An Interview with DJ Dexter

A few words with the Aussie Avalanche which blew through Limerick...

What's the connection between the latest Dre/Eminem protégé 50 Cent's "In Da Club" and the Haitian salsa-type experience that is Tabou Combo's "New York City"? Probably not a lot you'd reckon, but at the moment both tunes are DJ Dexter's firm favourites. This is hardly surprising when you consider that when Dexter last played Limerick (at Soul Clinic in October 2002), he played one of the most eclectic sets I have ever heard, dropping tunes from Jimi Hendrix, Ice Cube, Aphex Twin, System of A Down, and of course one or two from The Avalanches.

"My set doesn't change that much, it's loosely programmed. The records are so different to one another that I took a lot of time listening and figuring out which records sit well with each other to create the moods and peaks I wanted", is how he explains these somewhat peculiar choices.

Dexter (or Dexta as he was known then) first came to worldwide attention in 2000 when he was runner-up in the DMC World DJ Championship. With DJs initially getting just three minutes to prove themselves, the Championship is a pressurised battleground. Yet, it is still something that Dexter would be interested in going back to.

"Yeah, maybe one day. Its a full time job putting together a set, I'm interested in studio gear and producing so I am concentrating on finding my sound at the moment".

Of course, the fruits of this studio work could initially be found in 2001's stunning debut album, "Since I Left You" from the Melbourne collective The Avalanches, of which Dexter is a member. It was an album built out of approximately nine hundred samples. A string of marvellous singles (the summery vibes of "Since I Left You", the cut and paste piece de resistance that was "Frontier Psychiatrist", and the damn funkiness of "Electricity") propelled the album to platinum status. Critics hailed it as one of the most innovative works of the year, with award nominations from mainstream rock mags like NME, and dance publications like Muzik. It's two years since that release, and considering the amount of time that went into it, between choosing and clearing so many samples, will we be waiting a while for a new LP?

"Darren (Seltmann) and Robbie (Chater) are plugging away with new material for the next album. I'm not sure what they're concentrating on in terms of samples, and whether they're gonna use them or not"

Considering that the band were an unknown entity before "Since I Left You", are they feeling the pressure to release an album as equally enigmatic as their debut?

"I'm sure Darren and Robbie are feeling some pressure, but they're approach will be to take their time and continue to be innovative."

Perhaps most surprising about The Avalanches were the live performances that promoted their last LP, including an appearance at Witnness that left many punters claiming that it was the performance of the weekend. Appearances like these saw the act pick up the somewhat prestigious Muzik Magazine Best Live Act Award for 2001. Their live show stripped away the regular conventions of live dance music, with instruments and turntables constantly swapped between members. Indeed, as Dexter agrees, there was an almost punk element in the way that they astounded their audiences.

"We wanted the live set to be a new experience, like the album was for people. We stripped down each song and rebuilt them with a more punk, fuzzy noise element. We ended up writing three new songs by doing this, so I'm glad that our fans were as surprised as we were."

While Darren and Robbie plough away in Australia working on the band's new record, DJ Dexter is currently on a one month djing tour, which sees him play fifteen dates in venues across Spain, U.K. and Ireland. When asked whether he prefers these gigs, or working with The Avalanches, he remains ever the diplomat.

"I love both, like my arm and my foot, because you can't love one more than the other. They're totally different experiences. Djing is so much more about dancing, while the band usually results in broken legs or people in garbage bins. Both are nice".

Last time he played Limerick, he seemed to be enjoying himself, not least because he seemed to have created a new form of busking.

"Yeah, I loved it. One of the flight cases for the turntables was sat on stage and people started throwing pennies for a second encore. Ha ha, I think I made three euros out of that. Yeah, bring me back, I need the dough!"

DJ Dexter was interviewed by Ciarán Ryan