To begin with, what is your full name, your age, and where are you from?

My name is Alexis Moralez. I am 25 years old, and I’m from Ciudad Juarez (Chihuahua, Mexico), located in the north of the country.

Where are you now, mentally or physically, and what is outside the window?

I am currently in my place of origin, working on loads of music projects, which are coming out in the next few months, exploring and further polishing my peculiar sound.

Can you name a movement or people who pushed you to where you are now?

It all started at an early age. Music was always present in my life in one way or another. I grew up influenced by Rock and Metal music, containing dark and powerful vocals. Shortly after, I came across electronic music artists, such as Richie Hawtin, Dubfire, Marco Carola, Stacey Pullen, Paco Osuna, Kevin Saunderson, Derrick May, and Juan Atkins. I was completely captivated by the Techno sound. Sometime later, I focused on listening to the production of Richie’s Minus label and the artists who represented him at that time, like Marc Houle, Gaiser, Troy Pierce, Matador, Fabio Florido, Magda, Joop Junior, Joran Van Pol, and many others. In this way, I found that Minimal and Techno is my complete refuge and preferred genre.

What aspects of Minimal and Techno do you find so fascinating? 

Dark sounds, mysterious vocals, fast rhythm, and ever-changing minimalist elements. All of this unravels in my recent EP for Plazma.

Try to imagine, what you would be doing if music was never been introduced to you?

Practically my life would have no meaning at all. I would be lost. Music is my entire life and gives purpose to absolutely everything I do and wherever I go. It is a large part of my day. If there were no music in my life, everything would be grey and without emotions since it lets them shine.

Aside from music, what do you like to do in your free time?

Besides music, in my free time, I usually read and meditate, drink coffee and take walks – simple things, but with great significance to me.

Tell us about your city. What kind of music scene does it have?

Juárez is not a very big city, but speaking about the electronic music scene, it has a large number of DJs of different genres, as well as a variety of collectives that have not allowed the movement to fall or die on the border. As to producers, there is a lot of diverse talent from different genres.

In regards to clubs and nightlife, there is the mythical and legendary Hardpop Club – a place where great world-class artists have played and where I have had the opportunity to partake every weekend as a raver and spectator. This venue has also influenced me as a producer because going there and seeing different artists play inspired me a lot to get into the studio and improve my musical skills.

What is your favorite time of the year, and how does it influence your creativity?

I do not have a favourite season or time during the year to influence my creativity. Any day or time during the year works when I sit down to create or develop an idea. If I’m having coffee or any other favourite drink and taking a break from something, it is a good time to make music or be creative.

What does your typical week usually look like?

My typical week is usually quite calm – working during the day, developing ideas and making music in the afternoons and nights. I am a very homely and serene person.

What does music mean to you, and how has it evolved since the beginning?

For me, music is everything. Without it, nothing makes sense, and it is something that I discovered at a very young age. Having it present did me good and inspired me to do things, so the answer was there from the beginning.

Can you tell us about your debut as a DJ? Where did it happen, and how did it go?

I joke that I’m currently a “Bedroom DJ” because my official debut has not happened in any important venue yet. However, in terms of private parties or after parties, there are endless gigs that made me evolve my way of reading people and my direction, as well as improve my skills, equipment and musical catalogue.

What is the biggest challenge or sacrifice you have made or have to make in doing what you do?

You sacrifice a lot – time, money, effort – since you invest all these things in the studio, polishing your sound and creating. Sometimes you neglect some other things while making your dream come true or reaching your musical goal. For example, mental health. Now and then, you might feel that you are not going anywhere with what you create or how you advance as an artist. Other times it might seem that the progress is too slow. And that’s when maybe your mental health can deteriorate a little because it can discourage and diminish you. Despite all of it, at the end of the day, you have to realize that everything is worth it and continue forward.

There are bad days for everyone. How do you keep yourself motivated creatively?

Always keeping in mind that everything I do now will have results in the future and will be completely worth the effort and dedication.

How do you usually prepare before a gig? How much space do you leave for improvisation in your sets?

In reality, I never prepare for a session. For me, everything must be fluid and improvised. It is important to know how to read the dancefloor, the people, and the situation, and have a broad and fine catalogue of music that is totally your style/genre. In this way, things flow by themselves without the need to prepare for a session.

What is your standard or most preferred technical setup for the performance?

Hybrid Live set, such as mixer, controls, effects, pedals, computer, and interfaces – all of that together creates the perfect setup for me.

What is one track that never gets old for you no matter how many times you heard it?

Plastikman – Spastik. This track by Richie is a before and after for me and my love for Techno music.

For the last one on this note, name three new artists you recently discovered!

Dara Ashrafi, NoName Left and Phoenix Movement, are the three great Techno artists that I recently discovered, really like, and started following.

Looking back at the pandemic period, do you have any special moments, personally or professionally, that made an impact on you?

Of course, the start of the pandemic helped me focus on and dedicate more time to music production. During that time, I signed my first EPs on some labels that opened their doors to me in my beginnings. It means a lot to me since I officially started my career as a music producer, and now taking it more seriously.

The world pandemic. To your mind, how it has changed the music scene until this day? What is going to happen in the coming years?

In my opinion, the pandemic season gave people around the world much-needed free time. Therefore, it gave us great new artists and fantastic new musical projects. There were so many talents hidden, which all came loose during this time. In the course of the next few years, let’s hope more new artists will continue to emerge, those who take the risk and show us their musical works without fear and without pretensions.

Alexis, so this is your first release on Plazma Records. Would you like to share your inspiration behind the new release? How long did it take you to produce it?

Of course! It’s my first release on the label, and I’m completely grateful to the entire Plazma team for giving it the go-ahead and signing it. For a long time, this label was on my list to send music to and be signed to, and this goal was finally achieved.

It took me about three months to produce, develop and entirely finish the two tracks of the EP. Basically, it was two songs, which I started on a typical day, having an idea of the bass and the kick in my mind. I freed those ideas, and once I had the tracks just like they had sounded in my head, I incorporated more elements to put them into the final shape.