“When you meet new people and asked what you do Rexx, do you tell them you work on Wall Street or do you tell them you’re in a band?” I asked Rexx.
“I generally say I work on Wall Street because if I say I’m in a band, they’ll want to know which one. I find the faces they make when I say FGFC820 sometimes entertaining.” Rexx responded with a smile.

Rexx performing with Brian during the Gothsicles set at Kinetik5

FGFC820 is the musical project of Rexx Arkana and Dräcos von Strecker out of New York city. The project which started in 2004 evolved before settling on it’s current members. Rexx originally planned on working with Mika from This Morn’s Omina and in fact the first song FGFC820 written as a band (World of God) was written by Rexx and Mika. However collaboration was difficult with an ocean between them, and when Dräcos started helping with the remixes he pretty much took over for Mika.
“Dräcos is immensely talented, so I knew for the first time that with him I’d be able to realize the kind of sound I was looking for. Over the years we’ve developed a great working relationship where we can communicate through music.” said Rexx.
The introduction of Rexx and Dräcos came several years before the Bruderschaft EP (which began in 2003) where Dräcos and Rexx used to spin for the same promoter, Master Steelow, at fetish events in NYC. It was there that the two discovered each other’s style of music and their skills as a DJs.
“In those days, I spun a lot of electro/EBM and futurepop, which I would mix into vocal trance, happy hardcore and house. Dräcos would come on after and spin hardstyle and gabber. We really punished people on the dance floor at Funhouse back then.” Rexx recalled.
However the beginning of Rexx’s involvement with music began over two decades ago with the introduction to the world of DJing on college radio. He would visit his friend who had a spot on college radio playing Punk music. Rexx would help his friend pick out tracks and keep him company. After a couple of months the friend decided DJing wasn’t his thing and Rexx took his place and began to spin. Right from the start he knew this was something he loved.
“I got started in the music business, so to speak, as a college radio DJ in 1984 and first started spinning clubs in 1987. It’s been a part of my life for so long that I cannot imagine it any other way.” Rexx remembers.

Dräcos performing at Kinetik 5 with Hypr

Both Dräcos and Rexx have had a love for industrial music since the early 90’s. They recall moments from the early days.
“In the 80s, I was a big fan of the synthesized sounds of new wave and new romantic movement. I was also drawn to the raw energy and anger of punk rock, but hated how with many of those bands actual musicianship and songwriting took a back seat. When I first heard bands like Gary Numan, Front 242, D.A.F. and Nitzer Ebb, I realized that there was a new sound brewing in which those two things (synths and societal dissatisfaction) coexisted.” Rexx told me.
Dräcos continued, “I was more into underground metal, but then I went to Spain and heard techno for the first time. So when I got back to the States I thought it would be cool to combine the synthesized sounds of techno with the raw aggression of metal on some of my own recordings. I liked the way it sounded so I started looking for other artists who were making this kind of music.”
Dräcos was interested in making music from a young age. At age 14, a Tascam 424 four-track recorder made it’s way into his life and later an Alesis SR-16 drum-machine and a 16-track sequencer.

Rexx playing at Kinetik 5 in FGFC820

“So that was pretty much my recording setup through high school where I’d sit in my room and write and record songs, and then plug my Tascam into my parents’ stereo so I could mix the songs down to cassette tape.” Dräcos recalled.
He continued, “As far as what I recorded back then, some of it was industrial, some of it was rock, and some of it was some pretty cheesy dance music. But I still dig those tapes out every so often and give them a listen.”
“Do you guys have any formal musical training?” I asked Rexx and Dräcos.
Dräcos replied, “I started music lessons when I was young, and I’ve played guitar, bass, and keys in bands since I was in high school. After that I went to Berklee College of Music and earned my degree before moving to New York City, though a lot of what I know is self taught.”

“Impressive!” I said.
Rexx added, “I don’t know how to play anything very well. When I was a kid, I played cello and guitar a little, but it was a Casio Sampler that really got me into sound construction and design and spurred my desire to work with electronic music.”
“So Rexx, I know you still spin today; what keeps you going?” I asked.
“Spinning, whether radio or club venues, provides me with an opportunity to introduce people to new music. That’s the thing I love most about it.” Rexx replied.

Rexx Arkana performing ‘Relapse’ at Kinetik 5

Musically, even thought the lyrics are the creation of Rexx and about 90% of the programming is done by Dräcos, there is a lot of collaborative work back and forth once a song starts to take shape.
“By this point, we both have a decent mutual understanding of what constitutes the 820 sound, although we’ll often bring much different interpretations of that to the table. For example, Dräcos’ musical skill allows for him to write some pretty complex melodies; I’ll usually want to simplify them and strip them down to their root progressions. We work together to find the middle ground that usually becomes the melodic riff.” Rexx told me.

“Is it always butterflies and roses when collaborating on new music, or do you get into heated arguments/discussions before the middle ground is reached?” I asked.
“On this last album, we disagreed quite a bit on the compositions, but that’s a healthy process I think. Any kind of feedback, positive or negative, can serve to make a song better, even if it’s coming from your own band mate. I wouldn’t say things get heated, though. We’re both generally too laid back for that unless he drinks my whiskey.” Rexx replied smiling.

