Alexis Knox is a force in the DJ world, known for setting dancefloors on fire everywhere, from her Heaven London residency to Ibiza’s Eden. Her high-energy sets have taken her to some of the biggest stages, from Tokyo’s nightlife and Rome’s Fashion Week to global festivals and underground raves, even teaming up with Charli XCX for her record launches. Along the way, she’s brought her electric vibe to major events like Red Bull, Southern Comfort’s PRIDE celebrations, and Converse.
In the studio, Alexis scored big with her debut track “Higher” on Perfect Havoc, climbing to #3 on the iTunes Dance Chart and racking up over 2 million streams. More recently, “Sober” and “HERE 4 U” have also made waves, landing on Spotify’s New Music Friday UK and New Dance Revolution playlists, solidifying her place in the dance music scene.
With her latest release, “Through The Night”, Alexis takes a classic disco sample that channels Ibiza’s endless summer vibe, layering it with her signature style to make something both familiar and brand new. It’s the kind of track that feels like an instant throwback but hits with a modern punch, designed to light up any dancefloor with a blend of shimmering melodies and upbeat grooves to get lost in. Download/stream it here.
What’s the story behind your latest single, “Through The Night”? What inspired you to create this track?
Over the years, I’ve spent an increasing amount of time in Ibiza, and of course, that means experiencing the iconic Pikes. Having been a George Michael fan, I was naturally curious to see where Wham had filmed Club Tropicana – after my first night out at the venue, I was hooked; the rock’n’roll, glamorous, hedonistic history of the venue, mixed with its current day rota of amazing talent behind the decks, and its diverse and fabulous crowd, made it the choice of venue for my birthday this summer.
My bedroom was the late owner, Tony Pike’s suite, which is located over the main dancefloor! After a hedonistic weekend full of disco, I came back to London and the studio wanted to recreate some of the magic I’d experienced, so ‘Through The Night’ was born.
As well as being an increasingly popular producer, you’ve also had a successful career as an internationally touring DJ and resident with renowned clubbing institutions. What can you tell us about your journey and how it’s impacted your venture into the world of music production?
I’ve always had a love for dance music – My first dance floor memory was being about 5 years old dancing with a couple of grannies at a hotel holiday disco to Black Box’s ‘Ride on Time’!
I never set out to ‘be a DJ’; I was a party girl through and through, everything from the RnB room at my local high street club to DnB Raves in abandoned mansions. When I moved to London, I found myself at home in the queer party community, and it was my friend DJ & Producer KDA that gave me my first gig.
One night in Soho, Kris Di Angelis, aka KDA, was DJing, and the dancefloor was heaving! I had the cheek to keep telling Kris what to play next, and so one week he said, “You know what? You’re DJing next week!” Kris put me on the set after his, closing the club night; everyone was too drunk even to notice – or care – that I hadn’t learnt to mix yet! The dancefloor stayed packed till closing, and that was that – I was now a DJ!
It was years until I ventured into production, it was Robert Davies from Perfect Havoc who had seen the waves I was making with my DJing, he reached out to see if I was producing, and I said ‘not yet!’.
I guess venturing into production had always been on the cards for me as I was very much presenting myself as an artist project. Rob kindly introduced me to Alan Leporte who I went into the studio with for months and we rustled up a pile of demos, alongside me doing a production course with Point Blank school.
2 weeks before lockdown my first single ‘Higher’, written and produced by Alan and myself, and sung by an artist called Iago, was released with Perfect Havoc, that track hit number 3 in the iTunes dance charts and my passion for producing was locked in!
Can you share what it’s been like collaborating with the Perfect Havoc team? How do they support your vision as an artist?
Like I said, it’s thanks to Perfect Havoc that I’m on this artist journey releasing music; they’ve been like a family, constantly going above and beyond with all aspects of the experience, from socials to art direction to legal advice. I’ve had a lot of fun with them DJing as well, from Ministry of Sound to Ibiza to Rob’s wedding, even playing his and his wife’s first dance song!
When you listen to “Through The Night,” what emotions or vibes do you hope people take away from it?
As the track is inspired by hedonistic nights in Ibiza I hope people can sense a dreamy romantic escapist vibe which can transport them to another place!
What’s your creative process like when you’re producing a track? Do you have any go-to rituals that help spark your creativity?
It’s all about collaborating; I can not work alone as I’m useless at sitting still; I’m always bouncing off the studio walls! My tracks are normally born out of inspiration taken from tracks I’ve loved and lived experiences through in the past. I also really love the collaboration with singer-songwriters; I didn’t realise how much I would enjoy the storytelling element of songwriting.
Are there any particular artists or genres that influenced you while making “Through The Night”? How did they shape the sound?
I really enjoy artists such as Mark Knight, LF System, and Purple Disco Machine; that driving, pumping, high-energy disco sound is definitely a sound I look forward to experimenting with further.
How do you think your sound has evolved since you first started making music? Does “Through The Night” reflect that journey?
In the beginning when I was new to music production I followed a formulae to some degree, now my focus is based on making music born out of my experiences so I can share music with people in the hope that they can relate to and share those experiences also.
Now, my production process also focuses a lot on ‘What is someone doing/thinking when listening to this?’, ‘Can they even dance to this?’ and also, most importantly, ‘Would I do this out!” I think a lot of my early tracks are great, but they didn’t align with what I was playing in the clubs.
You’ve already achieved a remarkable amount of impressive things in your career. Can you remember how you felt when you were starting out, and are there any key values or mindsets that you’ve carried since then that have helped drive you to where you are today?
Haha I remember coming home after my first DJ set and saying to my female housemate “OMG I’M A DJ?!?!?” and it felt so novel as we only knew boys who DJ’d, but it was exciting to be like “Oh this is a thing!”
And I remember calling my best friend after my first studio session and just absolutely buzzing at how exciting it was to be “going into the studio” and actually translating ideas into something I could send her to listen to in the car!
I think what always stays with me is that I’m just some chick out here trying to do something that is ultimately very exciting! I remember having some issues with a record recently and was stressed for a hot minute before I realised a few years ago I would have been so excited to know I had ‘that’ problem on my lap! It’s a very long ladder, and I’m so grateful to everyone who’s helped me even to be on the ladder attempting to climb!
As both a DJ and a producer, how do you juggle those roles? Do you find that one role is more demanding, do you lean more into one than the other?
I always prioritise sleep and only set an alarm if there’s somewhere I have to be. I can have an insanely focused 4 hours of work that’s so productive after a great night’s sleep, as opposed to a wasted studio day because I forced myself to be up and out only to be tired all day and second guess all my decisions! I feel that with enough sleep behind me, I’m pretty unstoppable!
Looking ahead, what are you excited about in your music career? Any projects or collaborations on the horizon that you can share with us?
I’ve got some exciting releases for the new year and a stack of remixes I’ve had fun making that I cant wait to share! I’m also presenting a radio show on Ibiza Club Radio on Sundays that sits in between Glitterbox and Defected’s radio shows; it’s been fun to get behind the mic and share some of my favourite tracks with a global audience!
Thank you for the Qs and for having me involved
Alexis x
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