Bexarametric Pressure LP by Bexarametric

In addition to building both national and international fan base, he's been mastering his sophomore full-length release, BEX IDM, due out late 2004. Bexarametric has also featured two songs, Extinction Clinic and The Windmill Sessions, in the Unreal Tournament 2004 Expansion Pack, as well as written an unreleased score for a Need For Speed Underground trailer.

RECHARGE MAGAZINE INTERVIEW

Interview from www.rechargemag.com

Bexarametric.Bitch!

Kevin Deal and his Evolving Electronic Wall of Sound

By Uripides

In Austin, TX, there is an alternative definition to the  phrase "Live Music Capital of the World" and his name is Bexarametric.

If you have never heard of Kevin Deal, a.k.a. Bexarametric, let me take this opportunity to enlighten you. For phonetic readers', it's pronounced bear-a-metric, like the weather term "barometric." Kevin, originally born  in Charleston, South Carolina, is one of the most progressive, diverse, and  relentless electronic/IDM/Drum and Bass producers in Texas. Simply put: he's ahead of his time. At first glance, you would have no idea this guy packs such a huge electronic sound. Pay no mind to this soft spoken, recent  graduate from Texas State University; there is more to Bexarametric than meets the ear.

When you listen to his first album, Bexarametric Pressure LP, you can hear his influence from a variety of artists such as LTJ Bukem, Bjork, Radiohead,  and (oddly enough) the Beatles. He's been compared to Squarepusher, Aphex  Twin and Autechre, but has a sound that is uniquely his own. Bexarametric Pressure LP is a journey into warm melodies, soft tones and big beats. A  true Drum and Bass influenced LP, his flawless mixture of jazzy and  emotionally tweaked melodies, rolling snares, and quirky bass lines help complete a masterfully composed head-nodding wall of sound.

Wanting control over his own sound and creativity, Bexarametric publishes under his own label Metric Style Records. Promoting himself and his music independently, he makes a name for himself on popular music sites like Acid Planet, CDBaby.com and his own website bexarametric.com, he can begin to expand Metric Style Records. With a new album due out shortly, BEX IDM LP, Kevin simply does what he does best: making awesome music, his way.

I recently had an opportunity to sit down with this independent maestro and we talked about him, his music and how yes, in fact, he is Bexarametric.bitch!

RECHARGE: How did you come to produce the kind of music you make and how  many different stages (if any) do you feel you have gone through?

B: I was introduced to electronic-based music through my brother,

girlfriend, and a few other close friends. They showed me artists like Radiohead, Björk and Squarepusher, whose sounds I really fell in love with. I'm a control freak, so I viewed the idea of producing music by myself as a  new opportunity. When I was in bands, there were always artistic differences, but sitting alone in front of my gear allowed me to be my own boss. I was able to write tracks quickly due to the fact that I didn't have  to teach all the parts to other band members. I've encountered three different levels of development ever since I started  producing my own tracks. During the first stage, I sounded a bit too much like the people I was influenced by - it was really more of an experimental  phase. I would write songs based on trying to figure out

what my influences  were doing. Once I learned how they approached music, I moved on.

In the second stage, I was trying to develop my own style. The only way to achieve this was to not think about what I wrote. It felt natural when the songs just kind of flowed out of me. These tracks would reflect whatever mood I was in at the stage of conception. As a result, I have a diverse catalog because I was never in the same mood twice.

The third stage has been about trying to write complex tracks based on

movements, just like classical music. I have always had a cinematic feel

to  my music, and now that I have developed my own style, it's time to

take  things to the next level - making interesting arrangements based on my  particular sound.

RECHARGE: What is your favorite thing about music and about your music?

B: My favorite thing about music is the fact that it is universal. It's

always a great feeling when you can communicate with someone musically. They  may not speak the same native language, yet you can throw down a track that  will make them bob their head in approval. That reaction is what I love  about music: the ability to respond to a message without saying a single  word.

My favorite thing about my own music is that it speaks volumes about who I am. If someone wants to know what I'm about, they just have to pop in my CD  or listen to one of my mp3s. The honesty of a personal connection is there;  all they have to do is listen to what comes out of the  speakers. I

also like  the diversity of my music. I write in multiple genres because I

listen to  and absorb everything.

RECHARGE: What is your most influential music-making tool?

B: My Powerbook G4 is my baby. I can take it with me anywhere and

immediately record any musical idea. Whenever I get a melody or beat in my head, I open up my laptop and lay down my thoughts in Reason 2.5.

RECHARGE: What keeps you making the kind of music you make? Where do you get your ideas?

