EXAQT is Dead: A Postmortem
I’ve officially retired the EXAQT alias and returned to making music as Fraxtil.
This wasn’t a decision I made lightly; I’ve been investing a lot of time and effort into the rebrand since it started in mid-late 2015.
I want to take the time to explain this choice with some degree of detail.
Let’s start with the obvious:
Being two people is exhausting
Actually, just being one person is exhausting.
Adding a second person into the mix borders on impossible without some extreme dedication.
When I first created EXAQT, my goal was to keep two wholly separate personas with absolutely no cross-contact, aside from the initial seed of informing friends about the rebrand.
My vision was simple: anything related to music production would happen as EXAQT, and the rest would be attributed to Fraxtil.
Of course, this was shortsighted and counterproductive.
Why would I share previews of new songs with a few dozen friends (plus 2 or 3 “organic” followers) when I could share them with all my friends and a few hundred acquaintances?
EXAQT became an outlet for “official” content while my main identity continued to serve as the primary source for music-related chatter.
Anything that felt remotely personal was attributed to the real me.
Which leads into my next point:
Professionalism versus personality
“EXAQT”, as an individual, was fucking boring.
In my quest for sterile professionalism, I lost sight of what people cared about.
There were, in my head, perfectly valid reasons for this - after all, I’m a weird person.
I like dance games and anthro art and I experiment with gender more than I think a lot of people are comfortable with.
And beyond that, there’s a lot of history - good and bad - attached to the “Fraxtil” moniker that I’ve been using since I was sixteen.
A fresh slate seemed like the best way to establish myself as a serious artist, to build industry contacts, to build a Personal Brand™.
God, that sounds insufferable.
Is this really who I want to be?
Being honest with myself
I’m not getting signed to Monstercat anytime soon.
No one who matters is going to look at me funny for having a personality.
The converse is true as well.
I never follow musicians on social media if all they do is announce new and upcoming songs.
Why would I think that’s a good strategy for myself?
“EXAQT” makes me sound like a generic trap producer.
The best thing I can do for myself now is to undo my mistakes.
Looking forward
It’s time to stop overthinking, stop worrying about “branding”, and start creating things that inspire my friends.
If you’ve been around since the release of my first EP (the one that’s been erased from the Internet for years): thank you for sticking around for so long.
If you’re a friend who followed me on my “EXAQT” social media accounts: sorry for cluttering your life with fragments of my identity.
And if you had no idea what a “Fraxtil” was before reading this post: I hope you enjoy your stay.
Voyage EP will be out 3 months from today.
I’ve officially retired the EXAQT alias and returned to making music as Fraxtil. This wasn’t a decision I made lightly; I’ve been investing a lot of time and effort into the rebrand since it started in mid-late 2015. I want to take the time to explain this choice with some degree of detail.
Let’s start with the obvious:
Being two people is exhausting
Actually, just being one person is exhausting. Adding a second person into the mix borders on impossible without some extreme dedication.
When I first created EXAQT, my goal was to keep two wholly separate personas with absolutely no cross-contact, aside from the initial seed of informing friends about the rebrand. My vision was simple: anything related to music production would happen as EXAQT, and the rest would be attributed to Fraxtil.
Of course, this was shortsighted and counterproductive. Why would I share previews of new songs with a few dozen friends (plus 2 or 3 “organic” followers) when I could share them with all my friends and a few hundred acquaintances? EXAQT became an outlet for “official” content while my main identity continued to serve as the primary source for music-related chatter. Anything that felt remotely personal was attributed to the real me. Which leads into my next point:
Professionalism versus personality
“EXAQT”, as an individual, was fucking boring.
In my quest for sterile professionalism, I lost sight of what people cared about. There were, in my head, perfectly valid reasons for this - after all, I’m a weird person. I like dance games and anthro art and I experiment with gender more than I think a lot of people are comfortable with. And beyond that, there’s a lot of history - good and bad - attached to the “Fraxtil” moniker that I’ve been using since I was sixteen. A fresh slate seemed like the best way to establish myself as a serious artist, to build industry contacts, to build a Personal Brand™.
God, that sounds insufferable. Is this really who I want to be?
Being honest with myself
I’m not getting signed to Monstercat anytime soon.
No one who matters is going to look at me funny for having a personality. The converse is true as well.
I never follow musicians on social media if all they do is announce new and upcoming songs. Why would I think that’s a good strategy for myself?
“EXAQT” makes me sound like a generic trap producer.
The best thing I can do for myself now is to undo my mistakes.
Looking forward
It’s time to stop overthinking, stop worrying about “branding”, and start creating things that inspire my friends.
If you’ve been around since the release of my first EP (the one that’s been erased from the Internet for years): thank you for sticking around for so long. If you’re a friend who followed me on my “EXAQT” social media accounts: sorry for cluttering your life with fragments of my identity. And if you had no idea what a “Fraxtil” was before reading this post: I hope you enjoy your stay.
Voyage EP will be out 3 months from today.
