Adrian Lux Interview [FNT Exclusive]

Posted by on July 30, 2013

Adrian Lux Webster Hall 2

Prinz Adrian Johannes Hynne aka Adrian Lux has had a long, winding road to where he is now, rising to his well-respected status in dance music. First getting into music around the age of 16, he started as a hip hop DJ before moving into the more underground realms of dance music that were popular at the time in his native Stockholm. He eventually found his sound, becoming heavily influenced by indie pop and a wide range electronic artists in Sweden from Andrew Beyer, to Axwell, to Eric Prydz.

We had the chance to talk about his tour and his show last Saturday, his early DJ life, moving to America and what he is in store for the future. Having just released his debut album last spring, and another on the way soon, it will be very exciting to see everything he has in store for us.

FNT: To start things off, how has the tour been so far and what did you think of the show on Saturday?

Adrian Lux: The show on Saturday was crazy. Its a really big honor to even play Webster Hall, knowing that it is sold out is just crazy, so I am really happy about it and I think the people who were there were really showing support. It was just a really good show for me. The tour has been going really well and I feel like I have been putting a lot of effort into promoting, working strongly within our team to build my brand and push this new single and all the stuff around it. It’s more and more people at the shows, so it’s going in the right direction.

FNT: You played 5 Eric Prydz songs in your set….

Adrian Lux: I am a huge fan of Eric, he is amazing. No one really makes music like him and its kind of fun because if you play stuff someone else did no one will really mention it, but when it comes to Eric people notice it. He has always been one of the biggest inspirations to me, so I am supporting every release I can, obviously because I like it, but also I think he stands for integrity in dance music and doing your own thing.

FNT: You think he will ever release his edit of “Teenage Crime”?

Adrian Lux: That is up to Axwell. It’s Axwell who has the song, so let’s see what he says.

FNT: How influential was your trip to Brazil as a teen, was it overstated or really important?

Adrian Lux: No it was very influential. I went there and I was really into the Prydz stuff and like Digweed and Sasha and progressive, but also techno, so I went down there and I thought that it was going to be more samba-house in Brazil. But then I realized how much they were into that same kind of progressive vibe. Those months really changed my life, I saw how good it could be, so that is what I brought home to Sweden when I started my club nights in Stockholm, I just knew that cool scene was out there. So I started playing that kind of music back in Sweden.

FNT: Do you miss modeling?

Adrian Lux: It was a very short phase, the thing was that I had to say no to everything because there was always shows and stuff coming in between. I mean obviously I chose music. I don’t miss it at all because it is really boring haha, and it is pretty hard actually, it is not as easy as you might think. There are people who are really good at it. Making the same face for hours and its cold and you’re hungry and its not fun at all.

FNT: You recently moved to LA. Has that been hard and is there anything you miss about Sweden?

Adrian Lux: I miss my friends and family. That’s basically it, just having those people around you. But it has been good, I stayed [in LA] for most of the spring, but I have been on tour all the time, so I have been kind of homeless in a way. Right now I am debating on whether to move to New York or to stay in LA, but I am just going to tour for the next couple months, so it doesn’t really matter because I won’t be in the same spot anyway.

FNT: Could you pick up skating again?

Adrian Lux: Yeah I have thought about it and it would be fun, but I don’t have the time.

FNT: You could always do fingerboarding…

Adrian Lux: Dude, I am AMAZING at fingerboarding. I am scary good, for sure.

FNT: The DJ Mag poll has opened up again, what do you think of people campaigning and the counter-campaigns that have gone on like Gareth Emery’s post and the FunnyorDie video?

Adrian Lux: I just read something that Gareth Emery just posted that were inspirational words for sure, but I never did so much with it. That list does not do anything for me because its not who has the most fans or who is the best DJ, it is a pop chart. I know different types of clubbers, for example I used to be into techno and those guys aren’t the ones voting in DJ Mag. I mean its a list and its a fun thing, do it if you want to get into it, but I never took it so seriously. If I were ranked on it, it would be a big thing for sure and I would like that, but you can’t depend your life on that. But I am glad my fans vote for me and of course I thank them a lot. I have to get into what they are all talking about, maybe someone can fill me in on what’s going on.

FNT: You’re involved in every facet of your song, from songwriting to the production. Is it hard to work with other songwriters because of that?

Adrian Lux: A lot of songwriters will say that to me that they don’t really work with producers who interfere so much, but that is because you are there to do something that you represent. Sometimes I find it hard to work with top-liners because they are doing it as a professional, as opposed to an artist who has to at the end of the day stand for what’s being sung, or what’s being put out, they will put a little more heart into it or more work. It depends, there are some really talented top-liners, but I prefer to work with the artists directly, the person who is actually going to sing the song because it creates that special feeling.

FNT: What is one thing people would not expect about you?

Adrian Lux: Besides the fingerboarding thing, I am not super flashy, I don’t really own a lot of expensive stuff, expect for I like gadgets like computers or phones. But I am not going to say I am down to earth, not at all, but I had a lot of interviews and a Swedish magazine was like “Hey, where’s your Ferrari” and stupid shit like that. I mean we don’t all have to share that interest, even if a Ferrari would be fun to ride around in.

FNT: Even if you had a Ferrari in Sweden, how could you drive it with all of the snow…

Adrian Lux: I mean even if it was sun out, it would take 5 seconds to drive through the towns, so there is no point. There are always tunnels too. You can’t really go around like you can in LA.

FNT: What’s coming up for you?

Adrian Lux: The next thing I am doing is the Adrian Lux & Marcus Schossow collaboration “Wild Child” and it is featuring the Swedish indie band JJ. It is a band I have been admiring for a long time. So that is the next thing on the 27th of August. Me and Thomas Gold have an idea we are working on, but there is still no release date, we still have to get the song right, but I think it will be great.

FNT: Will it be an instrumental?

Adrian Lux: No.

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