LE BAIN: You call yourself a music research junkie. When did you get hooked?
LEXIS: It feels like I've been doing music research franticly since I was about 16, and it’s still what drives me. It’s not so much about collecting, but more about a never-ending quest to discover music that truly moves me. For me, DJing is just the finality of a long process of research. I think there are about 10 different ways of digging and they’re all important: record stores, reference books, DJ friends, online, etc. Hopefully our Music Is My Sanctuary website makes the list for most heads when it comes to discovering some gems.
Lexis' exclusive sunset mix for Le Bain
Tell us about your mix.
I love putting together themed mixes; it motivates me to dig into one genre or era. This is definitely my first one with this amount of Balearic and cosmic tunes on it. Most of them are from the late '70s and early '80s, and from Japan, Estonia, ex-Yugoslavia, Spain, Canada, and more. A bunch of these I’ve loved for many years without ever finding a right place to put them in a mix, but I definitely went super deep on research and discovered a ton of new material.
You believe in the life changing power of music. Can you tell us a story of one record that changed you?
Two weeks ago, I was playing at the massive outdoor party Piknic Electronik in Montreal, and I played a beautiful song from Solaris called “You and Me” in front of a few thousand people. Five minutes before, the sky was gray, and then I put the song on and the sun started piercing through the clouds. It was an amazing moment where I felt connected with the music, the crowd, and my mom who passed away recently. I actually started crying a little in front of 3,000 people. It was one of the most powerful musical feelings I’ve ever had.
Solaris' “You & Me”
You’ve been running the website Music Is My Sanctuary for almost 10 years. What would you say is your greatest achievement so far?
Just keeping it alive for all this time and sticking to our musical vision and general approach is an achievement in itself. I am also very proud of the fact that I’ve created something that has become much bigger than just me and I hope it survives long after I’m gone.
Your other big project is 24Hours of Vinyl, which is a traveling series of parties dedicated to vinyl. Please tell us your dream location and lineup for the perfect 24HOV?
We’re working on a Tokyo edition. That would be the ultimate! I’ve also come close to doing the event in New York and hope to make it happen soon.
Lexis' mix on NTS Radio
Is there such a thing as Montreal Balearic?
Montreal is probably the last city in the world you would think of when it comes to Balearic music! We’re under 3 feet of snow for 6 months a year, so I guess the only Balearic thing about Montreal is that it’s an island. We’re surrounded by water, but we don’t even have access to it. But yeah, we're always listening to Balearic Spanish, Italian, and West Coast records and dream.
On Sunday, August 14th, Le Bain presents Été d'Amour Sunset
featuring Lexis, alongside Patafunk, Higgins, and Darshan Jesrani
The Standard, High Line | Doors open at 2pm
