Alex’s music is a masterclass in instrumentation. Fusing classic soul influences, funk, electro-pop and jazz chops, his songwriting explores human connection in the modern age.
A Filipinx-Canadian multi-instrumentalist and loop artist, Alex’s solo performances combine genre-bending mashups with passionate originals to showcase his musical instincts. Delivering fat beats with mesmerizing grooves, he performs soulful vocals, heavy sax, keys, synth, SPDSX drums and electric guitar. With lush layers, complex harmonies, and a driving rhythm, his music will make you move.
Now based in Winnipeg via Vancouver, Alex has had a varied career both as a solo performer and a band member (DNA6, Flannel Jimmy). His 2020 EDM collaboration with Vandelux, “Matter of Time,” charted on the Billboard Dance Charts for more than nine weeks before passing 48 million streams on Spotify.
Since the release of his second EP, Dream Final, in Feb. 2020, Alex has done several national tours as well as dates in the U.S. and Mexico. He has played alongside artists like Moontricks, The Funk Hunters, Daniel Wesley and Lazy Syrup Orchestra and has opened for the likes of Weezer, Wide Mouth Mason, Bachman Cummings, Mother Mother, Sam Roberts, Robert Randolph, Shred Kelly, Begonia, Royal Canoe, and The Proclaimers
How would you describe your music?
I would describe my music as funky, upbeat and bass-heavy grooves fuelled by layers of synth, guitar, vocals and sax. My new single, Red Planet, has been described as “if Harry Styles and Drake had a baby,” so that’s one way of describing it too.
What sets your music apart? What is unique, or at least uncommon?
When you see me perform live, you’ll know that I perform all of the instruments you hear in my songs. But I’d say what sets my music and my performances apart is the saxophone. It was my main instrument growing up, and I make sure to represent the sax in my writing and arranging, so you’ll definitely hear multiple exploratory solos at my shows.
Who are your main musical influences?
Vocally I’ve been influenced by Stevie Wonder, Sade, and D’Angelo, the instrumental work of Miles Davis and Charlie Parker and then intricate lyrical masters and songwriters like Elliott Smith.
If we were to look at the artists you are listening to, who would be on your playlist?
Khruangbin, Poolside, Disclosure, Frank Ocean, Mac Miller, Kaytranada, Thundercat, and Anderson Paak.
What are your musical plans for the next 12 months or so?
For the next 12 months, I’m excited to be heading back to Los Cabos, Mexico for a residency. Then starting in the spring I’ve got several tours planned in the U.S. and Canada. I’m also working on a full-length album, so there will be lots of writing in there and hopefully a few more singles leading up to its release. There’s lots coming down the pipe!
What would be the ideal food to have cooked for you on a date night?
Italian, more specifically, lasagna.
Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?
Keanu Reeves because he would undoubtedly give a stoic performance.
If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be?
One thing I would change about myself would be my inability to dunk a basketball.
Which are cooler? Dinosaurs or Dragons?
I’m going to have to go with dinosaurs because there are so many different kinds, and they were actually real.
If you could learn any language fluently, what would it be?
I’m working on improving my Spanish – my shows in Mexico would be much more interactive.
“Red Planet,” the new single from Alex Maher
The new electronic pop track is a personal reflection on accountability for our actions. We live in a noisy era – everyone has a platform and there’s an impulse to act without deeper soul-searching or even context.