We caught up with Raleigh’s DJ and producer, DJ Bexxie. Who’s have been DJ’ing and producing music for about 20 years and who has played major events around the world from LA to London.
Photos provided by Bexxie | Photographers Credit: David Freeman (https://www.facebook.com/dvdfreeman) & Chris Githire (https://www.kioncreativemedia.com/)
POC Mag: What’s your background? I was born and raised in New Jersey growing up in a town about 30 minutes outside of Manhattan. Ever since I was a kid, music was always a big passion of mine listening to my parents’ vinyl, my older brother’s extensive CD collection, and recording music off of the radio. I listened to everything from hip hop to punk to classic rock to pop. My first experience with live music was seeing local punk bands play at the VFW hall in junior high. I then got into industrial music which led to electronic music which is where my curiosity about rave culture in the 90s began. Having grown up so close to the city, I ended up going to my first rave in Brooklyn at the age of 14 and I instantly fell in love with it – the music, the dancing, and the feeling of being accepted no matter where you came from or what your background was.
POC Mag: How did you get into DJing and production? After going to my first rave, I went to a house party where my friend’s boyfriend was DJing. I hadn’t actually seen turntables and a mixer up close before, but I was instantly obsessed with learning how to use them to mix. I ended up buying the pair of Gemini turntables and mixer from my friend’s boyfriend and started from there. Production quickly followed a few years later when I got a copy of Reason and started messing around, and then went to college for audio engineering.
POC Mag: Who are some of your biggest influences in the DJ game? Currently, my DJing and production is influenced by Eli Brown, Purple Disco Machine, Low Steppa, Love Regenerator, Cinthie, and local DJ J. Stevens.
POC Mag: How have you developed your career? I think you have to be continually learning and evolving as an artist. The technology and the way you market yourself and put out records has changed so much since I started that you need to keep up-to-date with what’s going on in the music industry.
POC Mag: What separates you from other DJs’? I think my passion for music comes through when I play. I get really into it and I’ll be dancing and singing along, and just get really excited about being able to share music I love and making people smile and dance. I think the audience responds to that and it creates that connection.
POC Mag: What was your first paid gig? Oh wow, that was a longggg time ago. I think my first paid gig was my first ever gig at a club in Garfield, NJ in 1999. My mom still has the flyer framed at my parent’s house lol
POC Mag: Which social media platforms do you use to engage with your fan base and why?
I love using Instagram. It’s a great place to connect with fans of the music, and other DJs and producers.
POC Mag: The triangle music scene has really changed over the years. What do you find most interesting about it? I’ve been living in Raleigh for 10 years now and it’s grown so much in the past few years. I love the diversity of music here. There are so many great venues to see local bands play like Kings or Slim’s, and there’s usually at least a couple EDM weeklies you can go to like Sub Rosa on Tuesdays or Church on Sundays. Also, the community feels like a family and everyone is really supportive of one another.
POC Mag: What is the biggest audience you have had the pleasure of spinning in front of?
Probably a couple thousand.
POC Mag: What single night out has been the most memorable for you? As a DJ? As an attendee? There've been a lot of memorable nights so it’s hard to pick just one! I would say probably an event in Hasselt, Belgium years ago at the Muziekodroom. It was a packed out show and everyone was just dancing and having a great time. I met so many awesome people at that show. As an attendee, hands down, the Bang Face parties in the UK. They’re hard to explain without having been to one but they capture the open-minded vibe of the early 90s rave scene mixed with the chaos of a punk show. There’s a great article on DJ Mag that explains it better than I can: https://djmag.com/content/bangface-decade-banging
I would love to throw an event that captures that vibe here in the triangle :)
Also, I have to give a shout out to the Goodfellaz parties in Toronto that were being thrown in the 00s. Their events also had a similar feel to them and they’ll be doing events again once this quarantine is over.
POC Mag: What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?
My love for music.
POC Mag: What is one mistake you see a lot of up and coming DJs making? / What advice would you give to aspiring DJs? I don’t really like to call them mistakes. They’re all learning experiences IMO. But my biggest piece of advice would be to go out and support the local promoters and DJs. Just be a genuinely nice person and don’t expect anything in return. Just shed love wherever you can :)
POC Mag: If you could eternally be stuck in one year's music scene, which year would it be?
Probably the rave scene in England in 1992. The dance music coming out of the early 90s particularly from the UK has had a huge influence on the music I play and produce. There’s something about the raw energy and the “anything goes” vibe of it that I’ve always loved.
POC Mag: What is one subgenre you think doesn't get the attention it deserves? Drum and bass. I used to play drum and bass, and still love it! It’s a very fast-tempo genre so it has A LOT of energy. I just don’t see it as prominently featured as other EDM genres.
POC Mag: What is it that you love about the scene? Your subgenre's scene? That everyone is so open and welcoming, and they just seem to genuinely love the music.
POC Mag: Name 3 of your favorite places to dine in the triangle? I have so many but if I had to list a top three it would be Bida Manda (that pork belly soup!), Stanbury, and Garland.
POC Mag: What are a few of your favorite clubs in the triangle? I love the new club work. on Fayetteville Street. Alchemy is always a fun time to just dance to some house music. Halcyon (which used to be Mosaic) is another great up and coming spot, that is doing monthly house and techno nights by local event organizers Between2Clouds. Also, I wanted to mention the Fruit in Durham. I still haven’t been. I was planning to go before the quarantine happened, but I wanted to mention it as I hear it’s a great spot that has an underground warehouse vibe from and the promoters have been bringing out some great talent that the Triangle doesn’t normally get to hear. I hope to go there for a show as soon as I’m able.
POC Mag: What inspires you? As I’ve already mentioned, rave music from the early 90s is a big influence on my own production, but I’m influenced by everything I listen to whether it’s a driving bassline from a punk song or the tom drum patterns used in an industrial track or vintage synths from an 80s synth-wave track.
POC Mag: What is something that bugs you about the DJ scene? I think it’s silly when someone has an ego about DJing or acts like they’re above the attendees. As a DJ, you’re there to entertain and make me people dance so they can have a good time. It’s all about the audience, not you.
POC Mag: What is one track that never gets old for you no matter how many times you hear it? Rachel Wallace - Tell Me Why It’s an early 90s rave classic!
POC Mag: Where would you like to be in 5 years? Just continuing to DJ, produce music and share it with the world, meet more awesome people along the way, and have adventures :)
ABOUT Bexxie:
Fueled by relentless drive and inspiration, Bexxie has returned from hiatus after globally touring and 20-years of DJing & production. Her re-debut releases are nearing 150,000 streams on Spotify and it’s only been a few months.
This new chapter in Bexxie’s career is directed towards house and tech house, centered on lush pianos, fiery stabs, and rolling basslines inspired by her early 90s hardcore and drum bass roots.
Bexxie’s followers remember her days spearheading her drum and bass imprint Dysfunktional Audio and being a part of the infamous Knifeforce records. Her touring has taken her from LA to London, with headlining shows from Detroit to Germany.
She recently inked a deal with Data Transmission for a monthly residency show, broadcast live, every 4th Thursday of the month at 6 PM ET.
You can listen to her music at: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3lwq28uuT7bAqQ3shl4d9Q?si=ag7Z8wc0Q4e3lLgNzzOfuw Or follow her on
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bexxiemusic
Photos provided by Bexxie |Photographers Credit: David Freeman (https://www.facebook.com/dvdfreeman)& Chris Githire (https://www.kioncreativemedia.com/)
