Alex Santos (musician)

Alex Santos (born 26 April 1975 in Coimbra), also known as Alex S, is a Portuguese DJ, musician and record producer. He is one of the pioneer producers of the Portuguese electronic music scene.

DJ
Being just 15 years of age, got his first job as a DJ in a bar at São Pedro de Moel in Leiria. He has never stopped since then and Leiria (the town where he lived) was the background of his residences as a DJ. As time passed, the success of his productions made Santos an international hit. He played in well-known clubs such as The End (London), Neighbourhood (London), Sobe Live (Miami Beach), Essential (Riga), S.Q. (Poznań), and Sage Club (Berlin). In Portugal, he has been playing everywhere and was one of the guest DJs of Rock In Rio Lisboa 2006.

Producer
In 1994, under the alias of Urban Dreams, Santos became, just like DJ Vibe, Rui da Silva and The Ozone, one of the pioneers of the electronic dance music in Portugal. After some releases in a more alternative circuit, Santos got into the universe of pop music and produced the album Estou na Lua by Os Lunáticos, a band in which he played for from 1995 to 1997. In 1998, he released his first CD titled Urban Dreams Productions, thus becoming the first Portuguese DJ/producer to record an album of original material.

So far, Santos has been one of the most famous producers of Portuguese electronic dance music. He has collaborated with both national and international artists such as Tracey Thorn, Rui da Silva, Melanie C, Michael Gray, Dennis Ferrer, Funky Green Dogs, Silence 4, David Fonseca, Corvos and Paulo Gonzo, just to name a few. In 2007, Santos was invited by the English singer Tracey Thorn, from the band Everything But the Girl, to write and produce a song for her second solo album Out of the Woods. The track is called “Grand Canyon” and was the third single taken from the album.

Darkmountaingroup and Delicado
His collaboration with DJ Luís Leite gave origin to two projects: “Delicado” and “Darkmountaingroup”. In Delicado, they produce one of the most played tracks in Portugal in 2002, “The Sound of Fashion”. In Darkmountaingroup, Santos and Leite produce "Lose Control", one of the most internationally played tracks of electronic dance music in 2006.

Rodamaal
In 2002, with the French DJs Rocco and Manoo, Santos created the project Rodamaal. After a first 12’ inch was released by the French label “Jazz Up Recordings”, Rodamaal signed for the English “Buzzin’ Fly Records”, of the well known DJ, producer and musician Ben Watt, from the band Everything But the Girl. Tracks like “Música Feliz” and “Insomnia” become very popular in the international dance music scene. In 2007, the Rodamaal remix “Church Lady” by the well known producer Dennis Ferrer was released with commercial success.

External links and sources

 * Official Alex S website