
STREAM MUSIC ON
BUY MUSIC ON
ONDULA
Marseille-based producer Alaix Pulse releases his latest EP Ondula at Amsterdam-based indie-label KROOKS Records. Ondula is his full EP and follow-up to the single release of Moaï back in May of this year. It reflects the broader vision of the great human experience that is his journey..
This EP continues to tell this everlasting story of traveling through oriental music and aboriginal culture before heading back to France where Alaix fused his journey together in his studio in Marseille. The changes in atmosphere between the tracks represent a person’s ability to adapt to new situations when traveling to unknown places. Using percussion instruments like congas, claves, and the maracas to emphasize this and to form a convergence between ancestral music and electronic music. Adding to the experience is the use of different synthesizers like the Juno-6 and many cross-bass elements like the vibrations of flutes and inter-kick bass elements to give the EP more depth. The release comes with hefty remixes by San Miguel and Landhouse & Raddantze.
The personality of Alaix Pulse was born in the early 2000s. Fascinated by African rhythms and natural sounds but also influenced by the pop rock culture of the 90’s’ of his parents. He began composing his first songs on a video game console at the age of 13. Experimentation has always been a key point in each of these musical productions, thereby exploring different genres over the years. Over time his signature sound further developed and recognition grew within the scene.
COMING SOON VIDEO
INSPIRATION
PERCUSSION
My first music lessons were on a djembe when I was eight years old. It thought me the importance of the rhythm, still mostly the basis for my music. It’s also thanks to these lessons that I learned to appreciate sharing music and the intimate bond between musicians that results from that. Like spontaneous drum circles we used to do.
It immediately aroused my curiosity and desire for music. In the beginning, therefore, I was totally focused on African rhythms, the culture, and also that side which is both original and pure in a tribal sense. Most of what I produce usually begins with a rhythm because it is the place I’m most drawn to the most and I invite you to feel that.
FIRST STEPS
Having to stop percussion lessons, because of a lack of musical schools where I moved, prompted me to find my own path. I had my djembe at home, but nobody to play with. And because this was where I had the most fun, either way, I persisted and found a new way.
I had the chance to start my first tracks on a PlayStation with Music 2000 which sort of filled the gap of having no-one the play with. This was a small revolution since software for music production was pretty expensive at the time. After two years of creating house and techno tracks, I decided to buy Korg Electribe ESX-1 sequencer that allowed me to express myself more.
My first tracks on this machine were varied, but as a rule, the rhythms were created to make you dance. I practised various styles, such as hip hop and Drum ‘n Bass. After that, I sold my PlayStation to invest in a computer and a DAW to find the true infinite possibilities of musical creation.
DAFT PUNK & ELECTRONIC MUSIC
The artists who have been my main inspiration for years. Artists with an unusual personality and breathtaking music. When Homework went on the radio, a shrill sound came out of nowhere that forced us all to move our bodies. The depth, the quality of the textures the groove and all this mix of new sounds you’ve never listened to before was a revelation.
This allowed me to take things to another level in my production process, and it still does. Creating an alliance between organic sounds, such as vocals or guitars, combined with more electronic and strident sounds is one of my main lines of conduct. Music can not be explained, it speaks directly to our emotions, our sensations, our heart.
TRAVELING
Thanks to my parents, I’ve always had the chance to travel. Travel is something I’m very attached to, just as much as music. There has always been a relationship between my music and my travels. Because music can feel like a journey as well. It was a great experience with a lot of different emotions.
My last trip to Australia in 2015, where I had the chance to stay there for a whole year, deeply changed my perception of making music. Something I didn’t have the time to do before because of my work. This inner discovery was made during this journey, with beautiful encounters and a way of life that I had never experienced before. I participated in many events around art (mostly aboriginal culture) and music, through festivals of all kinds and meeting musicians by the beach and in the streets. It really allowed me to dream again about working in the music industry.
Today, music is the result of adaptation for me, it is also the ability to communicate my emotions, even shared emotions, to unite us and reduce tensions.