'Be -Yourself, Be -Xentric' feat. Interview & Exclusive Mix

For the better part of 6 months, I've been idly back-channeling a wonderfully amiable, knowledgeable and fledging DJ, on the other-side of the world, discussing (of all things) local Australian music and talent. With the help of the internet, this Welshman known as Be-Xentric has been able to set up communications and his own information highway to connect with his desried flava of tunes and tastes that aren't always so easily accessible to him (namely the beats permeating from the offices of Bang Gang 12inches HQ which is just down the street from here). Havinga go at producing and creating his own tunes during the last 12 months, 'Be' has been of late, hard at re-tuning his sound, just recently showing it off with his smooth redux of the gloss all over Flight Facilities Track, 'Crave You'.
 Probably the most informed dude in all of Great Britain on all things Bang Gang and co, he was kind enough to lend some yarns and show off some sharp reflexes (with a bonus exclusive mix) to my questions, as I found out just where this guy is coming from and how he got here:

Bekayole: Yo Be, so for those who don't know, Where are you hailing from?

Bxentric: I was born in North Wales, but I now chill alot in the Lincolnshire country working on my ideas then lay it down in the london studio.

First musical memory from your childhood? 

Sitting my my mums car on the way to the swimming baths one summer and she played "Sweet Dreams" - the voice of Annie Lennox hit me there and then.

Did you collect many records during your teens? and if so what did u listen to?

As a teenager I was into sport and music back then, was not really prominent. I basically had stuff by NWA and Tupac.

What led to your getting behind the decks and starting out as a DJ? Was there a musical background or just a love for music?

 What led me to being behind the decks was from a bet with a very good friend of mine in the xmas of 06. My friend had just bought a 2000 capacity nightclub in the city of liverpool and I was working there looking after the customers chilling and talking, making them feel welcome.

SoIi was upstairs and the balcony was above the dj booth it was like some sort of religious thing where the crowd are praying to the priest (dj). From that moment I wanted to be the priest preaching the music. So in that pub i bet my friend in one year i could do the same as his dj's, which was to perform a two hour set in front of 2000 peolple.

I purchased two technics 1210's mk 2's and a two channel numark mixer in Jan '07 and set about teaching myself. A friend gave me a book and that explained how to beat match and then all I did for 3 hours every night for that year was record myself with a tape deck and as I fell asleep I would listen back to what I had acheived. During the year I got my self onto myspace and slowly got chatting with dj's/producers, the most prominent one would be a guy named Iain Bogg (Riotous Rockers), During the end of '07 my friend sold the club, so I played a couple of small gigs for a promoter that was cool enough to book me, but the big one came when Iain 'Boggy' sent me a contact to a night called 'The Liars Club' run by Rickey Haley at a well known nightclub in Nottingham called Stealth. I was booked for the end of Jan '08 to support 'Round Table Knights'. Next via myspace was another prominent character in my adventure called 'Pete Carvell' (gash dj's) he booked me to play at another great club called 'Sankeys' in manchester. In April of that year I was invited back to support Jaymo and Andy George (Moda), this is when I met and learnt of their up and coming night called Moda, from this moment on I have pretty much been taken on by them and was to have my debut for Moda in October 08 ten months from my first big nightclub booking, I was invited back a month later and from this moment I was to become a Moda Resident DJ.

 To date, tell us about your own turn in making and producing music? what's it been like?

So in the start of '09 I decided the logical step would be to start getting into making my own music so figured I would get into production, this has led to me slowly finding my own style in the battlefield of great producers out there. Two guys that bore the brunt of me hassling them at the start have been Russ Chimes and Grum, I don't know how they put up with me, but they were cool and never complained with my constant barrage of mixes and questions. At first they were the two guys I would listen to for inspiration and production style and this is very prominent in my two tracks that are around the internet called Miami and Vice. I think once I started Listening more deeper into older productions from stuff like 70s R'n'B/funk/disco and even further back to afro/cuban jazz I have found my own style. So yeah its been a steep learning curve finding a style that fits me and my personality.


