It’s taken BEC just a few, short years to accomplish more than some DJs hope to in a lifetime.
Starting with little more than a collection of records and a six-month course at SAE London under her belt, BEC has cultivated a global following and calmly holds crowds of thousands under her spell when she's behind the decks.
Now based in Berlin, the Brighton-born, London-bred DJ has established herself as a favourite among international club crowds and the industry elite with her distinct brand of 'cerebral techno'.
With BEC announced on the line-up for Rainbow Serpent Festival early next year, we took some time with the prodigious, dynamic DJ to ask about her incredible career and what’s coming next.
What have been some of your highlights of 2018 so far?
[BEC] My South America tour for sure. Playing Baum Festival in Bogota. Marcel Dettmann missed his headline spot on the main stage, so I ended up doing an impromptu B2B2B with Monoloc, Charlotte de Witte and Miss Kitten. That blew my mind! And I have just come back from Burning Man in Nevada, where I closed Carl Cox's stage Playground. He has a pretty cool fire show set-up, which is insane to DJ with.
How did you get started as a DJ?
A friend suggested I should start DJing, as he saw my collection of records and enthusiasm for music. So I did. I practised and practised, and got my first gigs at really small bars and even restaurants in London. I also took a short, six-month course at SAE London.
How are you feeling about performing at Rainbow Serpent Festival?
I really can't wait. I've heard a lot about the festival and always wanted to go. So to share my music there is an honour.
Will this be your first time in Australia? What are you looking forward to the most?
Yes it is. I'm hoping to get a few days outside of the cities in nature. If I have enough time, I'd love to visit Fraser Island.
Will you get a chance to hang around and enjoy some Aussie music festival goodness?
Right now, I have the Saturday free so yes, hopefully I will be able to stick around one extra night and experience the festival properly. But this could change.
As a touring DJ, what are some of your on-the-road essentials you don’t leave home without?
Hmm, my Zoom recorder. For recording my sets or just general sounds that I might like to put into my productions. My eye-patch, so I can sleep anywhere and a back-up USB.
What songs and artists would we find on your personal playlist at the moment?
You'd find Autechre, Max Richter, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Boards Of Canada, Cigarettes After Sex, Hiroshi Yoshimura, Múm, The Field... a real mix basically.
How does Brighton’s dance and techno scene compare/ differ to that of London?
I moved to London when I was 18 for 6 years. But both Brighton and London inspired me musically. I remember going to illegal raves on the beach in Brighton. Where you’d text an anonymous number and get sent the address the day of the rave. You’d turn up and have an insane sound system powered by a generator. And people just going crazy. I’m not sure those still even exist.
I’ll also never forget seeing Fatboy Slim on Brighton Beach in the summer, around the time of Pride. There were so many people there, it was just amazing. London offered some legendary times, especially in Fabric's good, old days. I’d be split between attending D&B, dubstep, breaks nights and techno.
It was always special to see Riccardo Villalobos play Fabric. I remember a particular time back in 2009 when they shut the club doors and he played till late in the afternoon, which was quite unheard of in London because of the stricter clubbing laws. I also used to go to Matter - a big club in the O2 Arena - Plastic People, Dance Tunnel and Cable; all of which are shut down now.
Having achieved so much in a short space of time, what’s next for you?
What's next? Well, I'm focused on next summer. I've got a few countries and clubs in mind I'd love to play for the 2019 summer season. I definitely will be back in South America touring within the next few months, with some big news there to come. Production-wise, I'd like to build my studio up with more hardware as I prefer to be hands-on rather than in-the-box.
