Angel Alanis

Angel Alanis voted in BPM Magazines 2005 Top 100 DJ List - BPM Magazine

When House music icons DJ Dan and Angel Alanis join forces with Orlando 4/4 beat-pushers of Soul Phusion fame (Jason McGowan, Brandon Riley and Nelson Perez) a blaze of top-quality grooves ranging from deep, disco, and tribal House to Techno is likely to occur. Musique Multimedia Group, a force not to be reckoned with in the industry, manufactures and oversees distribution of over 14 top-notch dance labels including DJ Dan's In|Stereo, Raoul Zerna's Tech-Asylum, Ri'Que Music from Japan, and Angel's new A-Trax, to name a few.
Angel Alanis whose musical roots sprouted in Chicago, arguably the House music capital of the US, says the radio had a vast influence on him, “I listened to DJs like Bad Boy Bill, Kenny Jamin Jason, Farley Jack, Master Funk …etc. They played everything from Loft Music, Chicago Hip-House, Freestyle, and a lot of what Chicago was best known for, ‘Jack Traxx’ and Acid.” His early-day involvement with a promotions group called Mushgroove Entertainment helped him tremendously as he says, “Through our events I met various people involved in the business that inspired me to make music. They helped me get started by showing me the ropes.” When asked to compare the scene in Chicago to the rest of the world, he jokes saying, “you can’t. That's why I live in Los Angeles.”
Angel keeps his musical style interesting by playing many different forms of House and Techno, he also keeps his sense of humor interesting saying, “the Polka thing never quite worked out for me.” The thing about house music that “does it” for him is, as he puts it, “the soul and uplifting groove that keeps you dancing all night long.” Being such an accomplished musician has taken him all over the world to places in Europe, South America, and Japan, and he tells us, “I hope to travel more next year 2003 if my Big Wheel still operates within specifications.” The hardest thing for him has been as he tells it, “maintaining a normal life and a close relationship with my loved ones.” He goes on to say, “sometimes you forget the real things in life to the point that you may go about your life as a blind man or woman.” But, he seems to have a good head on his shoulders, keeping his sense of humor, and seemingly not letting his success go to his head. We look forward to many future releases from Angel including an upcoming full-length album on his label A-Squared Muzik, and a mixed CD on Nettwerk America, due out early in 2003.
- Jive Magazine

"Angel Alanis may be the greatest American house DJ/producer. His live set is tweaky and swirly (like this remix), while his techno production shouldn't go overlooked. Long live the Chicago sound!" - Dusted Magazine

Peter Richards | for NOISE


"Accidents become songs."

That's house DJ Angel Alanis' simple response when asked how some of his successful dance tracks, such as "InternASStional" or "Do You Like the Way You Feel When You Shake," came about.

Largely a self-taught remixer, the Chicago-bred, L.A.-based producer laments the too-clean sound coming from many in the mainstream: "A lot of the recording schools that people go to learn production, they teach you how not to make mistakes. I've always been into really dirty sounds, massive distortion on 303s and distorted techno," he said.

A trial-and-error approach to recording, along with his love of early '90s albums like Nirvana's Nevermind and Nine Inch Nails' Pretty Hate Machine, has resulted in hard-hitting dance floor numbers on numerous DJ compilations (most recently one by John Digweed) as well as the chance to remix artists such as Sinead O'Connor, Kool Moe Dee and Robbie Rivera.

Though he's spun records for 16 years, Alanis (who also goes by the names A-squared and Subsonic) only emerged on the international dance scene during the last three or four.

Coming of age within Chicago's nascent dance and techno scene, he first heard the music of artists such as Bad Boy Bill pouring out of FM radios. "Pretty much everybody had turntables in my neighborhood," he recalled. "I got a pair of 1200s (turntables) when I was 18, started throwing parties around '91 to '93, then bought drum machines, mixers and some pedal effects."

A string of basement parties, weddings and bar mitzvahs followed. While not always the best gigs, they allowed Alanis to hone his skills, network with musicians and producers, and explore everything from disco to minimal techno.

In 1997, Alanis carried a shoebox full of self-produced DATs into a local record store where noted Chicago artist DJ Hyperactive worked. After wading through dozens of tracks, Hyperactive selected a few and asked him to bring more. This meeting resulted in the release of the EP Advanced Therapy. "So that was my first record," Alanis said. "It was difficult."

