Alex Niggemann & Denis Horvart presented by AEON

Alex Niggemann & Denis Horvart presented by AEON @ Under Club. Saturday 28 of May Persistent, stubborn, straight ahead! - Alex Niggemann can be best described as idiosyncratic, impulsive and selfcritical. What might be construed as negative for some people, are attributes that have paved the way to a remarkable career for this DJ and producer. Born 1984 in Dusseldorf, Niggemann is a producer, DJ and label owner. His development until 2010 reflects a fairly tra- ditional approach to becoming a DJ. At the same time, his career represents a very personal evolution. Alex is erratic – in a truly human way. In the nineties, his impul- siveness led him to discover that playing classical piano was indeed very limiting. This motivated him to search for a more rewarding means of self-expression. As a teenager, he dressed in typical hip-hop fashion and spent his time focusing on rap and style- writing. When he was fifteen, his older brother took him to a techno party. This became the turning point for the young, headstrong musician and pointed the way in a new direction. By the time he was six- teen, Alex had picked up some turntables and transformed his room into a studio. The DJ scene in Dusseldorf was a close- knit network in 2000. Not everyone with talent who knocked on the door was invited to take his place on the DJ decks in the local clubs. Niggemann decided to make a name for himself as a pro- ducer. He started working on techno tracks and soon turned to house. Gradually he found his way to the club turntables. Using an assortment of aliases he was soon playing clubs in the Dusseldorf area and gained recognition as a resident DJ. But Alex wanted more. Alex was in search of something much bigger and better. After graduating high school in 2005, he headed for Europe‘s epi- center of electronic music. In Berlin he studied audio enginee- ring to hone his skills as a producer. Around the same time, he also started working for DJ-T. His job was to run errands, capture vinyl, mix tracks and archive records. The influential Get Physical label discovered in 2006 that they had a promising young producer in their own ranks. This led to the release of Booka Shade‘s „Darko“ remixed on a vinyl EP featuring established artists including Tiefschwarz and Radio Slave. Careful networking soon led to a string of DJ gigs all over Germany. From this point forward, Alex performed exclu- sively under his own name. After finishing his degree in 2007, Alex started focusing more on his music career. But, as a typical perfectionist, he could never get his own productions just the way he wanted them. Fortunately, Marc Poppcke, friend and current label partner, decided to submit one of Niggemann‘s tracks to a label. This led to the first release under his own name and ‘Assign Me’ debuted on Sportclub in 2008. Things started to snowball in 2008 when a number of tracks and remixes were released on labels including Meerestief, Micro.fon, Moonpool, Sportclub and Freak Waves. In summer Alex was signed to Supernature, the home label for Audiofly, a UK duo. Niggemann‘s ‘Black Rose EP’ was released on the same label in May 2009 followed by his ‘Makayuni EP’ released on Nick Curly‘s and Gorge‘s 8bit records. Be Chosen records released another Niggemann EP and remixes followed. His productions enjoy a solid reputation. So it was no surprise to see him being number 8 position on Resident Advisor‘s „Top 20 Charted Artists“ in the end of 2009 ahead of DJ‘s such as Loco Dice, Joris Voorn or Ben Klock. Niggemann‘s bookings have taken him around the world. Gigs in North and South America and across Europe have become part of a standard business routine. Alex has been real busy in 2010. His ‘Play House EP’ was released in January on the dutch BlaBla records. The track ‚Jewels‘ appearing on his own Soulfooled label and his ‘Take Control & Use Me!’ on Super- nature this summer conquered the club scene. Alex has been performing his DJ set throughout the summer season on some of Europe’s and Ibiza‘s best known dance floors. While his latest production ‚Trippin‘ was released in October on Tsuba, Niggemann continues his hectic schedule and will be headed for foreign shores with forthcoming tour schedules that take him to Brazil, Mexico and North America and future plans to start conquering Asia. Alex Niggemann launched his Soulfooled label together with Marc Poppcke and Oliver Fritsche from Superlounge in spring 2010 and the first record was released in June. The focus at Soulfooled is on creating a new music platform and promptly responding to the trends in the electronic music scene so that artists can release their music sooner. The label has already signed a number of famous international artists including Audiofly, Till von Sein, Phonique and David Durango. Soul- fooled artists represent a cross-section of electronic styles ranging from Deep House and Techhouse, to old school disci- plines like Detroit and Chicago House. One important aspect is that they are expected to uphold the Niggemann standards. His solid reputation has opened the door to some of the world‘s leading, most influential clubs, including Ibiza‘s “Space” & “Privilege”, “D-Edge” Brasil and Watergate in Berlin. One of the things that distinguishes Alex Niggemann‘s style is that it‘s hard to define. This headstrong producer isn‘t inte- rested in sub-genres and likes to describe himself as a House DJ. He produces and plays whatever suits him at the moment: from dark tech house to vocal-heavy house music. Either way, he‘s always right on target with the club crowds who dance to his music all night long – all over the world. Wherever his mood takes him, the club scene will be paying close attention to what comes next on Alex Niggemann‘s turntables. In 2011 he caught Steve Bug's attention resulting in his EP "Lately" being released on Poker Flat followed by his debut longplayer "Paranoid Funk" on in June 2012. In his own words Alex set out to “create an album which is different to typical club or listening albums, where songs fit together (even when having different styles) without being too similar“. He also goes on to say that it‘s very much about “showing the full range of what I‘m able to, what I have done, what I like and what I will do.“ - It’s not hard to believe him, as it‘s a rather eclectic 4/4 album packed with groovy, feel-good house that still offers more hypnotic and darker moments along the way. Returning from his “Paranoid Funk World Tour” end of 2012, which led him to play more than 40 gigs in 3 months all over the world, Alex does not even think about to rest on his laurels. The year of 2013 starts promising. After releasing the 'Paranoid Funk Remixes' on Poker Flat Recordings as well as remixing artists like Blond:Ish and Alex Flatner & Lopazz, Alex launches his new label AEON in April 2013! AEON brings us back to Alex' roots, the music which inspired him to start DJ-ing and also began his career as a producer. The new imprint is born to bring together a crew of talented artists, who share the same thoughts about House Music and its way of life, creating one platform to release music that stands for quality and that certain something. Classic and timeless House/Techno combined with the technical possibilities and influences of today. Think "mid 90s", "Chicago”, “Detroit", “Techno-House”. Continuously forging his own path, irrespective of any hype and what the scene is asking for, and doing everything with a passion and the will to reach his goals has made Alex Niggemann the personality he is today. Alex grew to be an established and successful DJ & producer, wanting to release music purely for lovers, for people who cut their own path, who dance just the way they feel, celebrating and being passionate about what they do without following rules and trends; the things which characterized the “rave culture” of the 90s. Only two things are important – you and the music. Let's see what comes next, the future looks bright for Mr. Niggemann!