About Me
DJ Rexx Arkana: Live at Wave Gotik Treffen Main Stage 2002
*NOTE: THIS PROFILE IS PRIMARILY FOR THE POSTING OF REMIXES AND LIVE MIXES. MY MAIN PROFILE MAY BE FOUND AT www.myspace.com/rexxarkana .*
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. Having dedicated the last twenty years to the scene also makes him one of the oldest and most respected. For two decades, from Mexico to Munich, Arkana has showcased his eclectic and progressive DJ style, bringing music to the masses.
Arkana began his career in music by chance; his love of disco, punk, new romantic and progressive rock led to a radio spot, the all-electronic "Twitch" program, on a local college station (WVYC) in 1984. Three years later, Arkana re-located the show to Syracuse University's WERW, where the local popularity of the program led to his first club residencies at Suburban Park and Buggsy's, in upstate New York, in 1987.
Though Arkana has been "off the air" since 1991, his love of college radio and the freedom of programming it represents has never waivered. He spent nearly at decade as a professional, full-time promoter specializing in college radio through his Club Hate Productions company (later reborn as RazorBurn), and as the electronic music specialist for NYC-based independent label Radical Records. He has also since appeared as a guest DJ on WRHU's "Industrial Strength" program, hosted by DJ Raf, WFDU's "The Shape of Things To Come," hosted by The One Bob and "The Domain" on Staten Island's WSIA, topping things off recently with an appearance on legendary Long Island commercial radio station WDRE (WLIR) as a guest of their synthpop/electronic specialty show, Contrast Radio.
Focusing on the arena of club DJing in the mid- to late-80's, Arkana is honored to have held a position as one of the original "dirty dozen" Wax Trax! DJs (led by the storied Bobby Shea). Working closely with the fledgling Wax Trax!, Nettwerk and KK Records labels, Arkana quickly became the most recognized name on the scene by spinning the cutting edge sounds of early EBM and prototypical electro-industrial. Soon, his scene status lead to an on-camera gig as host of the award-winning local-origination television show Back Alley, a weekly "alternative" arts and entertainment program of which he ultimately became a co-producer.
Over the years, Arkana has opened for some of the scene's top artists, including VNV Nation, Covenant, And One, Das Ich, Icon of Coil, In Strict Confidence and many others. He was selected to represent New York City at the Second Annual Industrial Rave in San Francisco in 1998, and in 2002 was the only American DJ chosen to headline the 11th Wave Gotik Treffen festival in Leipzig, Germany.
With a wealth of historical knowledge and an unparalleled grasp on today's contemporary electronic music scene, industry colleagues and independent organizations, such as the Associated Press news service, have often cited Arkana as an expert in the field of underground music culture. In 1997, Arkana was selected by the prestigious College Music Journal weekly trade magazine to schedule and moderate their first-ever Industrial Music Panel at that year's CMJ New Music Marathon in NYC. That same year, the publishing division of music's leading Billboard Magazine solicited him to author a comprehensive book chronicling the history and evolution of industrial music, a tome which, unfortunately, was later shelved by executive editorial staff mid-production due to a perceived "lack of market interest in the niche genre of industrial music, Marilyn Manson fans notwithstanding." In 1998, in the wake of the Colombine High School shootings, Rexx appeared on the ABC News World News Now television program with Anderson Cooper, appearing as an expert on industrial music and culture. In addition to founding and contibuting to numerous fanzines and small press periodicals, Arkana served as Managing Editor of North America's esteemed digital music culture magazine, Interface, until its demise in 2000.
2001-2002 was a busy time period for the popular disc jockey. Arkana toured the East Coast as a manager and DJ for newcomers Icon of Coil on their first concert trip through the U.S., opening up for the band at The Chamber in Atlanta, The Kitchen Club in Miami and The Limelight in New York City. In April, he completed his first international mini-tour, playing three gigs in London: the underground Gossips, the ultra-exclusive Slimelight, and the world's oldest and longest-running alternative club, Electric Ballroom.
Rexx also served as a guest panelist on the Scene Building discussion panel at Convergence 7, North America's largest annual industrial/gothic music convention and gathering, and hosted highly successful DJ battles with London's DJ Rex and Haujobb's DJ Daniel Meyer. Returning to his native Pennsylvania after more than a decade away, Arkana made multiple appearances at the fetish-friendly Vesago party and the Dracula's Ball in Philadelphia and at Pittsburgh's reknown Ceremony club.
Arkana also found himself in familiar territory across the northern border, with a string of recurring gigs in Toronto at Darkrave and Savage Garden. Even with residencies locked up at New York City's top fetish and industrial weeklies, DJ Rexx Arkana made his first excursions into the leading German scene in the biggest way possible, showcasing with Blutengel's Chris Pohl at Berlin's Lime Club before his main stage appearance in Leipzig.
