ITW : EXAL [FAKTICE]

Axel Nalesso also known as EXAL. His sound has been shaped and inspired by enigmatic artists such as Regis, Surgeon and many more talented musicians he has witnessed along the road. His awareness of genres such as New wave, break-beat, techno, drum and bass and his willingness to learn and observe has resulted in his very own style of techno that can verbally be described as a combination between intricate rhythms and energetic tones that enable him to keep the raw spirit of a rave in the focal point of his performances.

As a DJ he has been resident of the well known Blocaus Party’s in Paris for 5 years before he joined forces with the infamous C12 Club in Brussels where he has been active from 2018 to 2022.
In terms of production EXAL has had two releases EP’s (12”) which feature remixes from Inigo Kennedy, Hector Oaks, Setaoc Mass and Dyad as well as others tracks in V/A. In 2022 he launched his own imprint called Faktice with his long time friend Askkin. The first release of the label result of a split ep with Askkin an a collaborative track. Late 2022 he release a 6 track ep on this imprint.

Hello Axel, thank you for your time. You perform in the electronic music world, however have you always been interested in this music? For how long have you been active as a DJ and producer? 

Hey InDepth, I’ve been into electronic music since i’m 16. I’m 31 now so it’s been a long ride.I started djing in a club at 18 with serato. And have produced music since 20. 

How would you describe « your » sound ? Are you inspired by other genres than techno ? 

My sound is influenced by the uk in general. So yes i’m inspired by everything that revolves around UK music, dubstep, drum and bass, grime, electronica.

Alongside this interview, you shared with us the recording of your last dj set at Fuse. How did you prepare it and what was the idea you wanted to convey through it?

So, for this set it’s a warm up, and I did a lot when I was resident at Blocaus in Paris. I tried to come up with something a little different from what we can hear at the moment. The set starts slowly with ambient then gradually rises to invite the dancers to start the night, little by little entering the dance and the club.

You are currently based in Brussels and you were a member of  C12 (club and agency). How did you start to collaborate with them ?  And what do you think about the Belgian club scene ? 

I met the crew when I was working in a bar called “Epicerie moderne” which is closed now. And since the agency is closed i don’t work anymore with the C12. I think the scene has evolved a lot since I arrived 6 years ago, a lot of DJs, promoters have emerged and it’s nice to see the evolution.

You’re the co-founder of your own imprint “Faktice” with Askkin. How did you two get to know each other? Where did it all begin and how did your collaboration evolve from there? 

We met at Nantes 12 years ago, we did not become friends directly, he was in a crew called Abstrack and they do a lot of parties in Nantes and they often invited me to play, the party was called “Faktice”. It all started here.

Tell us, what’s the story behind the pictures and faces of your artworks ?

Askkin found this AI that makes faces out of nothing, it fits well with the name Faktice. “*Any resemblance to a friend or loved personne will be considered Faktice.”

*Any resemblance to a friend or loved personne will be considered Faktice.

A few weeks ago, you released a new EP on your label. There are different influences from techno to drum & bass. How did you approach making all these tracks? What is your relationship with music production?

There is no approach like in my mind it’s not okay i’m going to make an EP to sound like this or that. it’s more an intuitive approach, I make tracks with my emotion.

Can you tell us a bit about your process of producing, do you use software, hardware or both? And what do you often do to get inspired ?

I only use Ableton, vst and samples. I listen to a lot of music in a different range, sometimes it’s just a sample that’s made me produce a track.

Last but not least, what’s coming next for you in the next months, any plans, any releases or exciting projects you’d love to mention? 

So next year, I’ve a vinyl release planned, it’s coming on my close friends label’s. We also planned more releases on Faktice, then we have an EP of Edit from me, Askkin and friends. We also planned a remix ep from our last releases. And hopefully making a vinyl by the end of 2023.