Alex Urlich
BASSIST + TEACHER + PRODUCER
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Bio
Hi there. My name is Alex Urlich and I am a professional bass player, songwriter, producer and music teacher.
For the last 10 years I was the band leader for NZ based, world fusion band B2KDA (Batucada Sound Machine). B2KDA toured extensively around the world playing many major festivals and headline shows before breaking up earlier this year.
In addition to playing in and leading the band, I also helped produce and edit our last 2 albums and managed the band in 2015-16
I have also played in many other Auckland bands including One Million Dollars, Tangent, The Mercs and Yule to name a few
Teaching wise I have been working at many different Auckland high schools as an itinerant bass teacher, I was employed as a classroom music teacher at Mt Hobson Middle School and Middle School West Auckland and I have taught privately most of my adult life. I also teach guitar, ukulele and music production.
Over the years I have gained a BMus (Jazz), Grad. Dip. Secondary Teaching and a Dip. Audio Engineering.
Songwriting Examples
Below are some songs that I have written the music for that have been released on albums. Hopefully it gives you an idea of my my songwriting style and influences. I have a pretty broad musical taste which I think is evidenced in the variety of styles you will hear.
Enjoy!!
VIDEOS
B2KDA - Same Old Thing
'Same Old Thing' was the second single of the last B2KDA album, 'Rising'.
The music was composed by me while the lyrics were penned by our MC, Paaka Davis. Additional lyric writing was done by Richie Setford.
This track was inspired by the music I was listening to at the time; early dubstep and reggae, with the lyrics describing struggles with trying to move forward but coming back to your starting point all the time.
The video was shot, directed and edited by Marko Los of Delirium Productions.
Batucada Sound Machine -Things Are Gonna Change (Live)
'Things Are Gonna Change' was my first song written and recorded for a studio album and it became an essential part of BSM's live set. The lyrics were again written by Richie Setford.
The inspiration for this was calypso music from the Caribbean though obviously translated through the mind of a young white guy from New Zealand. Richie would often write lyrics for my songs based off my thoughts and concerns at the time. I have been always been very worried about the state of the world, environmentally and politically, so Richie took these ideas and put a positive spin on what we can do about them.
This video was shot live by a fan in Ulsan, South Korea
Batucada Sound Machine - Traigo Mi Sonido (Live)
Traigo Mi Sonido was another song written off my exploration into music from the Caribbean. Specifically in this case, Cuba. While playing in latin bands in Auckland I met a brilliant Uruguayan tres player. He introduced me to the variant of salsa music called timba and taught me the rhythms. This song came about from me 'trying' to write a timba song.
The Spanish lyrics were written by James Hughes and the English lyrics by Paaka Davis.
This video was shot live by a fan in Nuremberg, Germany.