In 2003, Arkana's busy schedule turned relentless with the public announcement of the Bruderschaft project, of which he is founder, producer and lyricist. Hailed by press and fans as an electronic "supergroup," Bruderschaft features Arkana, Ronan Harris of VNV Nation (vocals), Stephan Groth of Apoptygma Berzerk (backing vocals), Joakim Montelius of Covenant (loops) and Sebastian Komor of Icon of Coil (music). The debut release, the "Forever" EP, sold out all 1500 limited edition 2CD copies in just twenty-four hours and went on to top singles charts throughout Europe, including four weeks at 1 on the esteemed German Alternative Charts (DAC). Dozens of magazine and webzine interviews followed, including feature articles in the scene's biggest glossies: Orkus, Zillo and Sonic Seducer. The immensely positive public reception of Bruderschaft led to Arkana's first full-scale European DJ tour in August, where he headlined gigs in London, Paris, Utrecht, Leipzig, Hamburg, Leverkusen, Bielefeld and Munich.
Rexx Arkana's role in the dark electronic music scene continues to evolve. He is presently at work on the second single from Bruderschaft, entitled Return. Also in late 2006 he launched the debut album, Urban Audio Warfare from his EBM project, FGFC820, which pairs him with fellow NYC DJ Dräcos. Signed to NoiTekk in Europe, COP International in North America and Gravitator Records in Russia, FGFC820 features Arkana as lyricist, vocalist and programmer. As a lyricist or vocalist, Arkana has also collaborated with Germany's The Retrosic ("New World Order"), Supreme Court ("Mass Media Murder") and Neikka RPM ("Storm of Hell"). As a remixer, he has reworked "Damage Limitation" by Tactical Sekt with Suicide Commando, as well as the underground club stomper "Graograman" by Germany's noise/EBM act KieW. With FGFC820, additional remixes have followed for Icon of Coil, Dawn of Ashes, Schattenschlag, Corporate Soldiers, Rumours About Angels and others.
Still, even with so many projects active, Arkana refuses to turn away from his first musical love, DJing. Guest appearances throughout North America continue to be scheduled, as plans for a return to Europe are also being staged. With "a finger on the trigger and another on CUE", as is his motto, DJ Rexx Arkana continues to shape the dark electronic music scene both home and abroad.
Arkana has worked as a club DJ since 1988, having spun in:
*Albuquerque, USA
*Atlanta, USA
*Berlin, Germany
*Bielefeld, Germany
*Buffalo, USA
*Cincinnati, USA
*Cleveland, USA
*Detroit, USA
*Hamburg, Germany
*Harrisburg, USA
*Leipzig, Germany
*Leverkusen, Germany
*London, England
*Mexico City, Mexico
*Miami, USA
*Montreal, Canada
*Munich, Germany
*New York City, USA
*Newark, USA
*Paris, France
*Philadelphia, USA
*Phoenix, USA
*Pittsburgh, USA
*Rochester, USA
*San Francisco, USA
*San Jose, USA
*Stamford, USA
*Syracuse, USA
*Tampa, USA
*Toronto, Canada
*Utrecht, Netherlands
*Washington, D.C., USA
and throughout the East Coast...
Arkana has performed at dozens of nights, including:
*11. Wave Gotik Treffen (Leipzig, Germany)
*Limelight (NYC)
*2nd Annual Industrial Rave (San Francisco)
*Dark Star Festival (Stamford)
*CMJ New Music Marathon (NYC)
*Darkrave (Toronto)
*Lime Club (Berlin)
*L'Independance (Paris)
*Electric Ballroom (London, UK)
*Slimelight (London, UK)
*Gossips (London, UK)
*Dada X (Mexico City)
*Ekko (Utrecht, Netherlands)
*Darkflower (Leipzig, Germany)
*Millenium (Munich, Germany)
*Headbanger's Ballroom (Hamburg, Germany)
*Shadow (Leverkusen, Germany)
*PC69 (Bielefeld, Germany)
*Castle (Tampa)
*The Vatikan (Toronto)
*Nation (Washington, D.C.)
*Ceremony (Pittsburgh)
*Vesago (Philadelphia)
*Shampoo (Philadelphia)
*The Chamber (Atlanta)
*Kitchen Club (Miami)
*Bugsy's (Syracuse, NY)
*Suburban Park (Syracuse, NY)
*The Country Club (Syracuse, NY)
*Sector 5 (Ithaca, NY)
*X (Rochester, NY)<BR
*Carpe Diem (Rochester, NY)
*Screamers (Syracuse, NY)
*Sanctuary (Syracuse, NY)
*Zodiac (Syracuse, NY)
*Continental (Buffalo, NY)
*Sunset (Oswego, NY)
*Helter Skelter (Syracuse, NY)
*Water Street Music Hall (Rochester, NY)
*The Underground (Syracuse, NY)
*Nocturne (Philadelphia)
*Absolution (NYC)
*Albion/Batcave (NYC)
*Atrocity (NYC)
*Byzantium (NYC)
*Corrosion (NYC)
*Detour (Long Island)
*Duet (NYC)
*Flesh Theatre (NYC)
*Funhouse (NYC)
*Gomorrah (NYC)
*Industrial Collective (NYC)
*London Calling (NYC)
*Long Black Veil (NYC)
*MI7 (NYC)
*Malfunction (NYC)
*Morpheus Rising (NYC)
*Near Dawn (NYC)
*Nemesis (NYC)
*Oblivion (NYC)
*Play (NYC)
*Radioactivity (NYC)
*The Realm (NYC)
*Ritual (NYC)
*Sanctum (NYC)
*SectorSeven (NYC)
*Slimelight (NYC)
*Zenwarp (NYC)
