In this episode of Electric Independence, we head out to Fort Greene, Brooklyn, to visit producer and DJ Alex Upton (aka XXXChange) at his home studio.This formidable analog virtuoso retraces his steps from music school to interning at the record label DFA to creating a slew of legendary tracks heard in every raunchy crevice of every seedy club across the globe. He also takes a moment to show us the benefits of working from a home studio with his spiffy vintage vocoder: they rare-as-hens-teeth EMS VCS3 monosynth.But he’s also got secrets to share: Most notably the innovative use of umbrellas as sound-proofing equipment and the magical weapon behind Dr Dre’s super bass heavy productions. XXXChange has produced albums for the likes of Spankrock and The Kills, and done loads of remix work for Thom Yorke, Bjork, Panda Bear, and a whole host of other famous aural celebrities. Most importantly, though, we—and by that we mean you and us, together—get a sneak peek at an as-yet unheard track from his forthcoming psychedelic rock album. Yeah man, that’s what we said: psychedelic rock album.
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