The vision of Alexx Antaeus is charting reggae into new musical territories

Photo courtesy of Alexx Antaeus.

Ahead of the GRAMMYs, Daily Reggae interviewed nominee, Alexx Antaeus about the artist and producer’s collaboration with Julian Marley, and learned about his Jamaica-based studio/label, Monom Records!

How did your collaboration with Julian first come about?

I knew some of the other Marleys, before I knew Julian. I met him through mutual friends at “Reggae Mill,” my nightclub in Kingston.

We first recorded “The Tide is High,” a reggae original by John Holt and The Paragons (made famous by the American band Blondie). That's how "Colors of Royal" was born.

Did you create the riddims and record the album at your studio in Jamaica? 

Some riddims were born at the studio in Jamaica, while others on my frequent flights between New York and Kingston.

We recorded most of Julian’s vocals at Circle House (Inner Circle’s studio in Miami).

I mixed the tracks with engineer Joe Maldonado at Contrackz Music. We also collaborated with other producers like Notnice, Sean Alaric, Mr Sonic and Produced by Prince. Vision Alexander, along with Julian, contributed a large part of the lyrics.

The album was mastered by Grammy-winning engineer Alex Psaroudakis.

What is your studio called and how long have you been running it? 

The studio in Jamaica bears the name of the label, Monom Records, which I co-own with Magnus Johansson. The name of my studio in the Bronx is Contrackz Music.

I see that you spend the majority of your time in Jamaica and New York. Do you see many similarities in their music scenes?

There is no doubt that Reggae and Dancehall have influenced not only Reggaeton and Afrobeats, but also Pop Music. Therefore Jamaica’s cultural and musical contribution is everywhere (even though not enough credit is given). The challenge that we have is to better monetize such treasure, so Jamaican artists and producers could benefit from it.

What were some of the stand out qualities that you saw in Julian when recording Colors Of Royal? 

Julian is a gifted musician who plays several instruments and has great stage presence. He is not just a “Marley” name. Our electronic sound allowed him to step beyond traditional reggae, adding a fresh layer to his innate talent. “Colors of Royal” represents a fresh chapter in Reggae. I am thankful that Julian allowed us to bring him into new musical territories.

2024 is off to a major start with your trip to GRAMMY’s around the corner! Are you open to collaborating with new artists this year? If so, how can they best connect with you?

We are very excited about the Grammy nomination. Our team worked hard and deserves the win. In terms of new projects, I am busy working with a young Jamaican artist by the name of Marcilli. Their music style is Pop/Dance-with-a-Caribbean/Latin-vibe.

We released their first single “Done (Breakup Anthem)” this past summer with accolades across the globe from The Hollywood Times to hipster Berlin blog Katblut, not to mention Your EDM, EDM Tunes, CULTR. The video has garnered over 1.3M YouTube views. We plan on releasing the next single late February, and the album towards summer.

I am looking for one more artist to work with in 2024. If anyone feels that they have the talent, focus, drive and backing to give it a serious effort for music industry success, and a potential Grammy nomination, they can message me at IG, mentioning that they saw this at Daily Reggae.