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Rebekah talks all things techno
Hailing from the Midlands and now based in Berlin, Rebekah is fast becoming one of techno’s leading lights. She’s played at hotspots like Awakenings, Berghain, Tresor, Fabric and Tomorrowland to name just a few, was previously part of Chris Leibing’s CLR family and runs her own label Decoy Records. We caught up with her to talk techno, Birmingham and Berlin.
Hey Rebekah, how are you doing?
I’m good thank you! Just back from a holiday in Thailand so feeling refreshed after the festive period and I'm raring to go.
Is 2016 treating you well so far?
So far it’s been nice, I’m happy with the gigs I have played, the holiday and the fact it has stopped snowing in Berlin already.
Tell us a bit about how you first got into techno – was there one track or one party that sparked it all for you?
My love affair started after encountering techno for the first time at the Que Club in Birmingham at a night called Atomic Jam, it was definitely life changing and I just felt like I had come home. The music that was played there was nothing I had heard before, it was still mid 90’s so the sound was ravey. DJs like Colin Dale and Dave Angel would play earlier with their funkier interpretations, and towards the end the music would move in to beast mode with Dave Clarke banging out one of his legendary sets of that period. It was insane and I was hooked. Joey Beltram’s ‘Energy Flash’ is always a track that stands out for me in that period, and ironically it was already eight years old by then, a true testament to how a classic like that can stand the test of time. It didn't come easy to me mixing techno in that period even though I still collected the vinyls, so I veered in to house music but came back round to my roots around eight years ago when Richie headed up the minimal movement, reminding me of the techno rhythms and grooves I loved dearly.
The Birmingham sound – heavy, lots of bass – is very distinctive, what is it about the area that inspires this kind of music?
In my opinion I just think that Birmingham for many years didn't have many opportunities for young people and definitely not in a creative area. Employment wise you would of been looking at working in a factory and that would be after you left school; this runs true even further back from the 80’s and 90’s as Ozzy Osbourne stated in his autobiography. The anger then needs an outlet and this came through within the Birmingham sound of either metal or techno. It’s an interesting theory and still ran true to my school years when the boys I hung out with had only these options for work. The Midlands in the UK was the hub of car manufacturing and even earlier the industrial revolution with its many canal routes. Nowadays the city has changed and redeveloped but for years if you headed out to Longbridge you could literally feel the desperation and disparity in the air when the factories finally closed up. The most recent artist of this Birmingham sound is Blawan in my opinion, despite being from the north he has an interesting story and you can feel it through his music.
And it’s back on the up, why do you think it’s becoming so popular again?
The young kids getting in to techno seem to have this energy and I think it matches the music, the crazier the better! Also there are new producers looking to the past and the Birmingham techno from the 90’s, which is so classically constructed, really just grooves but the question is how can you make a groove sing for six minutes or so? Regis and Surgeon were really on point with this using percussion and effects. It’s also the fact that analogue gear has made a comeback too, finally producing outside of the box.
Speaking of Birmingham, you’re starting and curating the new Elements night alongside Dark Chambers and Jay Sirett at The Blackbox at the end of Feb. It sounds like it’s going to be a massive show, what can people expect?
Myself and two friends, fellow DJs and producers, Dark Chambers and Jay Sirett have been talking about putting something on for the last few years and we finally felt the time was right. We’ve been heading out to all these amazing parties on mainland Europe and really wanted to re-create this experience back home, using lights and visuals and just bringing in all the ‘elements’ we feel make up the techno experience. The Blackbox is a perfect fit, it has a great Martin Audio sound system and is dark, but we will still be adding more production to get the feel and atmosphere right. The DJs we are choosing are of the latest wave of techno, with Truncate heading up the first show, who is one of the best DJs out there - we are really excited.
As ever, you’ve got a busy schedule, and Dockyards Festival in Amsterdam is another huge event. What is it about this festival that appealed to you?
Amsterdam is really happening right now, quite possibly it has never really stopped for techno and it’s just great to go over and play at these big festivals. What I like most is how organised the Dutch are and how great they are with hospitality, they really know how to throw super parties and no expense is spared with sound and production. Dockyards is such a nice location and was really gutted to have missed their ADE party last year, it was reported as one of the best parties, so it was a no brainer to say yes to this opportunity.
