Agore and his music is a very good example for the relations between digital music industry and the online communities. Growing, evolving, changing skin and more importantly directing our lives. It can be whether the music we listen to or any other sociological interaction we dwell upon. With every single, very little improvement or upgrade something we just likely perceive or not is likely to happen or trigger something around us. 

This is same with the music industry. Every label is trying to find for the right and best solution both musically and management wise. Technology is the key here to do something and compete around with the best opportunities. Logos Recordings is a new digital label from one of the most cosmopolitan countries in European soil. Macedonian scene is progressing every year and there is no day that we hear such fresh music from their soil. Logos Recordings is one of the deepest and best techno outputs around and they are really taking advantages of being a digital label. They are releasing contemporary Detroit techno with a real attitude and form all around the world!

Berliner Alex Agore is their latest diamond and he has been producing music for a long time. But his name was not ever on a release since some time ago, when label people seeking talents and good music got interested in him via his Myspace profile page. It took only a few weeks for the track selection and Alex’s first digital release was already released from Shazam. This is a common story we are hearing for a long time now. Agore’s techno is stylish and real, and still unique. His deeper and jazzy feel shows that he is going to attract much more labels in the future. April will be his best month ever because there a plenty of releases, albums! Of him to be released in this month. Here is the interview I did with Alex Agore about his very delicious Logos debut “Reflections”.

There is a release bombardment from you. New album from Logos and Lifeworld, new EP from 4lux. Were you waiting for the right time to release stuff or was it by chance/coincidence?
Total coincidence. I had nothing to do with the release dates at all. It just happened that way! I know it looks like it’s all planned like that but it’s not. The upcoming Lifeworld release was the first material that ever got signed of me, quite a while before the other releases.

How did you get in touch with Samoil and Logos Recordings?
Through Myspace. He hit me up and asked if I’d be interested in releasing something on his label. I knew Logos before and definitely liked their previous releases so the decision was easy for me. And then it all happened pretty fast and I’m happy to be part of Logos Recordings. Great label and great people.

What about 4lux and Lifeworld?
Same as Logos. Myspace. It just happened all these people at some point came to my page and liked what they heard and then asked me if I’d be interested to release something on their labels. So decided to split my personalities and use Agore for my techno stuff and Alex Agore for my house productions.

Your real name is Alex Agore right? Agore sounds like a weird surname not German or so?
No that’s not my real name. Lol! Agore is just made up. It has no deeper meaning. I was just thinking about what would sound cool and picked some letters. You know like graffiti writers do to find a combo that you can style well. Agore was the outcome.

What other releases and remix projects we will hear from you soon?
Good question. I work on an album for 4lux which will come out under the Alex Agore moniker and which will be house. I did various remixes for 4lux that also hopefully come out at some point this year. I finished a track for the “Logos Compilation Vol.2” and there even will be a house release on Logos at some point. I have some other things going on but I concentrate on the 4lux album for now. I got lots of collaborations in the pipeline as well and I’m excited to work with talented people from all over the world.

How was the process of “Reflections”? How long did it take to conclude?
Well there was no real process, no concept or no idea behind it at first. It just happened. It was more like a combo of mood or emotions I had during this time.
It all started with the track "Blue" and I just kept going and suddenly there was this album. Samoil asked me if I’d like to do an EP release for Logos and I said sure but then he liked more tracks and eventually said “let’s do an album”. He saw the connection between all these tracks first. I didn’t even notice it. The tracks just fit together perfectly. And it didn’t take that long actually. Maybe a few months.

Do you have a favorite track in the LP? Mine is “Silent Soul” but all tracks are real good. Hard to choose. Was it also hard for you to the track selection process of the album?
Thanks! Glad you like it. My personal favorite is probably "Your love" or "Blue". The whole album is very personal. And all the tunes have a meaning to me and a relation to my life and the changes we all go through at some point. The track selection I did together with Samoil and it wasn’t hard at all. Again it happened very naturally and Samoil did a great job in pointing out which tracks would compliment each other.

Your music is jazzy and as organic as it gets but at the end it is a mixture of house and techno. And the most significant part is that, it is really atmospheric. Also you combine lots of different genres and fashions together and they all make a good sum. What will you say about this?
I just love all kinds of music. Simple as that. I grew up with listening to whatever sounded good. House music, Detroit techno, soul and funk, hip hop and especially jazz. And the result of all, this is my music. I don’t try to go with trends or some kind of "in" sound everyone likes. I just do what I want to do and if people like it then I’m very thankful and it’s a motivation to keep going.

What kind of set up and studio equipment are you using? Is there a balance of analogue versus digital?
My setup, software only. No hardware involved at all. Very basic, very simple but it does the trick for me. The more stuff you involve, the more complicated it gets. I don’t need 300 buttons to push and 100 red/green LEDs blinking around me. I just want do my thing and how I do, it doesn’t really matter in the end.

You live in Berlin but you are doing a music, which is quite underground or unique. Do you feel yourself close to Berghain sound and/or to some techno of that fashion?
I’m not seeing myself as a part of a scene or something like that, never did and never will. So the answer is no absolutely not.

What other labels and producers do you like these days?
Hard question. There comes out so much music these days it’s really crazy. Some of the most unique and nice tracks or albums get buried under a million of boring and soulless releases that it’s just hard to find the diamond in the rough these days. And usually I don’t bother to go and dig for that one diamond.
But for sure there are people i dig. In the techno category just to name a few; Logos Records, Johannes Volk, Solab, Fabrice Lig, Los Hermanos and for house; Theo Parrish, Moodyman, Kyle Hall, 4Lux. Also everything John Beltran deos. He’s a genius.

What are your inspirations while producing?
Other people’s music for sure but a big part is emotions. If u had a bad day and you feel stressed or sad then you got to catch that feeling and in the best case possible, a good track comes out. But that works with whatever emotion you have too. Good, bad, sad, excited… I try to represent emotions. Catching the mood of a moment or a day.

What do you know about İstanbul and Turkey? Would you like to play here?
I’ve never been there but I think it’s a beautiful country and one day sure I can imagine playing there or just coming for a nice trip!

Is there anything else you would like to add or say?
Just thanks to all the wonderful and dedicated people that I met so far. Samoil and Logos, Gerd of 4Lux, Romany of Shazam, Florian Muller (Watch out for his Logos album later this year!), Johannes Volk and everyone else that supported me. Special Shout to all the Myspace people, that’s where it all started.


Interview: Christopher Çolak
8 April 2009