At the Gate of Africa, Where it All Started!

Hey,

I hope you’re doing well! It’s 8am on this already-warm Monday morning and I’m sitting in what will be my room, office, and little personal studio for the next 6 weeks in Tangier. I decided to put on Melissa Auf der Maur's first album, titled Auf der Maur, which I hadn’t listened to for years until I recently heard it again, thanks to Alex and the amazing playlist he’s been generously putting together during the entire summer.

Melissa is a Montreal artist who played bass for The Smashing Pumpkins and Hole in the late 90s before going solo, leaving us with such a beautiful, dark, and electric album that impacted Alex and me a lot on so many levels when it came out. I thought it was a great time to revisit this record as we’re now back in Tangier with the purpose of writing new songs for Alex’s upcoming album! No need to tell you how thrilled we are to be back here, where it all started for Alex under his own name back in 2018. When I first started to be The Club’s host in 2020, sharing those behind-the-scenes stories around Alex’s debut album Windows in the Sky with you, Tangier was at the heart and soul of those, as we came here not knowing what was ahead of us in 2017, and it’s been an incredible journey ever since.

If you’re new to The Club, 2024 started with Alex coming back to the studio to record a complete new album where, for the first time, a producer was involved. It sadly didn’t work at all since this producer had a completely different vision of the record from what Alex had in mind. You can also check out a few videos I did during that period of time. I also think that it was too early for Alex to be back in front of a white sheet following what has been such a long journey toward recovery for him. Coming back on festival stages across Europe for 10 weeks was the last recovery session Alex truly needed, allowing him to reconnect every possible piece between his heart, his mind, his soul, his love for music, his passion to create a connection with you all in a real Alex Henry Foster fashion! 

And so here we are now! Following what has been the time of our life this summer, witnessing Alex coming back to what he was born for in a beautiful way all summer long, we are now in Tangier, where we will be working on his new album for more than a month before touring the US in October. I’m actually here with Alex and Isabel for two weeks mixing some La Maison de Tanger work and improvement, always making sure this place breathes something unique and soulful in each and every corner! Sef and Ben will then be joining us in two weeks for us all to get started around this new musical voyage to the end of the world, with a starting line in Tangier’s Medina, where we’re actually putting up our new studio in a new place of ours! 

Tangier has been such a meaningful city for us since we first stepped foot here back in 2016. Located right at the top end of the African continent, facing Europe, it closely welcomes the Atlantic Ocean into the Mediterranean Sea, making it so unique, making us feel like everyone will cross this place at least once in their lives, feeling like we’re right in the middle of the whole world. This is exactly what we needed to feel and embrace as we’re now ready to lay down what’s in our hearts musically. 

I will have the privilege to bring you all in the core and soul of this new chapter in an exclusive fashion, in what has already been such an incredible trip leading to this last concert we did in Cologne! I really can’t wait to share those new stories about to be written starting in a few days around what will be, I’m sure, shivering, inspiring, and, of course, as frustrating as it will be liberating for us all here. 

I’m forever thankful for your incredible friendship, love, support, and faith in Alex and us all! Truly looking forward to inviting you all here in some way!!! I’m starting this journey with an incredible picture I took on the terrace of La Maison de Tanger last night! 

Let’s be great to one another! 

Your host and friend, 
Jeff