FEB. 6, 2014
The electronic dance music community has a lot to celebrate after artists such as Zedd, Daft Punk and Cedric Gervais all had winning nominations at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards held on Sunday, January 26. The Grammy’s showcased a tremendous amount of talent with performances by Kendrick Lamar, Imagine Dragons, Lorde and many others to contribute to the variety of artists. The celebration did not stop once the ceremony concluded, however. Many of the hottest LA nightclub’s opened their doors to commence post-Grammy festivities; including Create Nightclub for the exclusive “Pandora Grammy Awards After-Party” with Swedish DJ, Adrian Lux. The evening offered an open bar, hors d’oeuvres, plenty of dance floor and people to occupy every inch of it. Adrian’s set included a variety of beats; from his own “Teenage Crime” to Alesso’s remix of One Republic’s “If I Lose Myself” with progressive house and techno transitions spun in to create his unique sound throughout the night. I had the opportunity to meet with Adrian before his performance, and during the interview, we spoke briefly about his childhood, what led him into DJ-ing and his initial spark of interest in music. You can also read below about his current Wild Child Tour, and some other interesting facts about Adrian’s career progression.
As a young DJ pursuing music, what was that one euphoric moment where you decided “this is what I want to do; I want to produce music and entertain the world” per say?
“Wow I guess it was when I found just the thing with DJ-ing, because I grew up with a lot of people in the hip hop world; so I was also just trying to find my, you know, people who like rapping, break dancing… and I guess it was just some party where I got behind the decks and just played. It was probably some house party with like three people, but they were dancing?”
When you first got into DJ-ing, you were into dancehall reggae. So, when you found electronic style, was that just your calling where you thought ‘this is the sound that I’m looking for, this is my personal expression of music’ and strayed away from hip hop?
“I mean, I still love hip hop and stuff like that, but if I were to be in the hip hop world then I think I would do something else; maybe more into production. For DJ-ing, I think it’s more fun with electronic music because you can do more of your own thing and shape it more. At least that’s how I feel. You can tell a story.”
Did growing up with musicians as parents affect your decision to become a DJ, or were they not as into the music scene during your childhood?
“They were more photographers and models; stuff like that. Mostly they had really good record collections; so I grew up with a lot of cool stuff, I guess, that was a bit different. We listened to stuff like ‘Massive Attack’ y’know in the car and stuff… I am still very close with my parents.”
Now that we’re on the subject of your parents; since you’ve been touring for so long now, do you miss home, or what’s something in particular that you miss most about just being in Sweden?
“I really miss it sometimes, but when I go back, you know, I see it and all and then I’m like ‘Eh I want to go back to LA or somewhere’. But, it’s a standard; I miss my friends and family of course. If I could just have them here with me, that would be the ultimate thing; like come here instead! It would be way more fun!”
Reflecting on the progression of your Wild Child tour so far, what’s been your overall experience? I.E. with crowd response and just personal achievement. Do you feel accomplished with it, or are you happy with the way it has turned out?
“Yeah, I’m proud of it. You know, as soon as you put your name on something, and it does well, or the way you want it to, it’s an accomplishment. It’s like a goal you’ve reached, and you want to move on to do the next thing. It was definitely a good record for this tour.”
Is there one aspiring DJ that you looked up to when you first got into the industry who you’re now working with, or have worked with?
“I looked up to a lot of different people. People like John Digweed, and Eric Prydz. There’s a lot of cool people, but the more and more I was doing it, the more I felt like I wanted to do my own thing. I won’t be the one to turn down a co-lab. I would rather do it with someone that I find, like someone new; or someone that does another thing because that makes a really fun clash.”
The entire time during his set, Adrian was just as excited to move behind the booth as everyone on the dance floor. Every glimpse I caught of him, he was bopping, fist pumping, smiling and overall genuinely excited to be on stage performing for the crowd. His passion is manifested through his music and it is evident when talking to him, or watching him live, that he truly involves himself in his work. Adrian is eager for the new year; with upcoming festivals scheduled, and a few other projects anticipated for release to all listening ears worldwide!
Stay tuned for more photos.
By Amanda DaSilva
