A crucial part of the We Love… residents team Alex Wolfenden has been entertaining the Space crowds for many years. With all his sets this past summer taking place on La Terraza his mix of house classics old and new has set the stage for many a memorable night. At his summer long Cafe Mambo residency Alex takes the chance to showcase a different side to his musical tastes with sets journeying through chill out, classic rock, ambient techno and beyond.

Having migrated south for the winter to the sunnier pastures of Australia, Alex has found time along side working on the Acid Mondays project with Garry Todd and Dan Ward to answer our 11 questions. He has also provided an exclusive mix for We Love… available for free download here

Is there one book that you have read that has been life-changing for you?

I am not a big reader but one book I did manage to read was the biography of Quincy Jones. It is a inspiration for life not just music and is a must read for anyone. 

Did your parents encourage you to work in music?

I was never was encouraged to work in music but I was never stopped. We used to have a piano in the house which I learnt on and when I was growing up I played different instruments from guitar, saxophone, drums but could never choose one, I even have a grade 4 in trumpet.

How did you begin to work professionally in music?

My first professional gig in music was when I used to go on tour with Yousef as Moral Officer and I got flown around Europe to do it, i was just 18. While doing this I did everything from warm dj, do the visuals, and start the odd food fight or two. But realistically it was playing in the Annexe in Cream in 98/99 where I used to play the warm up set. This is where I learned my trade. It was a magical time and a place that changed my life.

How do you apply your past experiences to what you do today?

I have had so many jobs from delivering booze, bar work, even a fairground attendant. Djing around the world of the last 10 years has opened up my eyes, but the job that gave me the most important life experience was when I got payed £1 an hour for 40 hours a week in a nursing home. This job helped me get my first decks. I met so many amazing people who had some unbelievable life stories, and the funniest characters which taught me so much about real life.

Where is your current studio and what is it like?

My studio is my pride and joy, I have been colleting hardware equipment for the last 9 years. I have Emu sp1200 sampler which used to be DJ Sneak’s, Emus 6400, Akai S300XL. I have a juno 9 classic synth and a Yamaha O1V digital desk I don’t want to list off all my equipment as it’s quite boring for most people and I can’t give away all my studio weapons but i have just bought a 501 Roland space echo’s which warps up anything played through it and linked up to my Vocal Harmonizer I will be making some twisted futuristic sound for my tracks this year. I lesson I have learned is it’s not what you have its what you make with what you’ve got. And as if I’m gonna tell you where it is!

How much have you had to consider marketing issues since embarking on your career and how has that affected your creativity?

The technology available to music producers and dj’s has advanced so much over the last 40 years, as back then studio time was so precious and would cost lables thousands of pounds, needing lots of people to work them. Where as now you can make a hit record on a plane with a computer, some software and a pair of head phones. This together with the power of the web such as myspace and youtube has shaped the creativity of all up and coming artist. Even though times change marketing issues still have the same principles as you should contantly keep pushing your skills to like minded people, keep intouch with music trends past and present and it should always be about the quality of what you are making not about the quick buck.

How would you describe your work?

Like painting musically swans in space.

Who were your teachers?

From 94 to 99 I never missed a Cream in Liverpool and DJ’s like Roger Sanchez, C J Macintosh, Steve ‘silk’ Hurley, Justin Roberson Green Velvet, Derrick Carter, Paul Bleasdale, Danny Rampling, and seeing the uk debut of Juniour Vasquez, and Daft Punk.

Your home is burgled but fortunately the culprits are caught and your possessions returned to you. What would you deem a suitable punishment for the burglars?

Lock them up in a container in Liverpool docks with Celine Dion’s greatest hits on loop.

You have to make one species of animal extinct. Excluding insects, which species would you make extinct?

There’s enough of that going on without me joining in

If you could spend one week in any period of history, which period would you choose?

1969 -  15/08/1969 in fact the 14/08/1969 i would need a day to get ready…

We Love… Ibiza 2009 Episode 15 – Part 2 from We Love on Vimeo.

Tags: 11 Questions, Acid Mondays, Alex Wolfenden, House, Music, Studio

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