Interview with Rexx Arcana
July 25th, 2006 by Kellie
This guy is the best DJ I have ever heard ever ever ever! Headlining clubs and festivals across North America and Europe under the moniker given to him by Ministry’s Al Jourgensen, DJ Rexx Arkana is one of the dark electronic music movement’s few legitimate international DJ stars.
In addition to his twenty years of experience as both a DJ and promoter — having worked with everyone from industrial stalwarts Skinny Puppy and Ministry to newer stars Covenant and VNV Nation — Rexx Arkana is also the founder of the scene supergroup Bruderschaft. A collaboration of some of the electronic music world’s top talents, Bruderschaft drew together, under Arkana’s leadership, members of VNV Nation, Covenant, Apoptygma Berzerk and Icon of Coil in a charitable effort to benefit cancer research and treatment.
Rexx Arcana has also formed FGFC820, a new tribal EBM project, who released their first album in the summer of 2005 called “The Hanging Garden”.
Now on to the interview…
You’re a Dj, dad, musician, businessman, and husband. Do you ever feel overwhelmed?
Scheduling can be difficult at times, there’s no question. I tend to do a lot of traveling, both as a DJ and with the band, as well as with my day job. I’ve always loved being on the road, but it’s nice coming back home again, especially to all the little homemade signs and placards my girls tend to put together. I’m lucky to have an incredibly supportive and understanding partner in my wife, Aga. Bottom line is that none of this would be possible without her help and support.
How is the scene different now from when you first started out?
The thing that strikes me as being the most different is the abundance of DJs and artists in the scene now; a product of affordability and availability of gear that didn’t exist when I was starting out over twenty years ago. This expansion of creative “talent” has both positive and negative affects, most of which have been rehashed a hundred times already. While I do agree that so many artists/bands/DJs makes quality control a significant issue, I’ve also always loved how new and emerging talent is resultantly given the tools to succeed. It’s what you do with those tools that make all the difference.
What direction do you predict the scene going? And what direction would you like to see it go?
I think another problem with so many people being, or envisioning themselves as being, on the “producer” side of the business, there aren’t enough people left on the “consumer.” As it stands now, many cities have more DJs than club-goers. No scene can support itself in that climate. Less people come to shows and/or clubs now than I’ve ever seen. Some of that is a result of the degradation of talent and quality output — is it just me, or do less than 10% of albums these days have more than 1-2 “listenable” tracks? — but a large part of it is just the same old apathy that’s existed in this culture for years and years. It’s a lot easier to complain about the problem than it is to solve it. I’m hoping we’re just on the downside of the cycle and that sooner or later we’ll turn back towards the zenith.
Many people ( including myself ) agree you’re one of the best industrial DJ’s in the world. Do you have any DJ gigs coming up soon?
Your kind words are much appreciated. Thank you. In the end, it’s all subjective. I have worked very hard to support the scene over the last twenty years, but always out of personal choice. No one ever held a gun to my head and, frankly, if I didn’t get something out of it, I’d have stopped a long time ago. Although I did quite a bit of DJ touring last year, even after saying I wouldn’t, I’ve got too much on my plate with band projects and remixes at the moment to really set up any gigs in the immediate future.
Whats in store for FCFG820?
FGFC820 is a new terror-EBM project between myself and my long-time Funhouse co-DJ and friend, Dräcos. We really only launched the project last year and within months we were headlining for Hocico in Mexico City on Halloween, or playing Darkrave in Toronto. We’re about 70% through our debut full-length and are trying to finish that up for the summer. In the meantime, we’ll be on Alfa-Matrix’s “Endzeit Bunkertracks 2″ and are working with Suicide Commando’s Johann Van Roy to appear on his first label compilation with NTP.
How about Bruderschaft, what are the upcoming plans?
We’ve got two of three new originals and a cover song done for the next EP, so now it’s just a matter of finishing off the last track and then polishing everything for final release. We’re also probably looking at summer sometime for release. Trying to finish two projects at the same time definitely makes things more difficult.
What were you doing 1 year ago? 5 years ago? 10 years ago? And dare I ask…15 years ago?
A year ago: just starting to get FGFC820 off the ground with Dräcos
5 years ago: shutting down my full-time promotions company, because I just didn’t have the strength or time to keep it going any longer.
10 years ago: getting married and having my first daughter, Emmilee (well, I got out of actually having to “have” her, Aga did all the hard work.)
15 years ago: I had just officially launched RazorBurn Productions, my promotions company, bringing some semblance of order to all the things I was doing at the time.
What do you listen to at home?
Honestly, mostly children’s music. If it’s not my youngest, Kaia, and “We Are The Dinosaurs…Marching, Marching…” then it’s my 10-year-old and her obsession with Radio Disney and all things Hillary Duff. It’s cool, though, Hillary Duff is kind of hot, in a vanilla sort of way.
Is there an artist out there that would put you in “awe” if you met them?
I’ve been very lucky to meet most of my musical idols over the years as a result of my various journalistic associations. I’d still really like to meet Philip Oakey from Human League, though, and talk him into singing on the next Bruderschaft EP.
And lastly, whos your favorite “Gothic Slut”?
I dont think I have seen enough of the girls to properly answer this question. Kellie, you’re amazingly beautiful, but if Amelia and Forrest want to give me a password I wont complain. ;)
Andy Laplegua is a busy man. In the past year alone he has released three full length albums. Icon of Coil, his most popular band in the US, did Machines Are Us, Combichrist, a noisier EBM project, did The Joy of Guns, and Panzer AG did This Is My Battlefield, a darker, more goth/industrial album. Andy Laplegua is the frontman of Icon of Coil, but Combichrist, and Panzer AG are his solo projects.
