Sauce

As one of Australia’s most respected DJs, Bexta doesn’t have to prove herself. At all. With an on-stage glamour that belies her unassuming demeanour, Bexta’s stratospheric success starts with her feet planted firmly on the ground … even if those feet of hers are stepping away from the genre she first made her mark in …

The last blog on your Myspace page was Halloween last year. Why don’t we break the blogging drought right now? Bexta, exactly what’s been on your mind recently?
[Laughs] Um … I’ve basically just been in the studio and on the road. Yeah … I let my page slide a little bit! But yeah, I’ve been doing some interesting writing and stuff in the studio, working with some vocalists, and actually preparing for the Mixology 10 release, which is out in October. Because it’s number ten, we’re making it a bit of a special deal … We’re doing a triple-CD, and I’m doing anthems, and it’s like my favourite tracks from when I first started DJing to now. It’s kind of nostalgic, but it’s a lot of fun … and I’m pretty excited about getting it on the shelves! [Pause] So nothing, really! [Laughs]

Outside of music, what other art forms – like literature and visual arts – kind of affect or influence your own craft, and your stage show?
One thing I’m big on is films, and film music actually takes my interest a lot. It’s something I want to [do] … I’m really into films and film music, and I’m hoping to maybe one day stretch the repertoir to doing a few soundtrack pieces at one point, yeah.

What are some of your favourite film scores?
Gosh … um …! [Laughs]

I know. Sooner or later we might actually talk about what people might expect us to talk about – DJing and stuff – but nah, bugger it!
[Laughs] One of the soundtracks I bought in the last few years was the soundtrack to Gangs Of New York. It was quite [a] big, traditional, symphonic kind of thing … Yeah, it’s pretty good. One of the first film soundtracks that took my interest was the soundtrack to Platoon. And it’s funny, because the theme song to that is Adagio For Strings, of course, as we know, turns into one of the biggest dance tracks of all time!

I was amazed at how well that did, actually.
Yeah. They keep putting out a new version, and it keeps doing well, but it’s a beautiful track to start with, anyway.

Do you do any work at home, or do you base yourself primarily in a studio?
I actually run my studio out of my house. I’ve always preferred to have my studio at home, because it means, basically, I can get up at any time and wander into the studio if I have ideas or if I’m in the mood, and just get something out; whatever I’m thinking … get it out onto the computer! Yeah, I run everything from the studio – the label and that sort of thing as well.

What kind of vibe do you have in your studio area? Are you one of those incredibly neat people? Or is it covered in nick-nacks and bobble-head dolls?
[Laughs] It’s probably somewhere in the middle! It’s pretty neat – it’s not too bad, you know? I’ve got a lot of visual stimuli as well – photos of family and friends, and pictures that mean something to me around as well, so I can sort of drift off and be inspired for a bit.

Here’s one for you – as a professional mixologist, what are some things other than music that can benefit from a good mix?
[Laughs] I find that … being with people that you enjoy spending time with. I’ve found more and more that sometimes it’s worth changing your scenery or balance. When I first started DJing, I was just one-hundred-percent music. I’d wake up to music; I was all-consumed by it … which is not a bad thing either. But now I find I can get inspiration from just going and driving somewhere for two hours for no reason, and taking in scenery, or spending time with people that you don’t necessarily see very often, or whatever, you know? A variety of things, I guess.

When you’re on tour, do you find you have trouble maintaining energy and vibe, given the stresses of touring? What kind of tricks do you have to keep yourself perky and enthusiastic?
I find that I have to be fairly well-behaved during the week, so that I don’t go into overkill! [Laughs] Sort of a balance between my weekends and my weekdays, because my weekends are pretty much sleep-deprived; doing a lot of traveling and that sort of thing. I don’t know – my body seems to shift into “touring mode”, so it doesn’t need sleep. It’s kind of used to it now after ten years of training, I guess! [Laughs]

What kind of material can we expect to hear at your set down here?
Well, I’ve been kind of shifting my style a little bit over twelve months, and last time I was at Syrup, people probably noticed a slight shift. I don’t really play the hardstyle anymore. My passion lies in trance – the lighter stuff at the moment; tech-trance, so it’s still got the driving beats. The rhythm makes up the strength of it, and I’m really into that versus beautiful melodies. That’s really grabbing me at the moment. Also, I’ve been doing a lot of writing, so I’m going to be sneaking some of my own productions in here and there. I do that occasionally to test the water, to see how they go on the dancefloor, that sort of thing.

Bexta plays Syrup in Hobart on Friday the 31st of August

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