I would like to introduce you to Music Producer/Remixer Brandon "B.Alex" Durrette...
I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with B.Alex for many years now. Brandon is a native New Yorker and we first met through Mike Milan when Mr. Milan and I both lived in Boston and I was working on a music project fresh out of high school. For many of you who know me, y'all have heard the name Brandon or B.Alex ring through the years. Now I'd like you to officially meet the self-made and well seasoned genius behind the music. Brandon has collaborated with some of New York City's biggest class acts such as Myspace phenom Jayms Madison, NYC performer Mark Villamaria, and Carlos Ricketts Jr. (who sang background vocals for Mary J. Blige herself). He has also graced us with many great remixes from Marvin Gaye to Janet Jackson to Kanye West and many many more.
So I'll stop there and let you indulge in the great Q&A I had with B.Alex himself.
SWNYC: So tell us a little bit about how music all started for you?B.Alex: Music has always been an important component to my life. There are pictures of me wearing headphones at the age of two years old. I remember I used to carry a Fisher-Price cassette player and walk around my neighborhood with it. Eventually I upgraded and got something with a little more 'boom' in the speakers, but I was always that kid who had to have the latest single from every popular artist. If I couldn't afford it I would record it off of the radio! It wasn't until 1998 that I started creating my own music. I got a YAMAHA keyboard as a gift and started messing around with it. I never learned how to actually play it but it was a useful machine. The first remix I did was Brandy & Monica's "The Boy is Mine." I used a drum machine that I got from a family friend and made a dance hall beat to the acapella of the song. For a long time I never really saw making music as a talent or career option. Whether I recorded them via my keyboard or made them on my computer, my creations were just something I did for fun.
SWNYC: What's the process like creating music?
B.Alex: If it's a matter of me doing my own thing and making a track just for the hell of it then it usually stems from some sort of emotion or a particular "vibe" I'm feeling that day. A few of my favorite artists/producers are Prince, Michael Jackson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, The Neptunes, and Quincy Jones. There are definitely times when I draw from their sound. Other times I'll create something totally random and see what comes about. If there is an artist involved I always try to get a sense of who they are no matter what genre they're trying to fit into, if any. I'm not the best songwriter but if I'm given some sort of melody or lyric I do my best make a beat to it. Sometimes the artist and I aren't on the same page but I at least try to stay in the same book!
SWNYC: With your remixes, what about the songs inspire you to re-create?
B.Alex: This may be surprising to know, but I don't listen to much popular music. They only time I listen to the radio is in someone's car or at a bodega. I'm sure if you asked me to name 5 artists that are in heavy rotation right now I couldn't do it. When I do a remix it's usually a song from an artist who is pretty established. In the case of new or upcoming artists I have to really like the song that its presented to me. I have to get some sort of emotion form it. Liking the song It makes it more easy to remix. I always think it's fun to play around with the mood/tone of the song. Like...'what if I turn this ballad into a dance song' or 'maybe this rock song can be an r&b song.' Remixing brings new life to the familiar and adds another point of view that maybe you couldn't see before.
B.Alex: My favorite artist of all time is Janet Jackson. Janet's music is so great to listen to. I did a fun remix of Pleasure Principle. It's kind of like a funky acid jazz mix. My favorite remix I've done so far is Love Lockdown by Kanye West.
SWNYC: In a nutshell, describe your hometown of New York City and why you remain here?
B.Alex: I feel that New York City is the best city in the USA. I haven't been fortunate enough to travel to every major city in the country but out of the ones that I have visited New York remains the best. There's so much history and culture, and not just American culture. People from all over the globe come here to be apart of something great, to feel important; and everyone in this city is important. Each individual adds their own something special whether it be food, fashion, music, or general attitude. It's like there's New York and then the rest of the country. People don't get excited if you tell them you're from Boise, Idaho but if you tell them you're from New York City they suddenly want to know everything about you! As expensive as it is to live here I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in this country and I'm just fortunate to have been born here.
SWNYC: Coming from a native, where would you say you're favorite spot is in NYC at this point in your life?
B.Alex: It's really hard to pick just one place. There are so many neighborhoods, parks and establishments to choose from. My favorite part of the city without a doubt is Harlem. So many important artists lived in that area. Harlem has a unique energy. It's a very genuine, unapologetic kind of spirit. I know that as of late there have been a lot of changes not just in Harlem, but in the entire city. Condos, restaurant chains and things of that nature are popping up all over the place. I think those kind of changes are indeed necessary, and in some cases overdue. Harlem, however, is just one of those true New York neighborhoods that never looses it's raw flavor no matter how many changes it goes though. I also love Battery Park City. For some reason that area always reminds me of The Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz, especially at night.
SWNYC: Where do you see yourself in the near future?
B.Alex: At the gym! A little further down the road, however, I see myself working with my favorite artists and traveling. You never know what the future will bring so I'm just as curious as you are to find out.
SWNYC: Are there any projects other than music you're working on that we should look out for?
B.Alex: Yes. Film director Maurice Jamal has started a new TV network called GloTV. It's the first Urban LGBT TV network. I've been talking with him and his team about being involved in some of the programing. I'm actually in one of the ads for the network so look out for that while you're channel surfing.
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| Photographed by Mike Milan. |
Be sure to check out B.Alex's music here and be on the lookout for more to come:
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