Alex Fish @ Dance Music 101

Alex Fish has been with Pulse Radio and also with Boiler Room as LatAm responsible and he is now with BE-AT.TV as a Global Business Development officer. Fish has also a DJ career in NYC under his alias, Holosound.

- Life: When was the moment you figured out that Dance Music was meant for you?

When I was 15, I visited Israel in 1994 and came home with a cassette tape of psy-trance which I couldn’t stop playing for about six months.  I subsequently became a DJ and spent nearly every weekend at clubs, festivals or in music studios while working various “regular” day jobs during the week.  Only in about 2011 did I get involved in the business side of the industry itself.  Every year since the demand for dance music has continued to grow and I find myself getting more and more involved!

- Laugh: when was the last time you had real fun?

I’ve been very lucky to travel a lot for my work so sometimes I tend to take things for granted like amazing DJ sets or beautiful nightclubs. However, this past season in Ibiza there was a one villa party on a Tuesday night with Ame and Dixon going B2B that was pretty mind blowing. 

Solomun was in the front row with tears of joy streaming down his face from the records that were being played and Adriatique and Bedouin were pretty speechless as well.  The Martinez Bros and a bunch of other DJs and were all having a great time and just relaxing. 

I had a bunch of friends from EU and US visiting the island and it was nice to see how excited they were to be a part of the night.

The whole thing went down in a private villa with a Void Sound System and open bar for over 12 hours. 

Paris Hilton was also getting pretty unexpectedly after it on the dance floor to some deep techno which was good for a few chuckles.

I’d say that was a pretty good time!

- Love: name the one thing you love more than anything – and why is that?

I love how international and borderless house music is.  It’s shown me more of the world than I ever thought would be possible, and has introduced me to some truly amazing people.

The majority of the people who care about house music and culture also share a common regard for the wellbeing of this earth and a basic respect for people from different backgrounds.

I love that the world is starting to fully recognize and acknowledge a form of music the majority of my family and friends thought I was crazy for devoting my life to 15 years ago.

- Past: name a significant moment in your career in Dance Music – and why is that?

I think the most significant moment in my past career was when I returned home from a DJ tour in Europe in the fall of 2011 and decided I wanted to have more control over my future than whatever the next booking I could get was.

This led me to Pulse Radio where I began interning, then writing, then managing the North and ultimately South America regions for the site. 

Pulse gave me a voice and an entry into a side of the industry I really hadn’t experienced as an artist.  I’ll always be thankful for this important starting point to my music career.

- Present: what do you think that is trending today in music, clubs and festivals?

I think one thing that’s been growing at a faster clip than everyone realizes is the appetite for “underground” music.  The global rise of EDM really opened up the floodgates to a bunch of new people.   30%+ eventually grow tired of the predictable drops and consistently find their way back towards the types of sounds where I feel most comfortable as an artist and businessman.

Probably the greatest proof of this reality is the growing global success of Ultra’s RESISTANCE concept.  The lineup for Ultra Rio’s Resistance is massive!

- Future: where is industry heading in the years to come?

I see lots of things happening that I think will become even stronger trends down the line.

Live Performance in sets: As technology advances more and more I think more artists will incorporate additional performance elements into their sets to retain a unique edge in an increasingly competitive DJ landscape.

Live Streaming/360/VR: As the world gets smaller and smaller and fans and artists alike now expect to be able to tune in or share their sets in real time. 

People can really drill down into exactly what they want to hear or see through what’s available online via the wealth of festival and nightclubs streams.  When I got started in ’98 my taste in music was dictated by what the local record store stocked or who the rave and club promoters were booking.  That’s no longer the case at all.  With services like BE-AT.TV, there’s unprecedented access available to events from around the globe.  People are free to explore whatever gets them excited.

Also, as more and more nightclubs and festivals compete for ticket sales, it’s imperative to have an honest record of the event that goes deeper than your traditional aftermovie.  Having your festival available for On-Demand viewing serves as a calling card for people to check out how a party was when they’re deciding whether or not to attend the next time.

Brands Will Enable Innovation: Electronic music lovers are experts at avoiding direct advertising such as banners and television adverts.  They’re also adept at getting access to the best content at little to no cost.  Brands who want to resonate with this difficult-to-message-to consumer will find unique ways to deliver valuable experiences to people within the umbrella of electronic music and aspirational music festivals by leveraging technology and disruptive thinking.