Hi Dexi it’s great to finally have pinned you down for 10 minutes to see what’s going on in your world. How’s the scene in Newcastle going?
G’day Bali Clubbing, Right now the electronic dance music scene is thriving in Newcastle. The variety of edm here is one of the things I appreciate about this place the most. No matter what the genre the people here are just into it.
What changes have you noticed in the music around Newcastle in general in the past few years?
To be honest there’s lots of little underground techno, house and bass music parties popping up and they’re all going great guns. For a while it was just the clubs that seemed to be pulling the numbers but now people are going out on a limb and bringing some filthy underground sounds to cool little places and the people are supporting it. It’s really rad!
Is this your first visit to Bali and DJing here? What have you heard about the scene here and who has told you about the events and parties here? How have you found out about the amazing industry and scene currently Bali is experiencing?
Yep, first time to Bali and playing there. I’ve heard and seen great things about the club life mostly just through social media or mates that have been and partied there. I’ve noticed some big acts coming through Bali and it’s certainly made me excited to play. Big festivals around the word are exposing more people to all types of edm and this can only help smaller places grow and become familiar with artists and sounds. So yeah I’m keen to be able to come and play some new tunes and see whats up in Bali!
Have you been up to anything in the studio and what is the set up your rocking at home?
Over the last few months I took a step back from production. First reason was my iMac crashed (fixed now, yay) and second reason is I found myself listening to and playing out so many different genres that I lost a bit of direction for production. BUUUT… 2 weeks ago I seemed to have gotten rid of my music block and at the moment I’m working on a few different tracks and remixes. Dj wise I have a pretty sweet set up. I still have all my records and technics turntables plus the latest pioneer digital gear. For production I’m an Abelton gal, I have a nice soundcard by focusrite and I’m rokin’ the Akai MPK249. Combine that with some pretty sweet plugins and monitors… I’m a happy girl (don’t know about my neighbors tho) .
Any plans to check out some sights while in Bali or purely sipping cocktails by the pool in between shows? What have you heard about in Bali for your personal bucket List?
There’s one thing I’ve always wanted to see in Bali after watching the movie Baraka, and that’s the Kekak Dancers. Planning on doing a cooking class, spending some time in Ubud, massages and yoga are on my list, also keen on checking out the art markets. But yes in between all that = many cocktails.
You also promote a very popular night in Newcastle? What’s it called and how does it reflect its lineup thru your music philosophy while selecting your lineups? How long has your brand been going for?
Style is the monthly night I promote at a club called King Street Hotel (here in Newcstle) and have been doing so for a little over 4 years now. To be honest its off the f*ckin’ hook mate! Just last weekend I stopped for a moment and looked around at it and was just like ‘wow’. I’ve tried really hard to use some Ausie producers/dj’s who I feel don’t get enough support and exposure. I also do my best to support and push Newcastle up and comers. Of course we get some big internationals through too. We don’t play any old stuff at Style. I like to push fresh music, of all genres through the event but often I do focus on the harder styles. I like to use dj’s that are versatile and entertaining, in 2015, I think these 2 qualities are most important.
Who has played a big influence in your musical style and how can we hear it in your sets?
Gee that’s a tough one, I love all sorts of music so my influence comes from a wide variety of sounds. KoRn, Manson, Michael Jackson, Snoop Dog, Skrillex, BeXta, Peewee Ferris and Nick Fish, Walt, Marco V, Fedde Le Grand, Sander Van Doorn, Tiesto and Kidd Kaos… They’re all pretty big influences to me. I just like music (that’s not commercial haha). In one set I could play, techno, trap, dubstep, trance, electro and harddance. If I like it and it’s going to work well I’ll play it.
Top 5 right now?
Open Source – Freaks
Chocolate Puma & Laidback Luke – Snap The Neck
Sander Van Doorn – Ori Tali Ma
Alex Di Stefano – I’ve Got The power
Aryay – Overwhelmed
Beatport the one stop shop for online music shopping or you using other sources to?
I do use beatport a lot yes, but I like to look on Soundcloud for unreleased stuff, I also use Juno download (it’s weird and different and has loads of Schranz haha), I’m also lucky to get some pretty decent promo’s each week. As a full time uni student I listen to many podcasts while I’m studying, from there I find tracklist and come up with some pretty cool music for my sets.
What’s next for Dexi?
All I can think about right now is getting out of this cold weather and into the sun in Bali. I guess write a bit of music here and there and go wherever the music takes me!