So, to begin. I read somewhere that the particular atmosphere of nightclubs is what inspired you to make music.
You read this? [laughs]

Er, in your bio. Does your bio need to be changed?
Well....hehehe....playing music in clubs and producing music is two different worlds, in fact. So the more you go to clubs, the more your music is getting, um, programmed and thought of as club music. Which is good sometimes, but sometimes it's also bad, because you start wanting your music only to work...

The music becomes functional instead of emotional.
Yes. So, sometimes good, sometimes bad, but I think right now it's interesting to play music in a club, because right now people are very open. During a set you can play electro, hip-hop, r&b...you can be really diverse, and people will respond. So it's an interesting time.

Was this something you knew you wanted to do, growing up in Brax? Or were you more inspired to do this when you moved to Paris? Be a musician, I mean. Not necessarily a dance music producer.
Not exactly. In fact, I started to produce very late. I was 25 [laughs], and I did it because I had no job opportunities. I'd been a student for quite a long time, but I failed all my exams. Then I went to do military service, which in those days, in France, was an obligation. And when I got back from the service, I had nothing to do. I'd been into electronic music for a few years then, so I gave myself one year to buy some equipment and try to produce my first track.

Wow.
But, to be honest, I was always interested in music. When I was a kid, I was playing cello until I was 15, then clarinet, then bass guitar. But producing music is totally different.

In an interview I heard you give, you mentioned you rarely listen to house music at home. What do you listen to at home?
Not a lot of music, in fact.

Oh, so you like quiet?
Yeah...the place I listen to music is my car. I listen to the songs on the radio, and this is where I get my music. At home, not so much. If I have spare time, I watch a movie, or I take care of my son, but I'm not listening to music.

So when the time comes to work on something, then, where does the inspiration for that all come from? Do you work at home, or do you have a studio space somewhere where you get into a creative mindset?
It's a bit difficult, because my studio is at home, so it's hard to separate my personal life and my professional life. What it means is I'm working all the time. I don't stop. [laughs] So I work every day, in fact.

...which is why you don't listen to music at home.
No, no I don't. So yes, I'm working every day, whether it's a song idea, or a remix, or whatever.

Staying on the business end of things, then, let's talk about your label, Vulture. Where does the name come from? Because to me, there's kind of a disconnect between Vulture's music, which is really emotional and melodramatic, and the physical image of the animal.
Well actually, I like the way it's written. I like the typographic aspect, and in fact, I like the animal as well. Because it's not really a cool animal, and I'm not really a cool guy. I mean, I am [laughs]

But it's not something you flaunt.
No. I don't know, I like this animal. It's not really beautiful, and, um...but really, it's the typographic aspect that I like.

You probably get tons of submissions every day, from people hoping you'll license their stuff. As a label head, what's likely to appeal to you?
I think that at some point, when you are listening to a track, an emotion must touch you. So even if it's 10 seconds, or 20 seconds, it's okay. And even if the rest is not perfect or not really well-produced, it's not really that important. If the song is sincere and honest, and there's emotion in it, that's enough for me.

Is there a give and take with submitters?
It happened to me once. I told an artist, this part is really good, you should just loop it, and forget about the rest. But otherwise, I try not to interfere too much. I think it's the artist's involvement and work.

One more thing about Vulture. These days, a lot of labels hinge their success on having a clear sonic identity. Did you have that intent with Vulture? How would you describe Vulture's sound?
The main goal, when I started the label, was to release my music, when I want, without any pressure, and to be free to do exactly what I want, that was the main goal. But as far as sound, a lot of Vulture's releases sound a certain way because they were made by me, in partnership with Fred Falke, so...

They're all of a piece.
Yes. Vulture was started in 2000, so it's eight years old now, and there are just a few releases. In fact, it was really one release per year for a while. But now what I want to do is one release every six weeks.

Whoa.
Yeah, yeah, a lot of releases. It's going to be very diverse, I think, from electro pop to house to techno music. As long as it's good, yeah.

Is that stuff you've been sitting on for a while now?
Since the summer, in fact. I had a holiday, which is quite unusual, I took a two week holiday, and I thought, "This is stupid. I have this tool - Vulture - and there's so much good music out there to be released, by so many artists, so let's do it!"

And here you are.
Yeah, I'm doing it. The first release is in two weeks, by an artist called Sellout. And next Lifelike will release a single, and so will Das Glow, an artist on Institubes, and so on and so on.

Some of your best-known work involves vocalists, but outside of your work in Stardust, you've never worked with a vocalist. Is there a particular reason for that?
I don't know. [laughs] It's going to change now, though. I'm producing tracks for vocal artists now, and I'm more interested in working with more. But not for, um...

Not on an album basis?
No no, on my album there will be featured vocalists, but I want mainly to use vocals as an instrument, with just a few words or loops.

Is that because you're not that interested in traditional songwriting? It seems like tons of artists these days will write lyrics just because they feel they have to have words go with their music.
I mean, I like vocals. When I do a remix, I tend to choose just one word, two words, and I loop them, over and over. And if it's "I love you," I mean, "I love you" is completely stupid. Well, it's not stupid, it's overused. But if you loop it, for four minutes, it's "I love you I love you,' it's like praying. It brings it to another level. So, I'm interested in that. You just choose a few words, and you work on them, try to use them as a song bed, and see what works. I'm not interested in the traditional song structure, with verse, chorus, middle eight, and so on.

Silly questions now. On a bunch of the blogs publicizing this event, the word "legend" kept coming up. "Alan Braxe, the legend of.." I see you grimacing, so that anticipates what I'm going to ask. What's it like being talked about in these terms? Is that just PR hyperbole? Does that happen to you in France as well?
Uuuunngh. I don't know. My career started ten years ago, and it's a bit strange, because it started with one track on Thomas Bangalter's label, Roulé Music. Then Stardust, which was a major hit, in fact...so I started very high up, and since it's been like this [makes downward slant with hands] But it's like this because I chose not to enter the system, in fact, I never worked with a major company, I never made a big, uh...

You didn't go the Bob Sinclar route.
No, not at all. I just wanted to do my own stuff when I feel ready to do it, and I think that's what people appreciate, in fact, in what I do besides music. My attitude is very laid back, and I do my stuff. I don't try to overpromote my stuff, or anything, I'm just me.

One last question. 10 years in the music business, but you only started DJing two years ago. Was that because you were intimidated, or you it wasn't interesting to you? What's the reason behind it?
I was totally intimidated. I was even frightened, because I'm really shy. And the fact of being in a club with a lot of people, sometimes really a lot of people, especially at festivals, I was really, completely frightened. But two or three years ago, a German producer, Kris Menace, told me, "This is completely stupid. You must get out of your studio! You must meet the people, face the people, play them your music and you will feel better in your head." Which is completely the case, in fact. I really appreciate playing in clubs, seeing people dancing and how they react, and I'm really happy with this.

Do you have a solo thing coming out any time soon?
Probably in March, I think. A 4-track EP, for now.

Anything you've wanted to say since we started?
No, not really. Just that it's great to be in New York. This is my fourth time here this year, and each time is better than the last.

Thanks very much.
Thank you!


Alan Braxe is booked up solid in Europe this winter. His label's latest release a 12" entitled Genesis / Sunrise, by Sedat the Turkish Avenger, is available for download through Beatport.