“Where does you inspiration come from for the FGFC material?” I asked Rexx.
“We’re heavily influenced by our environments. For example the things we see happening in the world, and our country’s involvement in/reaction to them, have long plotted our political course as a band.” he explained
“On the new album, there are a couple of more personal songs (such as Relapse, or the ballad Love Until Death) that have everything to do with my deteriorating relationship with my wife, Agnieszka, and nothing to do with outer influences or forces.” he added.
“Is there an encompassing message that you both strive to convey with the music of FGFC820?” I asked.

Rexx performing at Kinetik 5

“As a central theme, responsibility and accountability figure significantly in our worldview, which bleeds into everything we do.” Rexx responded.
The core driving force behind the lyrics of FGFC820 are the injustices (mainly political) today that we are exposed to every day and more recently, emotional isolation. However regardless of the theme, the lyrics are always an integral part of FGFC820 and are what fuels Rexx’s inspiration.
On the emotional isolation side of things, Rexx has not had it easy. There was upheaval in the home since he was 2 years old when his parents split up.
“Now that I have two daughters and I’m heading for divorce myself, I must try to take comfort in the fact that I kept my promise; I did not choose a broken family for my children and in fact, did everything I could to prevent it” he told me.
Rexx continued “Aga and I were together for seventeen years. No marriage is ever entirely happy, but if I didn’t love her with all my heart, I wouldn’t have stayed with her as long as I did. We faced many challenges over the years and these sometimes inspired sentiments that would become lyrics to our songs. Despite the bad times, the good times with Aga were something that heretofore has gone unequaled. I thought we’d be together until death, like our latest ballad suggests, but neither me nor the pleading from our close friends were enough to alter her decision to split up the family in January of this year, so my personal situation has had a stronger influence than ever on this album.”
Admitted by himself, this year has been one of the worst years in Rexx’s life. He counts himself lucky to have had great support from his friends to keep him going.

Dräcos performing at Kinetik 5

“Since you write about injustices, what’s bothering you most at the moment” I asked.
“My biggest complaint is the apathy that permeates society. We’ve become, even more so than in the 80s, a ‘me-first’ culture. The advent of social networking has made everyone a star in their own minds. It has accelerated an environment where people are more concerned with who’s following their own personal travails than the greater problems of the world. There’s also a permeating sense that one man can’t change the world, but that’s disingenuous. One man absolutely can start a revolution, but not by sitting on his couch playing video games all day.” Rexx replied.
He then added “There’s a lot of extraneous drama and stuff that clouds our culture. More than ever, everyone seems to fancy themselves a performer of some sort: DJ, dancer, performance artist, band…it’s a textbook case of ‘too many chiefs and not enough Indians’. This, plus the shift away from music as a central point and to the tangential ‘fashion show’ and/or ‘see and be seen’ aspects, has really caused the scene to stagnate. There isn’t enough new blood coming in to replace the ‘retiring’ participants and those that do join the scene tend to be much more temporary than people of my generation.” replied Rexx.
“Well there are a ton of bands now, but I really don’t mind (aside from having a limited amount of time where I’m only able to listen to a fraction of them). A few have some cool ideas, and a lot follow a very standard formula. But that happens in lots of scenes. It happened with black metal in the 90s, and it’s happening with harsh electro now. There is still innovation these days, although it does seem like there’s a template for this style of music.” Dräcos added.

Jean-François and Rexx Arkana closing off Kinetik 5

“Your involvement with the Kinetik Festival has been substantial from the very beginning and somehow you became the staple at Kinetik.” I said to Rexx.
“Well, the response was so good the first year we played (K2), that they brought us back the next year (K3). Since then, it’s just sort of been, like you said, a ‘staple’ for us to play. People might think I have compromising pictures of J.F. or something, but we really don’t.” Rexx replied.
“What happens at Kinetik stays at Kinetik.” I acknowledged and smiled.
“Kinetik Festival is hands-down the most important scene event that we have in North America every year. Everyone who considers themselves ‘involved’ in this scene should find some way of getting to experience it in person. JF, his staff, and all the people behind the scenes, do an amazing job running it every year and we are grateful to have become part of it.” Rexx adamantly replied.
“This year’s festival (K5) had a significant drop in attendance” I said.
“Last year’s Festival (K4) brought in very big crowds, partially because of the new venue, partially because of the lineup and partially because people didn’t want to NOT be there. This past year (K5), there was a drop off, but there are lots of things that were contributing factors I think. The overall lineup didn’t have as many ‘big name’ acts, the manifestation in Montreal had a lot of people on edge, and the economy has been in the toilet for years.” Rexx said.
“I discuss this with JF all the time; Kinetik MUST go on, despite how reluctant the organizers might be to throw good money after bad.” He added.
Kinetik has been an incredible experience for me for the past two years. JF (and many others) work tirelessly through out the year to pull off this amazing festival and his efforts are truly appreciated by myself and everyone I know that attends. We all patiently wait all summer long until news of the ‘next’ festival is announced late summer/early fall. Check out for updates at www.festival-kinetik.net.

Thank you Rexx and Dräcos for the insight and inner workings of FGFC820 you shared with me.

Interview by: Adrian Onsen
Photobraphy by: Onsendesigns Photography