Born in Italy but based in Copenhagen, Denmark since 1987, Alex Puddu is a prolific multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and singer with vision, skills and a vintage-flavored approach often inspired by film scores of the 60s and 70s.

Alex was born in Rome in 1967, and started playing with homemade drums at the age of 14 while listening to records by Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Police and The Clash. As a teenager Alex started playing with small local bands, and later joined Italian funk-prog band Cladama with his high school friends, with whom he began playing live.

A fateful meeting with a Danish girl resulted in his relocating to Denmark in the summer of 1987, and shortly thereafter he formed band Excess Bleeding Heart, playing indie rock and electronic music, with roots in power pop and punk. The group gained traction as an up and coming name of the Danish underground scene, going on to play shows throughout the country, including Roskilde Festival, as well as in Germany, France, Spain, Bratislava, and the States, most notably at SXSW in Austin, Texas and in New York City, where they performed a remarkable live show with Danish band Sort Sol at legendary church venue and nightclub Lime Light.

In 1996 Alex Puddu formed a band called Nerve and was signed by E.M.I for the release of an E.P and album Speed Freak Jive. The band went on to play many sold out shows including a support gig for David Bowie in Valby Hallen Copenhagen. In 1998 Alex Puddu and Morten Varano formed a new electronic project called Puddu Varano and went on to play at venues and nightclubs all over Denmark, the UK, Italy, Portugal, Germany and France, signing to BMG with whom they released 3 albums.

2000 is when things picked up speed, with Alex playing drums on playback for national Danish TV with the band Mike and the Mechanics with leader Mike Rutherford from Genesis. The time was finally ripe for his name to take center stage, and he formed Alex Puddu and The Butterfly Collectors, with whom he released 5 albums: Chasing The Scorpions Tail in 2004, The Silence Of The Sun and The Rhythm of the Rain in 2005, Songs For The Sleepers in 2006, Mechanism and Technique in 2008 and Myrrh in 2010.

It wasn’t until 2010 that Alex Puddu decided to embark on a solo career, with his debut album Hell Is Other People, the soundtrack of a short Danish film called ‘Helvede Er De Andre’ directed by Nanna Kari Jensen. The film is based on a true story about the life and delusions of Jens, a young man who suffers from schizophrenia. This would be the first incarnation of what Alex‘s musical aesthetic would become in the years to come, experimenting with lo-fi instruments, tape effects and homemade ambient percussion. From there, the releases started rolling out.

With 16 albums under his belt, Alex Puddu is a musician’s musician who has explored the world of 70s library music and soundtracks throughout his discography, including the 3 volumes of his The Golden Age of Danish Pornography series released on Schema Records in 2011, 2014 and 2016, and cinematic jazz-library trilogy Registrazioni Al Buio in 2013, In The Eye Of The Cat in 2016 and The Mark Of The Devil in 2017, once again on Schema Records, and all in collaboration with Edda Dell’Orso, the legendary vocalist of maestro Ennio Morricone, with whom he joined forces again in 2018 on album The Gambler. 

Other note-worthy collaborations include working with the king of New York latin soul Joe Bataan on Alex‘s 2015 album Soul Tiger, with vocalist Lonnie Jordan of 70s LA band War on his album From The Beginning from 2017 and with Gene Robinson Jr, lead singer of Philly band Breakwater on full-length Discoteque from 2020.

In recent years, Alex Puddu appears to have distilled the perfect formula for crafting magical concoctions that mix neo soul, synth pop, italo disco and soulful grooves from the late 70s and early 80s, resulting in consistently strong releases that match sleek production with elegant songwriting, as can be heard in albums such as Love After Dark from 2021, Night People and Private both from 2022 and latest release Blue Ecstasy from 2023, all on his own imprint, Al Dente Music.

With a career that spans decades and no sign of slowing down, Alex Puddu is a name that needs no introduction as he continues churning out quality grooves. His newest album Deliria, to be released in September 2024 on his own imprint Al Dente Music, can only cement a reputation that has been built through consistency and constant activity.

 

For more:
Alex Puddu’s website
Alex Puddu on facebook
Alex Puddu on instagram
Alex Puddu on spotify

Releases