In the fall of 2007, Berlin’s Alex Ridha–best known by his maximal-techno moniker Boys Noize–released his debut disc “Oi Oi Oi.” It was the end of a summer of distorted electro in the clubs, and Justice’s album, “Cross,” was helping bring the movement to iPods around the world. The timing couldn’t have been better for Ridha, and “Oi Oi Oi” proved to be one of the new sound’s best albums.

Flash forward two years and Ridha is back with the follow-up, “Power.” The audience for club music may have grown and the sound may have matured–thanks in large part to his efforts–but he’s as ready as ever to flex his Boys Noize muscle. We sat down with Ridha before he played a frenzied room in Toronto, to discuss pop collaborations, his favorite gear and what comes next after the hardest track has been written.

You’ve been a DJ for a long time now.
I started to play in real nightclubs for 500 people when I was 16 as a warm-up DJ. I opened for one of the big guys in Hamburg, where I grew up. Apparently it was his birthday party, so a lot of people came out to see him, and it went down really well. After that night, I got a lot of bookings.

So how special was what happened two years ago, when this scene started blowing up?
For me it was a big deal. I had my first U.S. tour at the end of 2005, right after I had a couple of releases on my own label, a couple of 12-inches, a lot of remixes already. But that tour was quite fucked up, the only really good show I had was in New York in a really small place called “The Ruff Club,” and that was it. Every other show was quite fucked up.

The next show was already a big difference a year later. And then, 2007 was just, crazy. That for me, was a special year. I played at festivals around Europe, and I was really the only guy who was playing that sound, and people were like, “What’s the fucking noise going on over there?”

Is it more fun now that you’ve found success, or did it feel purer back then?
I think there is something great about being successful, but I also already loved it when in 2004, Trevor Jackson called me from Output Records for a remix; to me that was the best thing ever. And when I had my first show in London in 2004, I thought that was awesome, playing for 70 people and getting shit money, but that was just great. So it’s different, but I must say I like it now.

I remember a friend of mine had two of your first 12-inches, and I thought no one would ever know about you guys.
That’s the thing, I just released 12-inches the way I knew it as a DJ, just releasing 1000 vinyls and having someone find it in a record shop. That’s it. I think that’s why a really strong fan base grew, because they thought it was something special. They know it, and no one else knows it.

You love to collaborate, so can you take us through some of the stuff coming up? I heard a rumor about Gonzales.
It’s not a rumor. I’m producing the new Gonzales album, and I’m co-writing every song on it as well. For me that’s the most amazing thing to happen in my musical career. It’s beautiful working with the guy; he’s the master, he’s the guy.

So will it have the Boys Noize sound?
There are a few songs where you hear my sound more. I really tried to be sensitive to his music as well. He plays piano on every song, and I do everything else. I tried to make every song as electronic as possible, but sometimes there was a song where I just thought a beat would destroy the feeling of it, so I would just add some noises. I’ve been in the studio with a lot of guys; I’ve been working with a U.K. grime rapper called Kano; we did two songs together already. I did some stuff for Kelis; we did already like four or five songs, but I’m not sure how many are going to make the album, maybe only one. I am also going to do more songs with Erol Alkan, we already did some new tracks that are going to be out next year.

When dance producers work with artists like Black Eyed Peas and Kelis as you have, it can become cheesy or someone has to change their sound.
That’s the thing, I see it in a different way. I do the music that I like. And of course I don’t do only Boys Noize tracks. When I released my album I had 50 other tracks that are not particularly meant to be played in the club, but they’re pretty electronic. I consider myself a musician, and DJ-ing is a part of it.

A couple of years ago, it seemed like every track wanted to bang harder. It got to the point where everything was so loud, there was nowhere left to go.
We’ve gone the loudest and we’ve gone the most minimal. Everything’s been done, and it’s just important now to find the best of it and put it together again. I was always trying to not go with what is cool right now. And it’s getting harder and harder because the music is not happening in DJ and record shops only. Everyone knows the music. It’s a different time now.

I thought even two years ago it was already over with the total maximum sound, but when I thought it was dying, it got even bigger. So there are new rules now. It’s not the DJs anymore that decide that a sound is over. I was always the DJ that was playing the white label, and when the record came out I stopped playing it because everyone else was playing it. So for me there was nothing really special anymore. I’m still in the same attitude and I try to continue. The new DJs, they miss the culture of being a DJ that goes out in the record shop and finds records, thinking he’s the only one who got it. Nowadays, kids go on the blogs, and everyone’s going on the blogs. This is really something boring, and something that is not interesting for me or my label.

Is there a way to fight it?
It’s not really a question of fighting it, it’s just dealing with it. Because you cant fight it. It’s impossible.

Last question – what’s your favorite piece of gear?
Easy – the 808.

Do you still use it?
Yeah of course! I used it on “Nott,” I used it on “Transmission,” the kick drum on “Jeffer” is 808 as well. 808 is always cool.

(photo by Geoffrey Knott)

- Johnny Hockin