B: As long as the world remains how it is - containing phenomena to

stimulate the senses - I will keep writing music. I dig nature and the way

 humans influence the world around them.  Whatever I can draw from in the present, keeps me writing. My ideas come from the subconscious. I can be influenced by anything really, but mainly life in general.

RECHARGE: How many albums do you have right now?

B: As of now I've released two albums, Bexarametric Pressure LP and

Eve  EP, although I've written enough material for three more albums.

I'm  currently mastering the third release, BEX IDM LP, which will be available  this fall, and compiling a fourth release that I'll begin mixing and  mastering in November. There will be about six months between my third and  fourth album releases. The second album Eve EP was an internet-only  release composed of ambient tracks. I'm usually kicking around 100 songs,  but I have to assemble the right album to put them on.

RECHARGE: What do you think was the most successful portion of your albums?

B: That's really a hard question to answer. It's all subjective to the listener. My albums don't mean the same thing to me as they would to the next person - that's why I make them. It's always nice to hear what someone  else has to say about my music. Everyone has a different take on it - the  more mixed responses I get, the more I feel that I am doing something right.

RECHARGE: How do you feel about being compared to Autechre or Aphex Twin?

B: Despite being influenced by their music, I don't really think I sound

like them - we're not similar melodically. Although, being compared to them  is still a compliment. They've done a lot for electronica and people tend to  hold the bar up with their music. Humans are always going to feel the need  to compare you to something - at least I'm being compared to the best.

RECHARGE: Do you feel pigeon-holed being labeled an IDM artist?

B: Well, yes and no. IDM has no real definition. So much in fact that  people who listen to "intelligent dance music" cannot agree on what it is.

I  hear some people say that so-and-so is "IDM" and so-and-so is "sort of IDM".  To me, that means IDM has a broad definition. I hear artists that sound  nothing alike being put into the same genre. My beats are really the only  "IDM-ish" element to my music. Melodically, I draw more

inspiration from  jazz and classical. I feel my music is diverse enough that you can really  call it anything. I like to play it safe and just call it "music". I listen  to every genre and write in every genre. Limiting my sound as IDM would be  selling myself short. I don't really care how people label me, just as long  as they like my music.

RECHARGE: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

B: Hopefully I'll be making a living off of my talents and not working 9

to  5. The world offers enough avenues to be happy, I think in 5 years I

will be  doing exactly what I want. Of course we do have an election

coming up . . .  . . . .

RECHARGE: Who's your favorite artist right now?

B: I can't honestly answer that, but right now I am really excited about the new Squarepusher EP, Venus No. 17. This is probably his best release since Selection Sixteen - it's solid, without filler.

RECHARGE: What's in your CD/media player right now?

B: Um, well my latest tracks are in my CD player because I'm listening to them before I master them. Aside from that, DJ Shadow, "Preemptive

Strike."

RECHARGE: What do you think when I say I love the track "Incandescent Anomaly"?

B: To me that means it's one of my best tracks.

RECHARGE: Why did it take 3 years to make?

B: I kept pulling it off the shelf to make touch-ups. I was never satisfied  with it, but felt it would always be one of those songs that would kick my  artistic development up to the next level. Not only did it help me discover  things about myself, but it's also the only track I've ever written that  showcases all three stages I've gone through as a writer (as mentioned  earlier). Thus, it is an anomaly. I chose "incandescent" because it was a  bright spot for me as a writer. So that's how I developed the name,  "Incandescent Anomaly". I usually finish my songs the same day I start them  - this one took me three years.

RECHARGE: What do you do to make a track?

B: There's no formula or template for me. I just sit down and mess around with sounds. Sometimes I start with a melodic idea and other times with a beat. Sometimes the starting melody is a bass line and other times it is a  string progression. There's no real consistency to my approach.

RECHARGE: Where do you get your beats from?

B: My beats come from many places. Sometimes I'll find something in a

sound  library that suits my needs. Sometimes I'll spend hours with a minidisk and  a mic to capture a perfect one-shot. Sometimes I'll snag a

factory sound and  take it into a wave editor where I can alter it into something new. And  every now and then I create my beats through synthesis (drum machines). It  really depends on how active my imagination is when I write.

Off the top of your head:

Electronic Music - Misunderstood

Poprocks - Raves

Rick James - Bitch

Bexarametric - Me

Rock Star - Not Me

Reason 2.5 - My tool

Love - I've got it

Money - I don't mind it

Mac or PC - MAC

Sex - Everyone should try it

RECHARGE: If you could be anything what would you be?

B: I would be myself in 5 years because I'm hoping to be where I need to be by  then. So in other words, I would be happy.

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