Drekka brings experimentalism, scene history to Oklahoma

The table in front of Drekka at one of his performances can be covered in so many little electronic machines, cables, tape players, and seemingly random physical items that it’s difficult to even make everything out.

But the sounds that he cobbles together out of all that clutter can be even more mysterious and difficult to name, using heavily manipulated electronics, loops, cassette recordings, and ambient vocals to build a series of always shifting, nebulous sonic environments.

With more than two decades’ worth of releases – more than even the Indiana-based artist himself can count or recall – a Drekka performance can pull from hundreds of previously explored dark musical worlds, or incorporate unmapped territory for the first time on the fly.

It’s an experience that Oklahoman audiences will have a chance to catch next week when Drekka brings a three-night run through the state, August 28th at Bookish in OKC, August 29th at Opolis in Norman, both presented by Dissociation OK, and August 30th at Noise Town in Tulsa for the One Aux Experimental Music Showcase.

It’s all part of a larger multi-state trek that sees Drekka bringing his constantly shifting, darkly compelling atmospheres along on his second cross-country tour of the year.

“For a lot of people, that’s just too much,” he said. “But I’m the kind of person that if I’m going to be on the road for ten days, I’d rather just be on the road for forty days.” 

Playing that many shows back to back in closely tied markets can be a minefield for a lot of artists trying to thread a needle between staying true to their set and keeping things fresh enough for repeat viewers and overlapping audiences.

But Drekka (whose real name is Michael “Mkl” Anderson) never sees that as an issue, allowing his sets to take on a mostly fresh and unique life every night.

“I’ve done upwards of a thousand Drekka shows, so I know my gear as well as, say, a guitarist knows their guitar,” Anderson told me by phone ahead of the new tour. “So I’ve definitely got little compositions and structures, but I generally just see what works for the night. And then ten minutes into playing, it’s just like whatever happens, happens.”

Every Drekka performance tends to be different – from minor tweaks between nights to major overhauls – all based on the venue, the crowd, and the energy coming off of the evening.

“I just try to listen,” Anderson said. “It becomes almost kind of a call and response thing.”

When he comes through Oklahoma, it’ll be particularly interesting for him to look and listen and soak up the state’s current scene.

Anderson lived in Norman for a time back in the late 90s and became a part of the deeply underground goth and experimental scene in the Metro at the time.

“There wasn’t a whole lot of ‘indie’ stuff,” he said. “Obviously, The Flaming Lips were super important, and their friends. I actually used to work with [now KOSU radio host] John Mooneyham at Kinko’s with a bunch of other weirdos, and we’d hang out at a little goth record store called Shadowplay and a club called Liberty Drug on Campus Corner.”

Outside of those few venues for underground, niche, and alternative music and culture, however, Anderson said there wasn’t anything close to the open-armed acceptance of left-field styles and counter cultures that seems to drive the OKC and Norman scenes now.

“It’s the kind of thing I think you see in any college town that’s able to evolve over time,” he said. “It’s the same as in Bloomington [Indiana] where I live now. The college town culture just needs something kind of bigger than itself to grow.”

The key, he believes, to developing that kind of encompassing, less-exclusive community that’s willing to take chances on strange music and esoteric performances, even if it’s small, is to create a scene that recognizes the importance of supporting one another instead of looking for outside validation.

“I think with a place like Oklahoma City,” he said, “It’s a big city, but it’s also small enough – and in Oklahoma – that there just kind of has to be some kind of self-sufficient underground culture. It has to thrive on its own.”

Between the hyper-indie Dissociation and One Aux groups, and the mind-warping creativity of the acts and artists he’ll be performing alongside, it’s safe to say that he’ll have a front-row view of just how much Oklahoma’s underground culture is thriving.

Drekka does a three-night run through Oklahoma August 28th at Bookish in OKC, August 29th at Opolis in Norman, both presented by Dissociation OK and August 30th at Noise Town in Tulsa for the One Aux Experimental Music Showcase.

For more information, visit opolis.org, noisetowntulsa.com, and follow @shop.bookish, @dissociationoklahoma, and @one.aux all on Instagram.

Follow Drekka at @mkldrekka on Instagram and at drekka.bandcamp.com.

You can find out about local music and performance happenings in the OKC metro weekly in this music column by Brett Fieldcamp. | Brought to you by True Sky Credit Union.

Brett Fieldcamp has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly 15 years, writing for several local and state publications. He’s also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.