With a rich history in electronic music and a notable comeback, acclaimed tech-house producer Bexxie discusses her extraordinary journey as a DJ and producer with IWANTEDM. Reviving the essence of ’90s vibes while producing high-energy house tracks, Bexxie is rapidly cementing her position as a key figure in the house scene.
Please tell us a little bit about yourself and what sparked your musical journey.
Hello! My name is Bexxie, and I’m a house DJ and producer based in North Carolina. I got into raving in the ’90s. I grew up in New Jersey and fell into the New York City electronic scene. From there, I got into DJing; one of my friends’ boyfriends had turntables and used to throw these wicked underground basement raves. That was the first time I ever saw turntables up close, and I was like, “Oh my God!” I need to be doing this. So her boyfriend actually sold me those turntables whenever he upgraded, and I started DJing at 17, playing local shows around New Jersey.
After taking a hiatus from DJing and producing in 2012, Bexxie returned to the decks in 2019 and began to take her craft more seriously. After playing shows locally and regaining her bearings, the year 2020 arrived.
How did COVID affect your initial comeback?
Right before lockdown, I decided I really wanted to take things more seriously and utilize this second chance, so I enrolled in an artist development program called The Cosmic Academy in February 2020. Immediately after completing the 5-week boot camp portion, we went straight into lockdown. Since I was already in a mindset of continually working on music, I simply put my head down and threw myself into developing my production skills, working diligently to perfect my craft and create beautiful music.
Around mid-2020, I released my first single and began consistently putting out new music. Once we emerged from lockdown and things started to reopen, I began booking shows again. I quickly transitioned from those opening slots I was doing pre-COVID to direct support slots and releasing my own music.
So I know you do a lot of your own vocals, what is your musical background in that area?
As a child, I always loved singing and participated in several choirs throughout school and college. While I had wanted to take voice lessons for a long time, I only started a few years ago. I realized I wanted to incorporate vocals into my own tracks, but I prioritized honing my production skills before delving into that aspect of my artistry.
I think the first track I did my own vocals for was a track called “Feel the Sound,” but it was more like a spoken word type thing. I highly encourage producers to do this, even if you don’t want to sing on your own tracks.
After working with a vocal coach and unlocking her potential as a singer, Bexxie recorded her first all-written and all-sung track, called “The Time,” released on Anjunabeats.
Do you also provide vocal tracks for other artists as well?
Yes, since I started doing more and more vocals for my own tracks last fall, I began writing top lines just for fun. I just wanted a new creative outlet without the boundaries of “does this fit my sound,” or anything like that. I just started writing… Then I thought maybe I should send these out to people, and other producers might be interested in using them.
That’s actually how the BIJOU “Nowhere to Hide” collaboration came about. I met him through the Cosmic Academy after a speech he gave. I messaged him afterward, thanking him for how inspiring he was to me, and he told me to send some demos over. He actually signed two of them (“Underground” and “Me & You”), which were released under his “Do Not Duplicate” imprint. Then came our “Nowhere to Hide” collaboration.
When you produce a vocal track for another artist, do you also write the lyrics, or are they provided to you? Or is it more of a collaborative effort?
In my experience so far, artists usually want me to write something, record the demo vocals, and send them over. Also, a lot of it has been top lines that I have written and sent out, and maybe something grabs their attention, and we run with it from there.
Speaking of outstanding vocals, let’s talk about your most recent release, Dansez. Did you provide the vocals for that track? And what was the inspiration or story behind the creation of that song?
Yes, that’s my original vocals on the track. How it all came about is that I have a group of friends who all get together for poker night. Nothing serious, just more of an excuse to hang out; I’m not a poker shark by any means. Some of my friends in our friend group are a Belgian couple who speak French and really love electronic music.
They know I’m a DJ and producer, so we always talk about electronic music. They were showing me some dance music with some French spoken word incorporated in it. I thought, “That’s so cool; I haven’t really heard anybody do that recently.” So we were trying to come up with some French phrases, and we came up with “Danse maintenant,” which means “Dance Now.”
Tying into collaborations, who would be a dream collaboration for Bexxie?
I think a dream collaboration for me would involve many of the artists I’m inspired by. Eli Brown is one of them; I would love to collaborate with him. Calvin Harris too—I’m a huge fan of all his work, especially his “Love Regenerator” project he did during COVID. It has that ’90s sound, which I’m inspired by, so yeah, Calvin Harris would be an absolute dream collaboration for sure.
Is there anything you can share with us about any upcoming projects in the future?
I can’t really share anything just yet, but I definitely have a lot of new music ready to go. I just can’t share the details exactly.
Who are some artists that were influential in your career and journey as a DJ and producer?
I believe my main influence is the 90s dance music that initially got me into this, particularly artists like Prodigy and Daft Punk.
Outside the world of electronic music, who are some other musical influences?
Before I started raving, I was really into hip-hop, like A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and others. Then, in middle school, I began attending a lot of punk rock shows and loved it all. I also enjoy a lot of synthwave and post-punk music, such as Joy Division, Tears for Fears, and Depeche Mode.
For those out there who’ve never had the pleasure of listening to a Bexxie record or watching one of your sets, how would you describe your vibe to them?
I would describe it as fun, high-energy house music with a nostalgic 90’s vibe for sure.
So, House is a broad term; what sub-genres of House music do you pull from?
I would say I primarily make tech-house, piano house, and even flirt with pure techno. There might be a touch of progressive in there with some melodic elements as well.
You’ve been through a lot throughout your career. What advice would you give to someone who’s coming up and faced with adversity?
There are a lot of ups and downs; it can definitely be a roller coaster. You can face a lot of rejection and hardship throughout your career. I think the key thing is to take a step back and remember why you’re doing it in the first place. Typically, that answer is going to be because of the love of the music, so if you ever need to take a step back to gain that clarity and remember your why, then do it.