Alex Coulton

Alex Coulton (Idle Hands, All Caps, Dnuos Ytivil, Hype LTD)

Alex Coulton does not mess about. Born and raised in Manchester, the young producer delves into the darker, heavier sides of house and techno to offer an alternative take to dance music. Alex released his first record in 2010 on the respected and enigmatic Frozen Border imprint Horizontal Ground. His second release arrived on his own Syndrome Z label, which he co-runs with UK techno duo Snare (aka 19.26.1.18.5), while his debut ‘Representations’ EP dropped on Glasgow’s brand new, up-and-coming label All Caps in late 2011, with early support coming from the likes of Gilles Peterson, Benji B, Ben Klock, Ben UFO, Blawan, Peverelist, and many more.

Raw, sublime, delicate, neatly programmed. These are the staples of Alex Coulton, who comes from a computer-orientated background. Among other things, he did not dabble in music production, not until he found out he could make music on computers. Making beats, buying a pair of turntables, and DJing seemed to be the natural progression then, not only because programming is something in which he excels, but also because of his passion for music.

While his tracks draw distant parallels with the sounds of Detroit heroes such as Omar-S (with track title ‘Omar’ as an obvious reference) and Theo Parrish, Alex does not necessarily conform to a certain genre. Having been introduced to dubstep at a young age by his older brother and citing Chopin as his favourite composer, along with musicians like William Basinski and The Caretaker, emphasizing feeling and groove over simply dancefloor thump is what Alex does best. “I might throw a few ambient tunes in there just to set the tone,” he said. Indeed, his music is elegant, richly layered and fully textured, which achieves a minimal amalgamation between the pulsating dancefloor-centric rhythms and the shimmering, anytime listening material.

His next release is forthcoming on Bristol label Idle Hands later this year, with some others ones in the work too.

Out of music, Alex Coulton likes to drink tea and draw pictures of sunflowers. He is also a big fan of David Attenborough’s ‘Frozen Planet’.

Text by Karen Ka Ying Chan