as creating a platform to support some of the amazing music that is going through.PZB: Seeing your music on Radio 1, and being touted by the industry’s biggest names is such a great accomplishment. Looking back on your career so far, did you imagine you’d be where you’re at today?LL: Thanks! It’s been a great ride. I certainly had my hopes and ambitions in those spaces, and I’m a firm believer in visulisation and manifestation. So really, I have imagined it all. I’m grateful for all the support though, for sure, and there has been some challenges along the way. I guess that’s part of the journey, and part of the fun..PZB: I can agree with you whole heartedly on that. You have been getting some pretty great gigs and adding more all the time. Supporting the likes of Dubfire, Coyu, and the man Roger Sanchez among others at venues across the world. What have been some of your favorite moments as of late in regards to your shows, traveling and festivals?LL: DJing alongside some of my idols has been a buzz for sure. I’d probably say some of my favourite gigs include a full moon beach party in Costa Rica, where I played for 6 hours until the sun came up, and playing at Leeds Festival to a massive crowd of 10,000. It was such a rush it took me days to get to sleep after that!PZB: Saw a picture of you hanging out recently with Todd Terry. He is an absolute legend and is a huge inspiration for me. Who have been some of the influential people and artists in your life up to this point?LL: Yes Todd is a proper Don! Man over the years there have been so many. Growing up, names like Carl Cox, Pete Tong, Laurent Garnier, Gilles Peterson, Roger Sanchez, Marshall Jefferson, MK, Todd Edwards, Sasha & Digweed and the likes were all inspiring me to dig deeper and find out more when i was first getting into it. I’ve gone through phases of garage, disco, techno, and i listen to loads of other music from hip hop to soul to funk to latin and way beyond… all of that as influenced me musically. Of course, my friends have also had a big influence over me, me over the years, so it’s not just about the big DJs…PZB: When you sit down to make a track, what are some initial things you always do before getting started? Do you usually have something already in mind before you set out to start crafting the song?LL: It really varies. It can depend on where I am and what mood I’m in. But these days, I usually start with an idea of what I want to end up with. That might be energy, a certain vibe or for a certain time of the night. And the way I feel also affects the way I make music. I’m making music everyday, generating ideas quickly. Then I’ll go back and see which ones I think are worth developing: that’s a process that has served me well over the last couple of years. Sometimes I’ll start with focusing on a drum loop, other times I find a sample I want to play around with, and other times I’ll be hunting through my vinyl collection for a killer sample or sound I can use.PZB: Speaking of the studio, what kind of setup do you usually work with? Do you ever work on the road? If so, what do you usually bring with you?LL: Yes I have a few set ups so I can work at home, in my studio, on the move - either on my laptop or even on my phone. I’ve played around with Logic but pretty much on Ableton now. The technology is amazing these days so I have a stack of plug-ins, soft synths and sample packs and I’m all set. I’m never bored. The Roland TB-03 Bass Line, Prophet 60 & Juno 60, maybe a Korg. NI Maschine or Ableton Push are some of my go-to’s in the studio, but often for knocking out quick ideas I’ll do that whenever and wherever I can.PZB: Let’s say you’re working on a new tune and you’ve got the chance to program some remixes for the EP. If you could have your pick and money, time etc were no object who are some of you favourite producers right now that you’d want to have a go at reworking your tracks?LL: I’ll give you three names to set up a killer remix package…I’d love Laurent Garnier to get to remix a track of mine; Kink is a bit of a production don; And ZDS is another one of my faves.That would be dope! Now, close your eyes and after three let’s manifest this into existence! 1…2…3! Enjoy the mix, thanks againPZB: Wow those are some very wise choices indeed. That is a remix package for sure. Thank you Lex for taking the time to be with us this week. Track list is coming soon. For now though we will leave you with some more music from Lex Luca to enjoy.