Boys Noize talks new album and the "meditative process" of making music
The DJ, composer and music producer has worked with Nine Inch Nails and Lady Gaga
Make some NOIZE for new music from Boys Noize. The DJ, composer and music producer, whose real name is Alex Ridha, just released a new album titled 7LLVSION (pronounced "Illusion"), his first in five years.
"It's twelve bangers, made for... my sets basically," Ridha told On The Red Carpet. "I can't believe it's finished!"
The process of creating music is deeply personal for Ridha. He says he doesn't always go into creating music with a plan, he needs to hear and feel something.
"It's usually a sound that triggers me. And I think that comes from...me as a DJ knowing records and techno and being a collector and a student in electronic music," Ridha said. "If I hear something that I haven't heard that sounds really interesting, that's when I usually get triggered."
But when it came to creating for 7LLSION, it was the opposite!
"I actually didn't hear it, so I had to make it," he said. "It became more clear in the last two years where I started to feel like something's missing in my set, something is missing in that whole scene. So yeah, that was kind of the main inspiration to get together and make a group of tracks that I can basically play out and know they bang, you know?"
Ridha has been in the game for more than 20 years, helping shape the electronic music scene. He's collaborated with artists like Nine Inch Nails, Skrillex, Frank Ocean, and co-wrote the Grammy-winning Lady Gaga track "Rain On Me."
With Nine Inch Nails, he produced and mixed the "Challengers" soundtrack, titled Challengers (Mixed), co-produced the "TRON: Ares" soundtrack and produced the Grammy-winning song from that soundtrack titled "As Alive As You Need Me To Be." He joined the band on its "Peel It Back" tour in 2025 and at Coachella in 2026 as Nine Inch Noize.
The Boys Noize sound and the NIN sound seem like a perfect combination and Ridha said they definitely got into groove when it came to creating their music, especially while on the road.
"We were, you know, sharing buses and whatever travels and backstages together. And when we made music for 'Tron,' we'd split up work," he said. "It's nice to work on a project collaboratively and all having the same goal kinda and also learning about how the other person listens to music and what they, you know, what their references are versus, you know, mine."
Ridha is currently touring in support of 7LLSION, but don't be surprised if you see him working even off stage. He's always ready to strike while the creative iron is hot.
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"When I make music, it's kind of a meditative process," he said. "I make music everywhere. Like I could make music in an airplane or whatever."
"I'm a music lover, I listen to everything," he continued. "I have a huge soul and disco and funk collection and I love blues. I go record shopping every day. I'm looking for new music every day. I'm running a label so I get a lot of demos as well. So I listen to new electronic music that, you know, either inspires me to play it or inspires me to make something."
"The cool thing about electronic music to me, it has always been, you don't have to stick to the rules of, let's say what a pop record does. Or especially in sounds, I think there is really interesting ways of writing music and unconditional ways and using sounds. I mean, I can knock at the microphone and make a drum beat out of that you know and all of that is pretty cool."
On The Red Carpet's conversation with Ridha took place at the Grammy Museum, where he spoke to an audience about his creative process.
"I essentially make club music," he told us. "That's what I mostly do and my music and my new album is about that as well. So, I'm flattered that I can stand here and have this logo in the back and talk to you. Yeah, it's great!"
7LLVSION, the latest music from Boys Noize, is available now.
