Alex & Alani Medina: Building Mumbai Records With Soul, Risk and a Shared Language

Words By Kali

Some creative partnerships are planned with strategy decks, release calendars and carefully measured ambitions. Others are born in stranger, more human places: in clubs, in long conversations, in shared obsessions and in the slow recognition that two different temperaments can somehow point toward the same horizon.

For Alex Medina and Alani, that connection has become one of the driving forces behind Mumbai Records, a label and artistic platform shaped by groove, personality and a refusal to follow the obvious route. Their bond is not about dissolving their individual identities, but about finding a third space between them: one where instinct, discipline, chaos and care can coexist.

As Mumbai prepares new releases for 2026, including the next edition of its annual V.A. Future Sounds of the Lucky Islands, we spoke with Alex Medina and Alani about friendship, creative balance, demos, future showcases and the possibility of a joint live project that goes far beyond simply pressing buttons.

How did your artistic connection begin, and when did you feel it made sense to build something together without leaving your individual projects behind?

Our artistic connection started in quite a random way. Alani was that 17-year-old nerd going to clubs with a notebook, writing down ideas while listening to electronic music, and Alex was the DJ playing non-stop — probably thinking, “Who is this kid writing so much?”

But somewhere between cold beers, endless conversations and very strange sounds, a certain vibe appeared. At some point we said, “Why don’t you send me something of yours?”

Over time, we realised there was a language that only came out when we worked together. And we thought, “Okay, there’s talent here, there’s a direction.” Naturally, it became not only a project, but also a friendship and a loyalty that has lasted for years.

After everything you have both experienced separately within the scene, what does working together give you that you do not find individually?

Alani: Honestly, mental order. I am more about atmospheres, introspection and getting lost along the way. With Alex, there is an energy that forces me to land the ideas. It is like putting fuel into them, giving them shape without losing the magic.

Alex: And for me it is exactly the opposite. I am more explosive, more kamikaze in the studio. Alani is that “save project” button that stops us from losing a good idea at five in the morning. Working together is balance: one pushes, and the other makes sure we do not fall into the abyss.

Mumbai Records has developed an increasingly clear identity. Are you planning your own parties, showcases or a stable live format soon?

Yes, but we do not want to create “just another party”, because there are already too many of those. We want something with soul, not the typical big logo, lights and nothing more.

Apretuhouse is our most intimate format, with narrative, with people who genuinely fit into our vision — not just artists booked out of habit or because their names are popular.

As for the live show, it is on the way. But we are not going to go out and play three machines just so we can say, “We have a live show.” We want something that truly represents us, with risk, improvisation and soul. Something more than two guys pressing buttons.

How are you approaching releases for 2026? Can you reveal any tracks, collaborations or a wider project?

The closest thing coming up is our V.A., Future Sounds of the Lucky Islands, which we release once a year and which has already become a tradition for us.

After that, each of us will release a solo EP, both with crossed remixes between us.

There are more projects in the works, but for now… that is all we can say.

Will there be a joint live show from Alex Medina & Alani? Have you already tested it in an experimental format?

We are developing it, yes. We have done tests, experiments and the occasional glorious disaster in the studio. But we want the live show to be something special.

It will not be a “press play” situation, nor an endless jam without direction. We are looking for a hybrid format where there is real improvisation, where things can happen that even we do not expect.

2026 will be, at the very least, the year when we lift the curtain a little.

For the artists following Mumbai Records: how do you prefer to receive demos, what are you looking for, and how do you imagine the future of the label and your joint project?

First: please, private links. No WeTransfer links expiring in 24 hours.

Second: maximum three tracks. Do not send us fourteen because we will not survive it, haha.

We are looking for personality. The track does not have to be perfect. We prefer an idea that makes us raise an eyebrow over a flawless mix with no soul.

And include a short introduction: who you are, what moves you, what you are trying to say. We do not need your biography from primary school onwards, just real context.