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BeXta: More than a hard trance DJ

Author: Racheld83
Thursday, September 9, 2004
When people hear the name BeXta they think of the DJ. You'd certainly know who I'm talking about. She's been voted one of Australia's top 5 DJ's for the last three years and she's constantly playing at clubs and parties across the country, including festivals like 'The Big Day Out' and 'Splendour In The Grass'. But with the release of her debut original album, 'Conversations with Ones & Zeroes' BeXta's hoping to focus more on the production side of things - showing the world she's more than just a hard trance DJ.

She began her career as a producer before becoming a DJ. When asked why she moved away from production, she said "I didn't move away from it. I added DJing to the repertoire. Both seem to compliment and contribute to each other." Her original works have previously appeared on compilation albums and she's been releasing tracks on both CD and vinyl since 1995.

In 2000 BeXta released her first Mixology compilation, which was one of the most successful independent DJ compilations in Australia. She's since released another five. BeXta doesn't know if the success of the Mixology series has made people more receptive to her debut album. "The album has been received very well from both fans of Mixology and people who wouldn't necessarily listen to hard trance. That's exactly what I was trying to achieve, so I'm happy!"

Surprisingly 'Conversations with Ones & Zeroes' is not just a trance CD; it also includes electronica and some old skool sounds. "I listen to many different styles of music and I wanted that reflected in the album. Initially, I was worried about the die hard fans not taking to the fact that it's not a full CD of hard trance. But the first thing most people say after listening to it is that they can't believe how diverse it is. That means the world to me."

BeXta's had her debut album on her mind for years. "The oldest track on the album is five years old and the newest was written the week before I mixed it. It's only been in the last year or so that I've been saying right, we've got something that's starting to look like it could be an album so let's get serious!"

Since finishing the album BeXta's been performing her tracks across the country with a live set up that includes dancers and visuals. "Basically I have my studio set up on stage, which is a laptop and keyboards etc. Then on the visual side I have two dancers and jmg13 (Jo Griffin) doing visuals, which includes original animation mixed with a couple of cameras set up on stage. There are six of us involved in the show so it's really fun!"

She believes one of the most important elements of a live performance is the visuals, saying "With dance music performances, it's really easy for it to look boring. You need something to watch that's not some guy fiddling on his computer. It needs to be as live as it can be."

Apart from a list of people she'd like to work with in the future, what does BeXta think she'll be doing five years from now- "I would love the producing to take over. I'd like to be releasing more of my own music and touring internationally. But we'll see what happens!"
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