Alific Interview 2016

Originating from reggae, Alific made a slight genre change into the electronic downtempo realm and the result is really nice. His recent album ‘Pacific’ includes collaborations with notable guest musicians, and there are a lot of reasons to have an interview with this talented artist!

1 – What are your fondest musical memories? In your house or town?

Playing in a college jam/funk/reggae band was great. We were a group of 5 friends who all lived together and had a practice room with all my recording gear in our basement. We’d leave parties to go home and jam cause we had the urge. I also lived in San Diego playing bass with Stick Figure, some of the most memorable times of my life. Even when we would simply practice, it was always a blast. There’s never a dull moment when you truly love the music you play.

2 – Describe your family member’s musical interests and abilities.

My dad plays piano and actually plays on most of my music. He plays a lot of blues-y/ish stuff and was even in band with a bunch of old guys for a bit. One of my brothers used to play guitar as I was growing up and got me into a lot of music I learned on.

3 – We know you previously made reggae, what made you decide to explore electronic music?

It had a lot to do with the environments I lived in. When I moved to DC, I was introduced to bands like Thievery Corporation who also does reggae but also lot a lot of downtempo and electronic DJ music. I found myself really getting onto the electronic stuff and it began to creep into my own music production and I found myself liking it. I then moved to Vegas and the electronic music scene runs that city so everyone I met and everywhere I went was blaring it. I again found myself hearing all the time and began to really enjoy it.

4 – What stories do you want to tell through your latest EP ‘Pacific’?

Chill vibes for good people.

5 – Were you influenced by old records & tapes? Which ones?

Definitely. I would collect movie soundtracks as a kid and that really got me to love music. I then put the soundtracks aside in middle school when I heard Nirvana and Beastie Boys and Rage and my collection just grew from there.

6 – What are you working now in the studio?

I’m working on a country album that features my dad jamming on the keys and I sing in every song. It’s a collection of 6 country songs I’ve written over the years. I always bring my laptop home with me at Christmas time and record my dad jamming to various beats. I’ve done this for the past few years and these are most of those jams. I’m pretty excited about it. I’ve never made a country album before so it’s a first for me.

7 – What do you think your next EP might be called?

Not sure yet but definitely not “Atlantic”. That kind of thing is usually the last part of the process for me.

8 – How do you balance your music with other obligations?

I work as an audio producer/engineer so Music and recording is my obligation. I’m constantly in the studio all day anyway, so the music is always happening.

9 – How do you handle mistakes during a performance?

Let it go. Live music is all about being in that moment. Sometimes mistakes happen, but you can’t let that affect the rest of the performance. Always keep a smile on your face and never let the audience know you messed up or that you’re angry. It’s a performance so you better “perform”.

10 – What advice would you give to beginners?

Work hard and completely immerse yourself. Love what you do or do something else.