With releases on renowned labels like Nervous Records, Amplified Records and most recently Eros Music and his first successes under his belt, Parisian wunderkind Alastair Lane (Arthur Le Mener) takes the scene and tells us about his plans for world domination, how tricks are played in the clubs of Paris and a bit about where he came from, musically.
Tell us about the name, your city and how you got to be Alastair Lane.
I used to produce electronic music under a different alias, and about two years ago I decided to create Alastair Lane as a side project! It was a way for me to make the music I really love, after losing interest in my main project. I have now completely stopped making music under another alias and will be focusing on Alastair Lane full time!
The name is pretty random, I just really like it, and it stuck!
“I was not expecting to get signed by Nervous and have the track up in the charts! But when it happened, I decided to quit my other project and concentrate on this one!“
– Alastair Lane
You seem to preference funk laden basslines and horn sections ontop of a laid back House groove. Your formula oozes of 1970ies American funk and disco, and yet maintains a sophisticated frenchness underneath it all. Your exclusive mixtape takes all it’s inspiration and mana from late seventies, early eighties French Pop and Disco. What are your musical roots?
The first CD my parents ever bought me when I was little, was an America album, with the song “Horse with no name” on it, and that’s where it all started and my love for digging began! I also remember the first time I heard a disco track, it was Earth Wind & Fire, but I can’t remember which album or song haha! I mostly just listened to my parent’s CDs, and only sometimes bought my own!
French music is also a very big part of my culture, and I’ve always listened to it with great pride! I think the first French CD I ever listened to was “Starmania”, it was from a musical and the music is composed by Michel Berger, if you don’t know it you should really check it out!
“With long sets, I can explore different styles of music while keeping it coherent, and that’s what I love the most!“
– Alastair Lane on DJing
You DJ as well. How do you work your crowds? What works on the floors in Paris?
I feel like crowds are always different in each venue, and I usually just try and feel the vibe, I like starting with some Funk or Old School Hip Hop and slowly move up to House, Soulful House, Deep House and Disco records, and sometimes even some Garage! It also depends on if I play a long / short set, and what time I play.
With long sets, I can explore different styles of music while keeping it coherent, and that’s what I love the most! Unfortunately for me Paris is a very Techno oriented city haha, even though I do enjoy the Techno parties as a listener! But it’s a big city, and there’s a lot of House / Disco events too!
“My Love” is unlike anything else that rotates on the Nu-Disco/Re-edits circuit. It’s definitely has the classic Nervous Records groove in the Housey drums, but the rest is tender, loving care. How did that adventure unfold?
Thank you! I was not expecting to get signed by Nervous and have the track up in the charts! But when it happened, I decided to quit my other project and concentrate on this one! So you’ll be hearing a lot of new tracks very soon!
How does work begin with an original Alastair Lane track? Do you have a laid out, fool proof method you employ, or do you tread new ground from scratch?
There is no fool proof method! I always start from scratch and it always depends on my mood! I can have the main idea in a couple of hours, and work on small details for weeks! I just released a Deep House / Lo-Fi track on Eros Music and now I’m working on some Soulful House. That’s why I love playing long DJ sets, so I can explore all these different styles.
For me your sound is pure nostalgia fused with the present. For your generation, it’s about rediscovering hidden musical treasures from decades back. How do you think today’s music will stand the test of time?
How can you not be nostalgic of an era where some of the greatest music was produced? Even if you didn’t get the chance to live through it haha!
I also do love today’s music, the Funk / Disco / House scene is very much alive! And there are immensely talented producers, singers and bands out there. So, I do think that this music will stand the test of time, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
What’s next for Alastair Lane in the nearer future? What and where can we expect to see the next outing?
I’ve released a track with Eros Music called “How Do I Look?”, it’s already out on Soundcloud (and was feature on DA last week) and will be available on all platforms in about a month! I’m also working on a Soulful House track with Lee Wilson, but I can’t talk about that right now haha.
On the DJ side of things, you can see me playing 2 Saturdays a month in Paris at the Fluctuart club, and I’m also preparing some big events with my friends from Eros Music, so stay tuned !
