{"id":32384,"date":"2016-11-08T11:44:35","date_gmt":"2016-11-08T11:44:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/?p=32384"},"modified":"2016-11-08T11:44:35","modified_gmt":"2016-11-08T11:44:35","slug":"cardiff-character-alex-mcdonough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2016\/11\/08\/cardiff-character-alex-mcdonough\/","title":{"rendered":"Cardiff character: Alex McDonough"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Sonderboy

Spotting a talented DJ may be tricky when the deep waves of bass blast through the speakers as the night descends. But for this gifted DJ a crowd of moving bodies will always fight their way to the front; captivated by a star in the making.<\/p>\n

After studying a degree in computer science at Swansea University, Alex McDonough realised that the nine- to- five office hours weren\u2019t his style and took a leap of faith to achieve his ultimate goal of becoming a successful DJ. \u201cI remember being sat in university in my second year and feeling a little bit lost,\u201d explained Alex. \u201cI went to Thailand that summer and saw successful tech house DJs playing at various events and realised that\u2019s what I wanted to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Going by the name \u2018Sonderboy,\u2019 Alex went from DJing at frosty nights in his hometown Cardiff, to warm, wild ones\u00a0in South East Asia earlier this year. On his own, Alex wasted no time in pursuing his dream career as a DJ whilst\u00a0running high end events in Singapore.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne minute I would be playing at a manic underground, house and techno rave and the next I would be gigging in a luxury alfresco dining area playing 80\u2019s disco.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Alex

The next step<\/strong><\/p>\n

After an extraordinary amount of success in Singapore, the 26-year-old felt it was time to move on and take a step forward in his career to make a name for himself in the Bangkok club scene. He explained that one of the highlights of his career was when he played at The Octave, a rooftop bar at the top of the Marriot Hotel overlooking Bangkok. \u201cI had people rushing towards me to ask me for links to my music and requesting me for other events,\u201d said Alex. \u201cYou can\u2019t beat the feeling when someone in the industry likes your music and hands you their business card to book you in for another event.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not always easy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although Alex\u2019s time in Asia was \u00a0successful, it wasn\u2019t all sunshine and rainbows for the accomplished DJ. Some days\u00a0his wage depended on how many people went to his events and on occasion it proved to be extremely stressful organising everything to ensure a great night for guests. Alex explained that, \u201cIt\u2019s always stressful especially when you\u2019re running someone else\u2019s event and it gets out of control with too many people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking to the future<\/strong><\/p>\n

With one of Cardiff\u2019s biggest tech house events \u2018Knee Deep in Cardiff\u2019 coming up, Alex hopes that one day he will have enough experience to play at similar, high profile events. \u201cI will work as hard as I can without taking the fun away from it and plan to brainstorm ideas to really push my career forward\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Having returned to Cardiff for a short break to see family and friends, Alex isn\u2019t sure what the future will bring just yet but the young star is making every effort to secure another residency in South East Asia before the year ends. Although the future is uncertain, one thing that\u2019s guaranteed is that the DJ will stop at nothing to captivate audiences until the early hours of the morning with his atmospheric tech house tracks.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n