Who else on the line-up are you hoping to catch?
Without a doubt Surgeon’s live set, he has been playing DJ sets with his Modular but now he’s taking it one step further into live territory. It will be awesome to hear how he interprets Atol for 2016.
Your brand of techno obviously suits the warehouse environment down to the ground but do you enjoy doing big festivals as much?
Festivals are their own entity, it’s taken a good few years to really feel comfortable doing them, especially in the daytime as some of the darker sounds don't translate so well. I had a theory that you have to play a kind of watered down version of what you would play in a club or warehouse at a festival, but then I realised that so many DJs play safe and don't take risks, but when you do people really appreciate it on the dance floor, so the key for me is to do what I feel and play what I play regardless of the environment, that’s what people coming to see you want.
Your latest EP Beginnings is so good! Talk us through the creative process behind the record.
The EP is a collection of tracks that I have been working on for the last eight months or so, the straight forward tracks were made pretty easily. I’ve been using an analogue sequencer, which always creates some interesting patterns. ‘Last Time I Died’ I spent a lot more time on, as I do if it’s more breaks, I felt it needed more attention to the percussion and the sounds as it’s more out of my comfort zone in the studio. But it’s a challenge to create and do something different, as I would go insane just making bangers day in day out. I really like electro but I still haven't nailed the aesthetics in the studio yet haha! It’s a journey.
You got Ansome in on a remix, how did that come about?
We've been speaking for the last couple of years, I really liked some of his early music and he would send me his latest EPs and demos. I love his dark and heavy techno and the fact he is just this young guy with all this analogue kit, rocking it out live too, he has a distinct sound and people love his tracks in the club. So it was a real honour to have him remix one of my tracks.
Is an LP in the works?
Yes it’s early days in production and is mainly a lot of sketches but something is emerging. It’s a really nice process to be able to just create some different music, but with a theme running through it.
Beginnings is out on your own label Decoy Records, how does the label boss role suit you?
I really don’t feel like the “boss”, I run it alongside a friend another DJ and producer from Birmingham, and it can get pretty mental managing releases, so we share the workload. But it’s nice to have a label to showcase other talents and contribute to the techno scene.
You also released a lot on CLR, what does it mean to be part of that family?
CLR was an amazing experience and more than I could of dreamed of, sounds corny but I don’t care! I had been traveling a lot on my own so then to be able to tour with other people and get to know these guys more was really nice, to be part of a collective and creating a sound is really unique. Chris is one of the nicest guys on the scene and has this great energy. We don’t tour so much anymore as a collective but these guys are still in my life and I have a lot of respect for the team, and thankful for the label for giving me a platform to grow as an artist.
How has being based in Berlin influenced how and what you produce?
Berlin has given me so much freedom. When I arrived almost four years ago it just opened me up to all sorts of electronic music, there are no limitations to what you can create.
Which new artist should we be watching out for this year?
Dax J is smashing it right now, he’s been creating music and is very consistent and last year released his album, but more than that he is playing very strong techno, with that rave vibe which is still making a comeback. So many techno DJs are still deep and play safe but I really enjoy that raw techno sound, which is still quite punk in attitude, and Dax definitely has that.
Other than music, what do you know the most about?
Probably vegan cooking! I changed to a plant based diet a year and a half ago after not being able to cure my chronic migraines, so I learned about nutrition and all things vegan, I read lots of books and started experimenting with what works for me. I’m also very much in to fitness alongside this new healthy way of living and have been researching different training approaches and currently I am in to Crossfit, it kind of matches my energy as its high intensity and very challenging. Oh and my migraines have dramatically improved. I top this off with an attitude of spirituality and positive thinking. I’m almost six years sober now and once you stop drinking you almost certainly have to do some self improvement work. It really is a wonderful journey.
If you could fill a swimming pool with anything, what would it be and why?
Have you ever been to Stattbad? It was a club in Wedding in Berlin, it was a converted swimming baths, so I would have to say drain the water add a huge sound system and lets have a rave up.
What one thing would you do to change the world?
For it to become a meat free world. Idealist I know but with the current factory farming practices we are destroying the environment and we could also stop the amount of suffering.
Follow Rebekah on Twitter. She kicks off her event series Elements on February 27th at The Rainbow Venues and plays Dockyard Festival on April 9th.
