Things went a bit quiet at LAXX HQ after the long-awaited Step 3 EP last year.
That’s not to say he locked his studio up and threw away the key – far from it – but the steady flow of big releases dropped to a much slower trickle of remixes, fired out between an increasing amount of international shows and an increasing US presence.
Then, just as we were beginning to think 2015 would suffer a LAXX-less landscape, BOOM: two massive collaborations on Brillz’ GEEKIN EP on Mad Decent and two EPs this month: First, the Twitch EP then, on November 30, Twitch Part 2.
He’s been whittling the twitch stick for quite some time now. At least two years. But what exactly is twitch? It’s certainly a great way of sidestepping any tiresome genre debates. The way he’s delivered the last two records in steps or parts leaves you wanting more, too.
Catchy tags and creative delivery: Hold up, did LAXX work in marketing before he became a producer?
“Ha! No,” he laughs. “And it’s not an intentional marketing thing; I just write a lot of music. Especially recently, I’ve been writing loads… Some of what I believe to be my best stuff to date. I’ve been really inspired lately. So yeah, because of this, Never Say Die suggested not bombarding people with shit loads of sounds and rather release it steadily over the course of a few releases. It’s a great idea, but can’t take credit for it. Never Say Die smashed it.”
They couldn’t do it without solid material, though. While we wait for Twitch Part 2 to land on November 30 (which will feature another collaboration with Brillz) we pushed LAXX for to develop on his recent Facebook post about Twitch and tell the world exactly what it is…
LAXX: My Definition Of Twitch
“Twitch is hard for me to describe… But I managed to put it into words this week. Every track I make I have an emotional connection with. From beginning to end, I’m following my heart and my head with what feels right, not what’s going to make me the next superstar. This is what Twitch is all about. It’s about being honest and making music I believe in.
“I guess I’m a bit of a hippy; I have to find that one thing that sparks the whole track. It could be a hi-hat or something with a bit of character that makes me realise where the track is going. I can’t just pull up a really big synth and go ‘right, let’s make a banger!’ It has to come from the roots and grow up and become this real tangible thing. It’s a very organic writing process which can take a long time…
“For example; I might find something that’s got note behind it. So there’s a tone, a groove that already can be felt when you’re just laying down that one element. You can feel it, it’s an entrance and you’re like ‘I’m in! Don’t fuck it up!’
“I also get inspired by the weirdest things; a vinyl crackle or that connection between a golf club and golf ball or straight up computer noises. All these can create a story in my head. It’s a puzzle piece that creates a picture in my head. I just really like sounds. I use obscure things to make parts; something atonal to dictate an element of the groove, or a touch of melody. I like pulling random things out and saying – this is cool!
“All this plus the rough, aggressive edge that I love in my productions. Essentially Twitch, for me, means a mashup of ideas in my head that you can’t help but move to it. Ideally, I want every track I make to make people stop and go ‘what the fuck is this?’”
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