PopWreckoning sat down with Alex Ridha, aka Boys Noize, before his DJ set at Beta Nightclub last month. The legendary DJ has been producing and remixing for over a decade and started his highly buzzed about record label, Boys Noize Records, in 2005. Ridha is known for his cutting-edge collaborations and for his non-stop touring. PopWreckoning was lucky enough to chat with him about what his touring schedule is like and what other artists he is currently listening to. 
PopWreckoning, Brianna Hernandez: You have been doing this for a really long time – a little over a decade – how did you get into DJing and decide to DJ as a career?
Boys Noize: The thing is with me, DJing, I love it so much because I always play new stuff that excites me. DJing was always a big part of me and [I had] so much passion for it when I started and it’s still there. And now, with the traveling you get to see so many interesting cities and people.
PW: You’re huge into remixes – who do you want to remix and what type of genre would you want to work with?
BN: Actually, I was asked to do a remix for Johnny Cash [laughs], but I wasn’t able to do it. The more it’s away from what I’m doing the more interesting it is for me. I still look at myself like a musician as well. When I started to remix the Kaiser Chiefs, it was way more interesting for me to do a remix than to a techno track. It’s way more challenging to take a rock track and make it sound good.
PW: Who are some of the people you are listening to and up and comers you currently like?
BN: Definitely Housemeister. He’s actually been around for a long time as a famous DJ. But now, [during] the last couple years, he’s been blowing up. He’s outside of the box with his sounds and production and he doesn’t sound like anyone else. Guys like DJEDJOTRONIC, who is from Paris. He’s probably the most talented one right now. He’s really killing it with a style that combines house and techno.
PW: So you’re touring all over the U.S. right now –how do the crowds differ between here and Berlin, where you are from?
BN: There are many differences within the U.S. Cities where you have more access to different clubs and styles like NYC, San Franicso and here [in Denver] as well. People are getting more educated in different sounds right now. In the U.S. they really want to rage, which I always do and love. You could say it always take the U.S. a little longer to pick up stuff than in Europe. Whenever I come here, I think I have to do more to present the style and music. 
PW: What does the rest of 2011 have in store for you?
BN: Well, I’m doing the summer festivals again and trying to finish a new record. I already have 25 new tracks but I’m trying to figure out which direction I wanna go. I’ve set my personal level really high now and I’m collecting more and more songs. It’s weird because I can’t go in a studio with a plan, I just go in there and see where it goes.
Hear Boys Noize’s latest track, “Transmission,” here and find more from the DJ at boysnoize.com.
