From his very first release in 2011, Alex Macca has been steadily rising to the top of the D&B game with his well crafted liquid anthems. The Portsmouth native teamed up with his Leeds counter part Loz Contreras in 2014, and the two began to attract the attention of some of the scenes biggest names. In 2016 they released their debut album on Fokuz and not long after signed several track to the mighty Spearhead and Shogun labels.
Macca’s skills extend beyond production. His dynamic DJ sets showcase his love for the full spectrum of the sound. Having played at Liquicity Festival, Sun and Bass, Soul In Motion and Fokuz label nights, Macca has an ability to twist the dance floor into a frenzy in unexpected ways. That’s why we should have seen it coming when he sent us the heavy, bass-face-inducing demos for his “Artifact EP.” The four hypnotic bangers were something totally different from his liquid style, yet they were still uniquely his own sound. With such a powerful switch up, we sat down with Macca for the 10th part of our influences series to pick his brain what songs have shaped his musical tastes.
Check out the Artifact EP: www.fanlink.to/macca
“One of the first tracks I ever purchased on vinyl. This song sticks in my head from when I was about 15, when I was really getting into dance and trance music. The atmospherics and uplifting vibe in this tune is what I try to infuse into some of my own music. It also still reminds me of when I was 18 and going to Ibiza for the first time!”
“Another classic that sticks in my head when I was into uplifting dance and trance. Also another one I still own on vinyl. The breakdown and build up in the track is hugely inspirational to me, and is something that I used to try and re create in my tunes, especially when I was learning to produce. This one still gets played regularly in the gym!”
“Maybe not expected, but one of the first drum and bass artists I remember listening to when I was around 16 at school was Spor. Looking back now, maybe this was the beginning of my transition into dnb after being so heavily into harder dance music.”
“I discovered this one in the last years of school, when I was about 17. This is when my interest in the more liquid side of drum and bass started to grow. I still remember listening to this song on repeat during the summer. Classic!”
“An old classic by a true legend. This is one of those tunes I can listen to anywhere or anytime. I saw his brother live in Australia when I was 18 at Byron Bay at a blues festival and this is one that sticks in my mind with great memories.”
“Bonobo is a huge inspiration, and this track is probably my favourite. I first heard this several years ago at a house party, and I must have rewound it at least 10 times that night. The build up with the vocals and atmospherics blows me away every time!”
“Another reggae classic, again I remember watching his brother Ziggy singing this live at the blues festival in Byron. Reggae has massively inspired me for a long time, which is pretty clear in some of my older tracks!”
“I saw Pendulum live in Fabric when i was about 18. It was the first time I ever saw them and the first time I had been to fabric. They opened their set with this, and it was literally the most hyped crowd I had ever experienced. This song will always remind me of that night!”
“Their album ‘Soulstice’ was the first dnb album I purchased. It was whilst living in Sydney and watching them live after a work friend told me to come. This was when I really started to fall in love with that feel good chill-out drum and bass. I remember quite prominently my friend at the time saying you can either rave to it or chill out, which is something I have now been saying myself for many years. I have a massive respect for these guys, actually playing drum and bass live!”
“Probably one of my favourites from these two. I still like to play this in some of my sets now, the vocal from Miri is such an amazing vibe. It’s one of those older, real feel good tracks from two of my favourite dnb producers and Dj’s in the scene now!”