A new year, a new chapter. Every artist, regardless of their discipline, needs to evolve. Infact, it is something inherent within creatives. The need to push the envelope, have new experiences, and share new creative impulses is deep rooted, and yearns to be nurtured. That is the position Rebekah find’s her self in during the early stages of 2016.
Celebrating 20 years since she first stood behind the turntables, Rebekah has established herself as one of the leading exponents of techno currently operating on the global circuit. Her love affair with the harder sounds stretches back to the legendary Que Club in her hometown of Birmingham where she drew influence from the likes of Dave Clarke, Derrick Carter, Richie Hawtin and Billy Nasty. The fact she now shares billing with artists of this calibre is testament not only to her talent, but the way in which her music has been received by the techno community.
Having made early inroads with EP’s on Naked Lunch, Smut Music, and Cult Figures, it was perhaps her remix of Matador’s “Blond Slackers” on Stolen Moments that really awakened a wider consciousness. Techno luminaries such as by Chris Liebing, Adam Beyer, Perc, Dustin Zahn, Tommy Four Seven, Alan Fitzpatrick and Sandwell District all had it as a feature of their record boxes.
With his interest piqued, Chris Leibing invited Rebekah to do a podcast for the infamous CLR Podcast series, and this signaled the start of an ongoing relationship with the monolithic label. Kicking off 2013 by mixing “Reconnected 03” for the imprint, her summer 2013 “Cycles” EP opened her tough, dark, driving productions up to an even wider audience, and was one of the highlights of what would be the break-through year for Rebekah.
2014 saw a series of remixes for solid underground labels such as EarToGround, Sleaze, and Gynoid Audio before a follow up EP for Cult Figures reaffirmed her production nous when it came to originals. The year ended with her being invited to launch a new mix series for CLR titled “Mind Sets”. Rebekah also released her first “Elements” EP which reflected her holistic outlook on life by releasing a series of EPs that trace the input the four elements of Fire, Air, Water and Earth have on the lives of people.
Her relationship with CLR continued into 2015 with her sophomore EP “Distant” re-asserting her position on the global techno scene. This followed a sublime three track EP on Sleaze, and preceeded her September release on the mighty Soma Records. The “Confined Heart” EP, and especially the title track, showed off a more subtle and emotional side to Rebekah’s productions. A perfect complement to “Kill Floor” which does exactly as the name suggests.
Her “Beginnings” EP on her own Decoy Records at the start of this year signaled the coming of a new chapter. Her track ‘Orbital’ on Mord’s Herdersmat Part 1-7 highlighted her devotion to the new wave of techno artists and imprints.
And in February she continued the narrative started with her “Elements EP” and launched her own event series of the same name. Returning to her home city of Birmingham in the UK, the night will serve as a showcase for Rebekah’s sound and will host guests from her favourite peers from the techno community. The fact that it is taking place in Birmingham, a bastion for UK techno in the past, highlights her desire to reconnect with her musical roots, whilst also providing an experience for a new generation of techno lovers. As Rebekah notes the events wil be “bringing all the ‘elements’ that make the eperience of techno so exciting and exhilierating, be it visuals, lighting, and of course the sound system”.
And with Rebekah putting the finishing touches to her debut album, it appears as the demunitive artist with the ferocious sound is set to go from strength to strength in 2016.
