Snoop Lion Helps Boys Noize 'Relax' On 'Out Of The Black'

Alex Ridha, better known by his stage name, Boys Noize, is continuing his almost decade-long career at the forefront of the dance music community.

The DJ/producer has recently jumped back on his solo game with his album Out of the Black, released on his own label, BoysNoize Records. OOTB is a sonic bonanza of acid, techno, house, and gushy euphoric disco, the latter of which is certainly evident on album single "Ich R U." Notably, after producing for the likes of Spank Rock, Scissor Sisters and Santigold, Ridha upped the collaboration ante on his third record with a partnership that brought him right to Snoop Dogg's studio. There, the unlikely duo cooked up "Got It," the album's last track.

According to Ridha, Snoop's studio is not "this bling-bling world with champagne and girls and pimping and stuff" that you might suppose, with respect to the Doggfather, now going by the rasta moniker Snoop Lion. Instead, he described Snoop's Hollywood beatlab as "relaxing and very welcoming." But did they "relax" in the manner one might come to expect from Snoop — with the aid of greener forms of recreation? With two thumbs up, Ridha grinned.

"It was always my biggest dream. And I tell you this: it's all good!" Ridha joked. "You know the most important thing with Snoop is? You gotta vibe first."

The German superstar has stayed ambitious with his other projects, like his Dog Blood collaboration with Skrillex, which has produced two exquisite releases thus far ("Next Order," and "Middle Finger"). Dog Blood makes their live performance debut at a New Year's Eve party in Detroit in a few weeks.

Ridha wraps up his recent American tour next week that has seen him playing to audiences perched on top of his giant stage skull. He wanted to bring back the skull that originally appeared on the cover of his first album, Oi Oi Oi, and worked with OOTB album collaborator Siriusmo, a producer/graffiti artist/painter to create the perfect design. He wanted something "futuristic and minimal." But whatever you do, don't compare his skull to Avicii's touring head. That, per Ridha, is "wack."

"I wanted to have something raw," Ridha explained. "When I DJ, I've never had anything crazy. I just play, and I wanted to keep that vibe for me onstage and I didn't want to have it too, glamour. So I wanted it to have that thing that is just sitting there and is...metal."

Boys Noize works his way down the coast of California this weekend, before wrapping up his tour in El Paso, TX. Below are his remaining tour dates.
» 12/14 Oakland, CA @ Fox Theatre
» 12/15 Los Angeles, CA @ Palladium
» 12/16 San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
» 12/17 El Paso, TX @ Buchanan's Event Center
» 1/1 Auburn Hills, MI @ The Palace of Auburn Hills