Words by Jim Ottewill

As a music maker, keeping something back always adds a strong whiff of intrigue in a digital world governed by online shares, clicks and likes. It’s an approach artist Alxndr London conforms to - but over 40 minutes of cryptic conversation, it’s clear that this is the only convention he recognises.

“You’re in the matrix,” is how he begins our interview via a wobbly internet connection which stops and starts as if struggling to keep up with Alxndr and his train of thought. Speaking with him through the glitches feels like being ushered into a new world, to step inside his own personal cosmos. Before we spoke, I thought of you like this character and you’d be asking me riddles,” he says. “I might get one right, I might get the next one wrong but it would be like something out of Black Mirror.”  

Whether I’m real or just a figment of his vivid imagination, Alxndr’s music is the reason we’re talking. A genre-straddling mix of neo-soul and grimier hooks, he’s drip-fed a steady string of EPs and tracks over the years. His three-song 2020 release, ‘III META’, is a sci-fi-inspired odyssey featuring the vocals of his mother and inspired by his Nigerian-Yoruba heritage. Alxndr’s most recent music - II MEJA - demonstrates a similar mix of aspiration and his beautiful vocals. His vibe is all about living in the moment of his creativity. 

“I’ve enjoyed plenty of happy times performing with a band, doing solo shows, singing in a church with crazy reverb where my vocals would bounce off everything,” he says. “I try to take in everything and be as genuine, as present, honest, and as vulnerable as I can. I’m here for the journey.”

What do you know about this enigmatic artist? Alxndr is mysterious in conversation but there are traces and clues to what he’s about online and via a sporadic string of releases he’s been leaving in his wake. Over the course of three EPs - 2016’s debut A Long Time Ago, 2017’s ‘Today’ and 2018’s 2023 - he amassed a strikingly individual body of work. His live performance of his track April on the Colors Berlin YouTube channel has amassed 4 million hits to date, showing off a sound moving between electronica and soulful energy, while themes have touched everything from Afrofuturism to life and death. His music was born somewhere between the church and the youth centre. 

“I started singing in church and it was very natural for me,” he states on his formative years. “It wasn’t a big deal. It only became a big deal when people wanted to make a comment or ask why I was always singing.” 

Since he was a kid, Alxndr has been surrounded by songs whether at home or travelling to and from school. He was drawn to the songwriting genius of artists like Michael Jackson, and then Amy Winehouse which subsequently led him to uncover grittier sounds. "Drawing and singing, just creating, I was always happy coming up with my own ideas,” he says. “Then the neo-soul era was a tipping point, it was so remarkable and inspiring. Melodies, the soul and how these artists expressed themselves in cool, unique and interesting ways.”  

Unsurprisingly, the capital and its rich variety of sounds and musical styles run through Alxndr’s bones. Having been brought up and spent different stages of his life all over the city, it was through working in youth centres and supporting vulnerable people in some capacity which exposed him to different sounds and sonics. 

“I would watch my mates spit on the mic. I knew I couldn’t do that, instead, I wanted to sing and express myself that way,” he says. “I’d go into the studio and watch everyone doing their thing, and I’d be humming in the background. Then maybe someone would say, ‘that sounds all right’. But it started through hanging around with my friends who were MCs.”

He’d also begun to experiment with Fruity Loops, to make beats and sketches in this DAW, then take them to producers he’d met via his social networks to finesse. “I was coming up with these little rhythms, then I’d try to respond and sing to these ideas,” he says. “That’s when I became interested in developing my own music and beats. In the African church, I attended, there would be people playing violin, organ, piano, and woodwind. I also loved making beats on a computer, so with this project, the aim was to start blending the two.” 

The blueprint for the Alxndr London project was first sketched out in 2013. Back then, his goal was to release as many ideas and as much creativity into the wider world as possible. Alongside confirming his creative abilities, music offered a path to self-improvement.

“I saw Alxndr London as a chance to better myself, commit to learning the art and sacrifice my time and energy to focus on understanding myself better, then kill the bad bits of myself I didn’t like,” he says. He continues: “I wanted to become a greater version of Alxndr. I’ve got all these sounds and ideas inside that I wanted to push out. I knew I didn’t want to get sucked into anything other than just creating and putting music out.” 

Alxndr’s collaborative approach means his door is open to anyone and anything when it comes to music-making. From artists like Dylema, producer Sean Walker and even his own mother, he’s almost magpie-like in his ability to pick up new collaborators, tools and sounds to aid and abet his work. Rather than adhere to a formula or process for each track, Alxndr chooses to avoid any “real recipe”. Whether it be using an iPhone or scribbling lyrics in a textbook, every sonic situation throws up new ideas. 

“I tried to let the music just be and flow through me,” he explains. “I see myself as a sounding board for ideas. In any recording session, I’d have to deal with a challenge or problem. It’s all about a DIY approach, and taking everything as it comes.” 

Much of Alxndr’s music is made while on the move using his laptop instead of a dedicated studio space. This device is at the heart of his creative process, giving him the freedom to put flesh on the bones of his compositions wherever he might be. “A lot of the music I make is while in transit,” says Alxndr. “It’s easier to just write on the go with my Mac. It also means that when I do go into the studio, I’m ready to get started as I’ve already done all the work with arrangements, rhythms and harmonies.” 

Alxndr is reluctant to namedrop but does cite certain individuals as providing him with guidance and insight into getting the most from his creative journey. “I was in the studio with Nao and she told me to stand up to producers,” he says. “They are amazing at what they do but they can be tricky sometimes and try to change what you’re trying to express.” 

Even though Alxndr feels he might not always have the right technical skills, this insight gave him the confidence to ensure the space where he makes music is a safe one. “As a musician, you are the light, you are the source,” he states. “And you need to remember that when people want to work with you, it shows that you need to value yourself.” 

With the ten-year project nearing its peak, Alxndr London’s musical output continues to focus on quality rather than quantity and a dedication to working outside the mainstream industry’s expectations around how artists sell themselves. With an Instagram page only featuring two posts, he’s definitely not into the music industry’s conveyor belt mentality. 

“Don’t be sucked into doing anything you don’t want to do and avoid being exploited,” he advises. “Try to be confident and have a voice. Self-empowerment is really important. The industry can be like a monster and it expects you to behave in certain ways.” 

Alxndr feels that the machinations of the business add real pressure to today’s artists. Alongside these demands, the pandemic’s impact on the well-being of musicians and composers has been also acute and damaging. “It’s a difficult world and everyone is taught that you just need to keep going,” he says. “There is more and more awareness of the mental health aspects of the sector. 2020 has shone a light on this and what has been going on for Black creatives. But it’s a very complex space and there are lots of power dynamics to navigate.” 

Alxndr’s latest project II MEJA dropped onto Spotify with little to no press release and appears as part of a focus on stripping everything back to its very essence. Alongside the releases, his career highlights include headline sets at London’s Jazz Cafe and performing in front of more than 1,000 people at the POHODA festival. 

“It’s been very interesting to focus on something for 10 years,” he says. “It’s been mindblowing for me - a lot of the time people just pick something up and drop it -  but this taught me that if you put your mind to something, then you can do it.”

Since the pandemic, Alxndr’s plans have become blurred. With some new tracks inside his laptop, he has an urge to perform as part of a band but there are no live shows in the diary. But then some music could appear at any moment. As he says, he avoids planning in any conventional way. “I’m in a very good place,” he says. “There is no stress around dropping the next ‘something’ to set off a chain of events. It’s a game that a lot of people get caught up in. But I’m at peace with not playing this. You need to remember that you are enough and you don’t need anything to validate yourself.”