Mixing It Up

Montreal Based EDM DJ Dave Luxe Preps for His Upcoming Igloofest Set

Fringe ArtsDori Julian — Published January 20, 2015

Dave Luxe, self-proclaimed future beats and R&B DJ and producer, originally from Belgium, claims to have landed in the right city because of Montreal’s vibrant music scene along with the prominent fan base the city has offered him.

Constantly experimenting with different sounds, Luxe pulls a great range of his musical influences from the 1980’s to the present day. This has helped keep his style fresh and appeal to a variety of crowds from different musical backgrounds and scenes.

Luxe told The Link about what to expect from his upcoming unreleased materials and his future performance show at Igloofest this Friday Jan. 23 with the Saintwoods crew, on the stage Videotron Mobile.

The fact that Luxe remains an unsigned artist has contributed to his liberty to play and create new musical sounds.

“I’ve been through a lot of different phases. I’ve produced house/club type of music, years ago I was working with rappers from the south in the U.S. and producing rap beats […] now I’m working in the future beats/future R&B scene,” said Luxe.

Luxe admitted that his creative freedom is important. It isn’t necessary to be signed to a label in order to become a successful DJ anymore, as he and many other artists have proven.

“If I sign to a record label, it’s probably going to be a big one […] it’s not a priority for me. I’ve been able to DJ every week and tour America and Europe without being signed,” he said.

The connections Luxe has garnered over the years and the collaborations he’s taken part in with local artists including Tommy Kruise, influenced his decision to move to Montreal and participate in city’s active EDM movement.

“The scene in Montreal is very dynamic and I had the opportunity to play here a couple times already […] I knew some people here, mostly DJ’s and promoters. I like the city’s vibe so much so I thought it was time to make the move.

“There’s a lot of inspiration and energy from the people around me […] It’s definitely motivating to be surrounded by talented people,” said Luxe.

With Montreal’s endless range of music venues combined with its booming underground music scene, Luxe said Montreal has an active nightlife culture.

“You can go out basically any night of the week and find some good music […] there’s music for everyone […] it’s not too focused on one genre.”

When organizing his live sets, Luxe prefers to judge what would please the crowd upon his arrival and interpret throughout the night the appropriate music.

Luxe intends to apply this same frame of mind for his upcoming show at Igloofest. Having never even attended this iconic electronic music festival, he confessed his curiosity.

“I am excited to find out what it’s all about though,” said Luxe laughing.

Baring in mind his experience from his debut North American tour that took place over the summer. Luxe believes that the mood of his crowd varies depending on the country he’s playing in.

“Basically the response to my music has been the same everywhere but in North America, people are maybe a little more wilder […] it’s a little bit more fun, let’s say. ”

Igloofest-goers can expect to hear a mix of house, UK garage, two-step, hip-hop, R&B, trap and dubstep influences present in Dave Luxe’s set.

“It really depends from one track to another […] right now I’m working on going in more of an up-tempo direction with my music […] it’s always evolving and mutating so it’s hard to define my style,” explained Luxe.

Aside from a few remixes featuring Bridge and Schoolboy Q, Luxe says he will be slowing down on the remixes and bootlegs for the next while to focus on putting together his first official EP.

“There will be fewer releases but I will be working on bigger, more official projects,” concluded Luxe.

This four to five track EP will feature vocalists from Begium, France, and the U.S.

Dave Luxe // Friday, Jan. 23 // 11 p.m. // Igloofest (Quai Jacques-Cartier du Vieux-Port de Montréal)