As Lexlay celebrates 20 years in music with his debut album, his journey reveals not only the personal cost of longevity—but the transformation of an entire culture. In this EDMNOMAD exclusive interview, we dive into his legacy, the modern DJ scene, and two decades of dance.
When Spanish DJ and producer Lexlay began playing Saturday nights at City Hall Barcelona in the early 2000s, the electronic music scene was still largely local, physical, and analog. Records outnumbered laptops. Word-of-mouth filled clubs. No one cared about follower counts. If you could move a crowd, you mattered.
Twenty years later, he stands on the other side of a transformed landscape. Lexlay has performed across five continents, founded a global record label, and just released his debut album 20 Years of Music—a deeply personal project that doubles as a time capsule of both personal growth and cultural evolution.
But as the dance world has scaled, so has its distance from its emotional roots. “One of the biggest lessons we’re still learning is the value of authenticity over hype,” Lexlay says. “The scene sometimes gets too focused on trends, numbers, or social media presence, and forgets that at the heart of it all is the music and the connection it creates.” In that one reflection lies the paradox of modern electronic music: bigger than ever, but often lonelier too.
From City Hall to Global Halls: A DJ Grows With the Scene
Lexlay’s foundation was laid not on viral moments but on repetition. For six years, he played every Saturday night at City Hall Barcelona—a venue that taught him more about crowd psychology than any masterclass or algorithm ever could.
“City Hall taught me one of the most important lessons of my career: read the crowd, don’t just play for yourself,” he says. “Week after week, I learned the psychology of the dance floor—how to build tension, when to surprise, when to hold back. It wasn’t about playing the ‘coolest’ tracks—it was about creating a journey people would remember.”
Few artists can translate 20 years of music into something that still feels urgent—but Lexlay achieves it with sincerity. His words echo the now-rare craft of DJing: responding to energy, not executing a pre-planned set. At a time when visuals, pyrotechnics, and prerecorded sets fill main stages, this ethos feels almost radical.
Today, the industry often celebrates branding over beatmatching. Lexlay recognizes the advantages younger artists have—tools, distribution, exposure—but warns that the pressure has simply shifted forms. “Now it’s not just about making good music—it’s about building a brand, staying visible, managing social media, engaging constantly. It can be overwhelming,” he says.
The Pandemic and the Power of Stillness
Much of Lexlay’s new album was written during a time when dancefloors were silent. The COVID-19 pandemic forced artists worldwide to sit still for the first time in years. For Lexlay, that pause gave rise to Resilience, one of the most personal tracks on the album. “It came from a very personal chapter of my journey,” he explains. “It represents a moment of change—when I had to take risks, leave comfort zones, and truly believe in myself as an artist.”
Stripped of touring, applause, and adrenaline, Lexlay had to confront what remained. “Translating those memories into music meant going deep, not just into my sound, but into my emotions and mindset at the time,” he adds. “Now, I don’t just create or play to stay busy—I do it with more meaning, more presence.”
That reflective shift was mirrored across the global scene. Some artists quit entirely. Others experimented. Livestreams surged. Conversations about mental health and balance became mainstream. For the first time in years, the industry had no choice but to reconsider its relentless pace. Through 20 years of music, Lexlay has remained committed to building not just sets, but communities around sound.
South America, Soul, and Reconnecting to the Crowd
Lexlay’s global touring experience brought him to many corners of the world, but no region left a deeper imprint than South America. On Lovin’ Sudamerica, a standout track from the album, he pays tribute to the energy he found there. “South American crowds have something truly special—pure passion and presence,” he says. “They don’t just listen—they live every beat with their whole heart. There’s this raw energy, an emotional connection with the music that’s impossible to fake.”
In an era where clubbing can sometimes feel curated for content rather than connection, the emotional immersion of Latin American crowds serves as a reminder of dance music’s roots. “It’s not about status or trends—it’s about feeling,” Lexlay continues. “Playing in places like Argentina, Colombia, Chile or Peru reminds me why I started this journey in the first place.”
His experience underscores a broader truth: while the music scene has globalized, local cultures still shape how music is experienced. In cities like Medellín or Córdoba, electronic music isn’t just nightlife—it’s resistance, expression, community. Lexlay doesn’t just observe this; he channels it.
The Label as Lifeline: Happy Techno’s Evolving Role
As a label boss, Lexlay hasn’t just adapted to the changing tides—he’s helped shape them. Happy Techno, his imprint and creative home, began as a passion project and has grown into a community-driven platform with global reach. “With Happy Techno, my goal was always to go beyond just releasing music,” he explains. “I wanted to build a platform where people felt part of something—a sound, a vibe, a family.”
In the 2000s, signing to a label was often the only viable path for DJs to break through. Today, distribution is democratized—but Lexlay believes the need for curated identity is more critical than ever. “A strong, well-curated label matters—maybe even more now, because it gives artists not just visibility, but identity,” he says.
That sentiment puts Happy Techno in the company of other values-driven collectives—Innervisions, Anjunadeep, Afterlife—where the imprint is as recognizable as the artists themselves. It’s not just about the music; it’s about what the music stands for.
Sacrifices, Soul, and the Next Twenty Years
For all the milestones, Lexlay’s career has come at a cost—one often unseen behind the stage lights. “One of the hardest sacrifices has been the constant travel and the solitude that comes with it,” he admits. “People see the lights, the crowds, the energy—but what they don’t see is the long hours alone in airports, hotels, or backstage after the show.”
The personal toll is real: missed birthdays, holidays, even family crises. “No matter how much you love what you do, sometimes you feel the weight of everything you’ve missed,” he shares. “But these sacrifices make every connection with the crowd even more meaningful.”
Lexlay’s endurance in a scene that devours and discards quickly is testament to something deeper. Not perfection. Not marketing. But presence. “When I’m on stage, I give everything—because I know what it’s cost to be there.”
As he looks ahead, his optimism is grounded in caution. The tools will change. The platforms will evolve. But he hopes the essence—the soul—remains. “I’d be most curious to see whether the soul of electronic music is still alive—the real human connection, the emotion, the unity on the dance floor,” he says. “If we can carry that spirit forward, no matter how the sound or the tools change, then the future will be beautiful.” For 20 years, Lexlay has built a global career on the foundation of connection, not algorithms—and the music proves it.
And where does that leave Lexlay? Reinvigorated. Purposeful. Ready.
“This album feels like closing a chapter—but not the book,” he says. “It’s a celebration of everything I’ve lived so far, but also a reminder that there’s still so much more to explore. It’s not about repeating the past—it’s about writing the next part of the story with even more passion, more freedom, and more purpose.“
