Born Simon Brown in Shepperton, Middlesex U.K., the world slept quietly unaware that soon enough a new force would come into being, proving to be formidable and unwavering in its drive to annihilate the unsuspecting masses in need of a rude awakening. The Dexorcist, a name we have all come to love and, some would say fear, would be that force; and for the last 20 years he has been on a non-stop quest to innovate and push the boundaries of sound in a way that really only he can.
Morphing over the years from his darker days under Battle Trax with long-time partner Bass Junkie, or his loyal affilitation to SMB Records, and Dead Silence Syndicate, to Gods Of Technology and beyond, what we are offered each and every time is a timeless piece of music and technology. A beautiful bond and an intriguing fusion of vision, and a thirst to understand what happens when you simply dig deep all the way. Each record in its own way has pushed the Electro sound further, always leaving behind an imprint that is felt for years to come, delivering productions and compositions that leave the masses spellbound, with forward thinking concepts of space, spirituality, and apocalyptic sci-fi scenarios meant to provoke thought about who we are as a society.
The Dexorcist's debut came in 1998 after the short-lived founding of his first label 'Running Scared", featured on a split E.P. with Krude, on "The First Shade Of Fear E.P."; 2 tracks full of tenacious rhythms, deranged sounds that squelched and belched as they morphed in and out of being, and that overall vibe that was around back during that era....think I.B.M.! The Dexorcist soon moved on to helping found the infamous label "Control Tower" with Keith Tenniswood aka Radioactive Man, also beginning his infamous collaboration with Bass Junkie as "Kronos Device" on Battle Trax Records with Ravager Of Planets (2001), not to mention his work for Audio Illusion Records as "Bomb Dogs", and SMB Records with his other collaborative effort, "The Dead Silence Syndicate Band". The Band would become part of the larger collective "Dead Silence Syndicate" that Brown says was made up of "The Innocent Bystander (Brett Youngs, RIP) who came up with the name. He ran Audio Illusion along with Krude. It was Brett, Krude, Controlled Weirdness, Blackmass Plastics, Warlock, No Yeah No, The Deadsilence Syndicate [Band] and myself, who were part of the collective (Sorry if I have forgotten anyone)".
Over the span of the rest of the 2000's, The Dexorcist rose to a high level of popularity all over the world, dominating sales charts and getting into a good rhythm of releasing record after record on labels like his own Control Tower with titles like Sector 6, with Radioactive Man (2001), Dark Times (2001), and Midnight Runner (2004); not to mention his continued works with SMB and hits like the "Quad Angle" series (2004), as well as "Dextermination E.P." (2005), and "The Wreknival E.P." (2006).
Sometime around the mid-2000's, The Dexorcist also embarked on one of his most notable collaborations, once again with long-time partner in crime Phil Klein aka Bass Junkie, with "Gods Of Technology". Innovative vocoding, marvelous production techniques, and intriguing concepts that most consider as some of the most ground-breaking Electro music to come out in a very long time, took the music beyond the constraints of trendy robot concepts, or the desire to take it back to the 80's, to a degree still unmatched to this day. While not something they have focused on tremendously since, only releasing "808s and Altered States", as well as the song "Instruments Of Armageddon" on the compilation "Assimilate This Vol. 1" on Battle Trax, the duo, much like Blastromen, have redefined the sound completely, setting the bar high enough that it has left the masses spellbound, unaware as they are thirsty of the next wave of sonic attacks.
Since then, The Dexorcist has slowed down his output of Electro Bass releases, focusing on different styles and altered egos like Abraham Cowley, which focuses on House music, as well as his works for ScanOne's "Yellow Machines", which goes back to 90's-styled UK Hardcore music. Recently, The Dexorcist also appeared on the well-received remixes album compilation for Ascension Électronique's "Harmonic Defiance" L.P. from 2012, featuring names like fellow UK peer Mandroid, Sbles3plex, Dwellz, Rogue Frequency, Binalog, Shadowbunny, and Morphogenetic, not to mention his track "Body Clock" on the Music Mondays compilation "1 Night in '88", as well as the new Electro Avenue release "Time"; which holds a plethora of some of today's hottest Electro acts from around the world.
For the future, as Brown sees it "I still am fanatical about records and still love making music, so I will have to see where the music takes me". Which as we all know, is simply code-speak that we can all expect much more as we have seen for so long, anticipating what will continue to be more innovation, and going back to different eras where our music held special attributes somehow lost in today's EDM culture; brought together in such a clever and intelligent way.
For someone who has had such a dedicated track record, this is really just everyday at the job, and not for the faint of heart. Brown states that "Currently, I am working with Bass Junkie on some new Kronos Device and we are doing a collaboration with Miami’s Cut-It-Up-Def head honcho and co-partner of Cha-os, Jock D. There is another Electro project we are working on, with myself, Phil Klein, Radioactive Man and Matt Whitehead as The Resonance Committee." So hold on tight, when The Dexorcist is in control, there really is no telling where we will wind up. Because as he himself agrees "Electro and Bass music will always be my favourite. It was the first forms of music that blew me away back in the early 80’s. I will always have a passion for it."
Written by: Santino Fernandez
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Edition:
February 2015