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ML40 65-80 - ALT_Layout 1 9/26/13 8:53 PM Page 74 PEOPLE RISE & GRIND Adrian Lux has gone from the skater boy, who'd sneak his music onto DJs' computers, to the in demand headliner Words by Vanessa Pascale 27-year-old Swedish model-turned-DJ-producer Adrian Lux has done quite the job at getting noticed. Since his song, "Teenage Crime" was handpicked by Swedish House Mafia's Axwell to appear on the group's debut album, Until One (2010), he has taken off. Already onto his sophomore album --slated for release this spring-the Grammy-nominated producer has recently released a couple of its singles: "Damaged" and "Wild Child." The upcoming album is a synthesis of collaborations with various "producer friends" and Swedish musicians like, Elliphant ["I think she's going to be one of the big stars of this year."] and the band, JJ. "It's a bit of a new direction, even though it sounds like me," says Adrian, whose face is streaked with tribalistic black and white paint, and is donning a black t-shirt and dark jeans, after his set in New York City's Gotham Hall this past summer. Presently on his international Damaged Tour, Adrian has played the Opening Party for the Toronto Film Festival, maintained a residency at Encore's Surrender Nightclub in Vegas, performed on the main stages of Coachella, Ultra, EDC Vegas and Chicago and stopped off in Miami. "It's so sad. The only places I've seen are South Beach," he says of his trips to South Florida. "One time, my manager and I tried to actually see something and went to Coconut Grove. But it was actually not that fun. It was kind of fun, 'cause it wasn't fun. The situation became pretty weird. We're like, 'Yeah! We're in Coconut Grove,'" he exclaims with mock elation. "We had a really good lunch. It's beautiful, obviously its paradise. I would like to see more parts of Miami --all the private, cool areas." What is most exciting, for the passionate DJ, is playing his new material for the crowds. "My next single has these elements that are amazing. We made a few different versions, almost like remixes," he tells me. Adrian strives to "lift the [self written] lyrics" with his music, and has enhanced a few of his tracks with his acoustic guitar skills. When I tell him he's been referred to as a punk guitarist, he modestly responds, "I'm not an amazing guitarist. I couldn't stand in for Keith Richards." Always pushing himself to the next level, even his music videos possess a progressive edge. The music video for his song, "Can't Sleep" ends with an intense late night make out session between two guys in a children's playground. "I think it's my best video actually. Sometimes I think it's ok if the video stands alone. It doesn't have to reflect anything else; it can just be cool art in itself," he explains. With so much of his time spent in the United States, Adrian decided to relocate to Los Angeles. "Last year was kind of a messy year. All this was 74 MIAMI LIVING still very new. I started touring. I am a really terrible morning person," he confesses. The commute back and forth every week prevented him from getting much of his music done, so a change was certainly necessary. His new residence has allowed him to see how we do it over here (his words) as well as given him time to chill, meet lots of new people and collaborate with producers he has looked up to as a kid, particularly, The Runners and Scissor Sisters. Which is not to say that this Swede doesn't miss his home country, as he does, especially their "two weeks a year" summers. Traveling the world has given him a deeper appreciation for Sweden. "We pay insane amounts of taxes, but the society works. The food is really healthy. You don't really worry about being homeless. It's a nice society. They take care of everyone, and that's kind of cool. It's a luxury, I think a lot of people in Sweden, they don't take for granted, but it's hard to see." Djing / producing music since 16, Adrian has come a long way from the days he would sneak his music on to his DJ-friend's computer, "just to see if when it came up, if it would sound good." "Teenage Crime" was the song this friend "discovered" in his playlist and forwarded on to Axwell and propelled Adrian's career. "I didn't even know that he knew Axwell. It was a special moment," he says of when he received the good news. And the rest is history. ML Follow him on Twitter @Adrian_Lux