Rave People

Interview for Rave People. Part 3

Fri, 24 Jan 2020 13:00:00 +0100

At the invitation of Rave People, I answered some more questions in a series of mini-interviews prior to Open To Close.

How do you prepare for an OTC? How do you physically withstand such marathons? Do you feel hungry during a performance?

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

The main preparation for my performances is to fill the music collection and prepare the tracks. I even have written a big article about preparing tracks. I consider the tracks building blocks for different situations on the dance floor, so I think about it in the following way: “So, what do I have from dark and drive for peak time? I’ve played this track before, so I won’t play it next time. Oh, this one’s cool! This one and that one would be good in the mix with it. So, what about the more melodic one, but with the same level of energy?». This way, I try to have enough material to build interesting sets on the go. Open To Close in this sense is a real test!

In my past Open To Close experience, playing a long set was not as difficult physically as I had imagined it would be. I often go to raves, so the body is prepared to dance all night long. And sometimes I also run, which adds to my endurance.

The main preparation for my performances is to fill the music collection and prepare the tracks

Of course, I’m getting hungry because I arrive at least a few hours before the set and in total, I’m spending good ten hours at the venue. That’s why I have such a big backpack – I carry delicious things in it :-).

January, 25, Guru Bar. More info.

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Interview for Rave People. Part 2

Fri, 10 Jan 2020 12:00:00 +0100

On January 25th I will play a 6-hour set, and in the meantime, Rave People team asked me about the intricacies of such a challenging performance.

In 2019 you already performed in the Open To Close format. What was the hardest thing for you to do?

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Generally speaking, the most important and at the same time, the most difficult thing in the DJ booth is the ability to put the right track at the right time. The music collection I told you about last time is also important, but if a DJ can’t put together a whole story from individual tracks during a set, then the price of such a collection is a penny.

It’s one thing to keep people’s attention and interest on the dance floor for an hour or two, and it’s completely another thing to do it by yourself all night long. You can safely say that such performance is a true test of DJ skills.

Specifically, last time I had the hardest time restraining myself in order not to play all the most “fire” tracks at once. When you know that you have all night long at your disposal, you have to allocate your resources, including music, in a very different way. Open To Close is a marathon, not a sprint.

Open To Close is a marathon, not a sprint. you have to allocate your resources, including music, in a very different way

January, 25, Guru Bar. More info.

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Interview for Rave People. Part 1

Mon, 06 Jan 2020 12:00:00 +0100

In anticipation of my solo performance on January 25th, I gave a series of small interviews to the Rave People team to give behind-the-scenes details of myself and the event.

How did you come up with the idea of performing in such an unusual Open To Close format? How is it fundamentally different from your usual performances and what should we expect?

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

The idea came out of a natural desire to share music.

Usually, when a DJ is invited to a gig, he is expected to fulfill a certain role: open the event, warm up before the headliner, and so on. Inside this role, the DJ is quite musically stiff. It’s not bad, but rather good when a DJ understands such limitations. However, my music collection and taste, on the contrary, are not limited by any one genre, style, pace.

I started collecting music consciously long before I decided to build a music career, so a rich and diverse media library is a natural part of me. When the audience sees the performance it’s only the tip of the iceberg, the real work of the DJ is in the selection and finding those rare gems.

The set is just the tip of the iceberg, the real DJ’s work takes place hours upon hours digging through music

Open To Close is an opportunity to express all the music and the vision that I have had (and continue to have) for years without limitations. So expect music that is deep, sensual, funny, dark, aggressive, calm, energetic; house, trance, techno; in short, there will be a lot of things, and therefore very interesting.

January, 25, Guru Bar. More info.

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