He's been busy recording ever since. In 1999, his full-length debut, The Subconscious State of Techno, was well received by the dance music press. It also gathered praise from fellow artists like Armand van Helden and Laidback Luke.

Alanis creates his innovative brand of house music in a wide range of settings, from clubs to large outdoor shows. "I play off people as much as they play off of me," he said. "You're not really a performer -- you're a DJ there to play music for people to dance to."

He has enjoyed performing internationally where crowds tend to be less tentative, more uninhibited. "U.S. audiences, sometimes you have to tell them to have a good time," he said.

But Alanis is supportive of the homegrown electronic music he finds in the places he visits. "I love to travel around and see local DJs just playing in someone's basement who are better than I am."

Recently, a television commercial for Motorola boosted one of Alanis' remix projects, featuring DJ Colette, to award-winning status. The song, "Feelin' Hypnotized," received a prestigious DanceStar Award, an honor given to those in the electronic dance music field.

So what motivates a great remix? "Liking the song is the most important thing," he said. "(You have to) have some imagination and patience," he continued, "learn by doing, and have an ear (for the music)."

Lately, Alanis has been spending most of his time on a full-length project, the Magic Elephant Orchestra, for the U.K.'s Victoria Music label. The album, expected to be released in April, veers through shifting styles from industrial to melodic. "It's got a little of everything on it," said Alanis. "A little Nine Inch Nails, a little Postal Service. And I've been working with the bassist from Everlast." The album promises to be a departure from what people are accustomed to from Alanis: "It's a test to see how much people pay attention to what I'm doing," he said.

But Alanis is relaxed about his place in the international dance music scene. He's a strong advocate of "giving away music for free," so much so that his entire catalog (plus a bevy of unreleased tracks) can be downloaded from his home page at www.angelalanis.com.

But those tempted to follow in his footsteps should know his success has come with sacrifice. Vacations and time off have been few and far between for Alanis as he honed his craft. "Your work should be your vacation."

His other advice to DJ hopefuls: "Be yourself, put in a lot of hours, don't put things off -- musical ideas are time-sensitive. And eat well."

- Noise Magazine

Remixing is an art form that requires equal amounts of practice and natural talent. It takes creative and technical skills that are not too different from those needed for scoring film music or playing the piano. And - as with those more established disciplines, regardless of the artist's individual style - there are several common practices that almost every professional remixer follows. To uncover and explain these techniques, Remix assembled a roundtable of screaming remixers who agreed to share some of their most closely guarded secrets on five different aspects of remixing.
The remixing panel is a diverse bunch. Dave Aude and Pablo La Rosa are both formally trained musicians, whereas Kris Bones and Angel Alanis jumped into the music business strictly as DJs. All four spin regularly and have residencies stateside and overseas. Both Aude and Bones have been DJing and remixing for nearly two decades; by comparison, Alanis and La Rosa are fresh faces on the scene, with just over a decade of experience between the two. Aude owns a professional recording studio in Los Angeles; Alanis and La Rosa each have home studios; and Bones prefers to work out of his associates' facilities (as the rooms at his home are reportedly filled with vinyl).

Throughout the years, Angel Alanis has gone from hot local Chicago DJ to internationally acclaimed producer. He has released a slew of hardcore dance tracks on labels such as Subspace, Contaminated, Konsequent, 4 Track, Thrust, Planet of Drums and Contact. Alanis is known for banging out high-quality tracks at a fevered pace and in a variety of styles ranging from disco-filter workouts to house to minimal techno.

His current tracks can be found on UC Music, After-hours, Soul Phusion, IHR, Jasper Stone and Catalyst Recordings. Recently, he has worked alongside Brian "Halo" Varga (as Trunkids), Rees Urban and collaborated with DJ Colette. Alanis has put his Chi-town remixing touch on the works of Frankie Bones, Joey Negro, Paul Johnson, Robbie Rivera, Pump Panel, CZR, Kool Moe Dee, DJ Icey and Jesse Saunders. His first full-length mix album, The Subconscious State of Techno (Contaminated), was released last year and praised by industry heavies, including Dave Angel, Judge Jules, Laidback Luke and Armand van Helden.

- Remix Magazine