Italian native Alex Dolby has been at the forefront of his countries club scene for over a decade, and has previously released his music with labels like Rawthentic, Modular, and MB Electronics.
Alongside his achievements as an artist, he also runs two different record labels in Affekt Recordings and the more recently launched Sequential Shift imprint.
His latest studio production will arrive this coming January in the form of his new ‘Functional Elements’ LP, which comes as the third release on Sequential Shift.
We spoke to Alex to ask him about the new album, why he decided to start a second label, and what he has planned for the near future. Get the full discussion with Alex Dolby below.
You’re currently preparing for the release of your new album ‘Functional Elements’, what can people expect to hear from this project?
Yes, I always like to produce what I feel in that moment of my life and not what the market asks of DJs to succeed in the business, and I don’t expect any industry response which is a great headspace to be in. When I started to arrange these tracks, I wanted to create some tools that can match with other tracks during a performance to help knit a set together or add some gritty, analogue textures. For me, it isn’t a proper artistic album in my book, the collection is a set of functional audio tools, which can be used in many circumstances.
It comes as the third release on your own Sequenzial Shift imprint, what made you decide to launch a new label?
My plan with Sequenzial Shift was definitely to experiment into new realms with my production ideas. I decided to create the new imprint as a sub label to Affekt, to release deeper, abstract, and ambient tools as they come to me.
And who might we see release on the label in the near future?
At the moment I think my wish is to use this new platform only for my own music and some close friends as I’m not looking to accept any demos for it, but that may change and I remain open minded.
You also have your Affekt Recordings label, what do you have planned for that going forward?
2023 will be the tenth year running Affekt and I couldn’t even imagine that I would stay focused on the label for all these years. I’m currently planning many releases for the coming years and it will maybe be good to release a collection of new and old tracks to celebrate the milestone.
Will you be releasing on other labels a lot or do you aim to put most of your own music out between Sequenzial Shift and Affekt?
I have spent a lot of time releasing on my own labels that has provided them plenty of energy, but next year I will be looking to appear on other labels too, and putting myself out there again. I think it will be fun and interesting to approach labels and discuss new frontiers of placing my music in the right home.
What’s the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to launch their own label?
When you have your own label it’s without a doubt an amazing feeling, as before 2012 there was a period of time in my career when no one wanted to release my music, so having this outlet was a consequence of that scenario. Allowing my music to flourish was very important and after ten years I think it was certainly the right move. So, don’t be scared to do it yourself if doors are closed and you believe in what you’re doing.
Thanks for answering our questions, is there anything else you want to say?
Thanks for inviting me and asking great questions, I appreciate digging deeper into my projects with you. I hope everyone will enjoy ‘Functional Elements’ when it’s released on January 27th. It’s had significant support from Charlotte de Witte, Marcel Dettmann, Rrose, Ben Sims, and more.
Alex Dolby – Functional Elements LP is out January 27th.