Over the last year, from your first EP - how would describe your difference in sound - a process of evolution or change in direction?

 My inspiration at the start came from the two producers I mentioned, the difference in sound has changed for me, I would say it's been an evolution over time and being able to feel comfortable to create my own style, which led to the new remix and your next question.

How did the remix of Flight Facilities 'Crave You' come about?

 Basically I discovered these dudes as I discover so much other great talent and thats through myspace. They had produced a song for some real nice dudes called 'The Lowbrows'. This led to me searching for more of their music and so I figured why not go straight to the source. One day I sent them a mail via myspace asking for them to kindly share some of their other productions as I could not find any 320 copies of their newest remix - with djing I like to have the best quality I can use. Anyway they were awesome and sent me their stuff and yeah, a friendship from their came about. One day I got nosey and asked them if they were working on their own material in which we all now know they were, for that awesome single 'Crave you'. I thought I would be cheeky and ask for the parts as I had discovered my guitarist had wanted to work on something with him and yeah, this is how i came to remix 'Crave you'. Just so your aware it is no longer me in the studio as a singular the guitarist is now a full production partner with me so Bxentric is growing, their are other artists working with Bxentric on new material fusing live with virtual. 

Flight Facilities - Crave You (Be-Xentric Remix)

Besides those pilots over at FF, you seem to have strong backchannels with Australian music folk particularly those pertaining to the Bang Gang 12inches side of things- who else do you have contact with here in Aus?

Ah ha I just love the producers over in Aus man! you dudes have such a great attitude to music and the style suits my sets, its very carefree and fun and it just so happens most of the artists are on Bang Gang, so I just introduce my self and get chit chatting.

Tell us about your billing at the Moda parties and in turn how your such good mates with Jaymo & Andy?

 I'm the warm up dj for the Moda parties and love to create a great atmosphere ready for when the headlines come up. Warming up for me is as important as being the headline, my knowledge for warming up has come from a guy I mentioned Iain Bogg. I have come across so many guys playing bangers at 10 pm totally going for it haha and the dudes all gurning, its not a cool look.  For me I like to get the sexy ladies shaking their bums, so I start the night with some smooth disco. Where the ladies go the dudes follow, like a carrot on a stick, my job is done. My friendship with Jaymo and Andy as I have mentioned came from them seeing something in me from such an early stage of my career and bringing me to Moda. This year you can catch me in Ibiza getting things started for their parties, along with Ukraine, Sweden and UK dates for a new fresh upcoming night called JUST  - its all about great music and no ego, we as the dj's wanna party just as much. I have been known to forget I'm the dj sometimes, whilst I get into the crowd to have a dance myself, there's pictures of this if you search hard enough.

What's that one track that makes a great night out?

I guess the one track that everyone reacts to is Breakbot's new song

Any future plans for 2010?

-Get things official (lol)

-First official single release

-Create a video for it

-Remix a cool character oh and he happens to be Australian!

-Create more songs

-Work on the live shows.

What are you other interests outside of music?

I dont have much time for anything else, I pretty much live for music, so its important to me that I spend my free time with my girlfriend who is so supportive, god knows how she puts up with me. Also my family is so important to me, so I also go back to the country and relax with my Dad and Sister.

Be-Xentric's Toxic Versailles Mix

Tracklisitng:
1. flight facilities - crave you - Bxentric rmx
2. royksopp - this must be it - pete herbert rmx
3. chmmr - love will lead u back
4. the swiss - bubble bath - knightlife rmx
5. golden bug - king of kong
6. tensnake - need your lovin - dub
7. lindstrom and christtabelle - baby i cant stop - idjut boys rmx
8. headman, dieter meier - gimme - dub mix
9. munk, asia argento - no milk - ben mono rmx
10. tronik youth - disko suks - C90's rmx
11. C90's - 10:01 - villa rmx


Be sure to watch out for Be-Xentric tee's and further collaborations in the future! We haven't heard the last of him.