Alejandro Mosso is a name that’s been tied to various entities within the electronic music realm throughout the years. As a producer, he is able to traverse genre boundaries, touching upon minimal, deep, percussive, and house-laden influences. In a modern industry where sounds become regimented and overly focused, the Argentinian represents a refreshing take on the different forms of dance music. Mosso’s grasp of various elements of rhythm is distinctly present in his live set. Utilizing a fully-original arsenal of productions, he’s commanded impressive dancefloors such as Mutek, Watergate, Fabric, and Rex Club.
As a longtime Berlin-er, it’s no surprise Mosso has grown a reputation as a terrific remixer. Through cultivating his own collaborative community in the artistic hub, he has developed working relationships with some of the scene’s most innovative producer. Most recently, Mosso has come forward with a dance-centric rework of Robbie Akbal’s surging tune Fanaya. The remix perfectly encompasses Alejandro Mosso’s sound – percussive, driven, psychedelic – a groovy dancefloor killer.
We caught up with Alejandro Mosso to chat about new projects in the works during this new stage of his career.
Electronic Groove: Hi Alejandro, thanks for your time today. We’ve been really to jamming the Fanaya remix in the office lately.
Alejandro Mosso: Thank you for having me. I am happy to hear that you are enjoying the Fanaya remix, which I’ve just released with Akbal Music. I am very pleased with it too.
EG: How did you and Robbie (Akbal) come to hatch the idea of doing the remix?
Alejandro Mosso: I had been hearing Robbie’s name for quite a while, and when he approached me with the remix request I was very curious to listen to the music. After only a couple of listens, I agreed to the proposal. The original is very nice and I knew the sounds would be useful in my production process.
EG: What do you look for in potentially remixable tracks?
Alejandro Mosso: First and foremost, it’s a matter of liking the music, the label, and the artist. But the type of sounds on the original is also very important. I need to feel that I can do something interesting with them, so pinpointing specific qualities in the original that I can utilize is the first step of the process.
EG: You’ve had the unique ability to release on labels from across the genre spectrum, including Cocoon, Hivern, and Third Ear. Akbal represents a step in the (for lack of a better term) ‘deep’ scene, which has seen a recent surge with labels like All Day I Dream and Do Not Sit flourishing. Which elements of the Mosso sound have created this natural progression into the more deep-natured labels?
Alejandro Mosso: Well, I have been in this business for a long time, so I have seen many scenes come and go. Throughout the years I have tried to stay true to myself and keep doing the music I like, and that I feel represents me best. Always percussive, melodic, organic, rich, and warm – but club-friendly as well. That means that through time, different labels have been interested in my sound. I guess I have been traditionally more related to the Berlin minimal house scene, but lately, I’ve been having a lot of support and requests from the so-called “deep” scene. I guess my music has a bit of both worlds and therefore appeals to different audiences. At the end of the day, all these distinctions do not make much sense. I do my best to create meaningful music that feels right to me and if people enjoy it, all the better!
EG: Tell us about the importance of Berlin in your journey in music thus far.
Alejandro Mosso: My relationship with Berlin started about 15 years ago. I have been based here for a long time now, and it certainly feels like home. It is a city of many layers and there is always something new to discover. My music has been, of course, influenced by the artists and clubs I am related to here. I guess the influence of the city is even stronger on my lifestyle than on my music. As an artist, the most important things you need are time and freedom – Berlin provides plenty of both.
EG: Throughout the years, you’ve maintained a ‘live-only’ performance motto. How have you kept your live show fresh and innovative?
Alejandro Mosso: Performing as a ‘Live Act’ only is certainly a challenge in a very DJ-focused business. A great number of people working in this business do not care much about the distinction, let alone the non-specialised audience. In my case, I have always been interested in the creation of original things, in the artistic sense, so it was natural to focus on my productions and live performance. My live set is always changing, I have accumulated thousands of sounds in my live project, but new ones are coming in and out every month. I try to find a balance between new material and club-proven tracks. Regarding tech, I tend to keep a reduced, flexible and cabin-luggage friendly setup.
“Creating sound and visual experiences for audiences outside the constraints of a club or music performance venue can feel liberating”
EG: We hear you’ve gone back to school for something quite unique. Can you tell us about your new projects?
Alejandro Mosso: Over the last two years I have been pursuing a Master Degree in Sound Art. After doing music for so many years, discovering new ways of expression with sound has been quite refreshing. I have spent a lot of time lately creating sound art installations, sound sculptures, interactive sound pieces, etc. Getting involved in this world has allowed me a free range of exploration with sound and audience interaction. Creating sound and visual experiences for audiences outside the constraints of a club or music performance venue can feel liberating.
EG: How do you plan on tying together your love of music and visual art?
Alejandro Mosso: At the moment I am working on a new sound and light installation for a solo exhibition here in Berlin. For a long time I have been interested in ways of visualizing sound and music, somehow synchronizing both senses and playing with perception. I feel like I am now reaching a point where I can create interesting experiences for people with these techniques. Although so far these two sides of my artistic output have been separated, I am looking forward to merging them for a special occasions in the near future, like in live club music and light shows for example.
EG: As the year comes to a close, what can we expect in 2020 from Alejandro Mosso?
Alejandro Mosso: Early 2020 is looking very promising. I have a couple of remixes coming out and a new solo EP on the XYZ label from Montreal. For the second quarter, I have a bigger and lengthier project in the works, but I can’t say more for now.
EG: Alejandro, thanks again for your time and input. We’re very much looking forward to the new projects.
Alejandro Mosso: Thank you for reaching out!
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