kevin heckart
Posted on 04. Mar, 2010 by Tash Maloney in music
Kevin Heckart is a local DJ who cranked out his eclectic and refreshing electronic mixes on the stage of the Lizard Lounge. His music didn’t echo the opening audio clip of his set… “This is the first sound of computerized music, it sounds absolutely terrible!”, nor did it echo the typical styles I’ve associated with EDM (electronic dance Music) here in Kansas. His music resonated a danceable, reformative vibe which seemed as captivating as his unique appearance and likable personality. Though growing up in Wichita his whole life, Kevin is careful about gathering inspiration. He is drawn to music clothing, art and design, from overseas.
“Electronic music is more of a culture in the UK but more of a culture shock here in the states.” Kevin stated
When asked what inspired him to become a DJ he simply said “Music… I would play with programs like Fruity Loops by clicking around and reading brief tutorials. I never really took any classes for Audio. In high school I was in full digital mode. I spent extra time helping friends edit videos and create banners for local bands. In 2007, I started messing with tracking programs like Renoise, and Reason. I never really took any of my productions seriously until around 2008 when I started the project of Narteck. By then, my sounds evolved to have an eclectic feel.”
Influenced by many, a few of the artists Kevin listed as his favorites are as follows Deadmau5, Crystal Castles, Passion Pit, Vitalic, Phoenix, Computer Club, Kap Bambino, Soulwax, Alex Metric, High Contrast, Justice, Daft Punk, MSTRKFT True Pseudo, Yelle, and Los Campensinos
He is currently toying with the idea of collaborating with other local singers and songwriters in hopes to create an indie electronic Nu Disco project. Upon hearing this I wasn’t surprised, since Nu Disco is most popular in Europe, UK, and Australia. This specific genre is slowly making its appearance within mainstream US and Asian music markets, yet seems especially slow in Kansas. However, Kevin is one of the few, who could bring a successful sound together because of his love of computers, artistic nature, and progressive like demeanor (I can see why Kevin was drawn to electronic music rather than a guitar).
It’s been said “Electronic music is supposed to open new horizons towards musical structures that are not limited by physical properties
of natural instruments and its musicians.” Speaking of “Horizonz”, Kevin has been a regular for the last three years. If anyone is interested in underground electronic music, Horizonz is a must. Horizonz is an eclectic EDM event held at the Lizards Lounge every second Saturday of the month at 9:00 pm found on 300 S. Greenwich in Wichita.
You can see many of Kevin’s talents and interests at http://blog.kevinheckart.com
