Many people know your music, but please tell us a little bit more about yourself. Who is Miro Pajic?
 
I was born and raised in Frankfurt, Germany. My dad is Serbian and my mom is German, so I’m familiar with both cultures. As a kid and teenager I was obsessed with drawing, sketching and generally very interested in visual art.
 
Music was always very important to me, and today I often remember in which year certain things happened, because of the music I was listening to at that time. After accidentally discovering techno in ’91, from ’93 on I started producing and releasing music on various labels, and under many different names. It has been my passion and profession ever since.
 

 
Do you remember the festival or the party that set your path as a musician and sealed your destiny?
 

 
There have been many events throughout the years that had a major influence on what I’m doing. The first time I entered the “Omen“ (an early 90’s club in Frankfurt with Sven Väth as a resident) was a revelation. This impression has never left me and it will always play a big part in why I do what I do. (Comparable impression when entering Berghain today.)
 
What was your favourite type of music to listen to as a kid? Who were some of your favourite bands and singers?
 

I enjoyed (and I still like) so many different types of music or artists/bands.
 
The 60’s, 70’s and 80’s will always follow me on my path. Starting with older (real) soul music, dirty Rock’N’Roll or even 80’s Pop. My dad has always listened to a lot of different music himself and I guess he was a big influence in my childhood. Without him I surely wouldn’t know and love Earth, Wind and Fire, Eddie Grant, Genesis, ZZ Top, Little Richard, The Beatles, or even Serbian classics from the 70’s or 80’s (I’m still in love with the first albums by Michael Jackson).
 
As a teenager I had my hip hop period and I started gaining huge interest towards trash and death metal (the doomy one, not the Cannibal Corpse type), which was at its peak right before the whole techno thing started for me, and before you‘d find me hanging out in local record stores.
 
How did you get your start in electronic music? Are there any artists who inspired you to start a career in music?
 
I didn’t see it coming. I was more into the “grafitti/skater/bristish hardcore rap““ thing in 1991 and I was lying to myself that “techno sucks“! My curiousity lead me to the legendary “Omen“ club, and I was blown away! There I got to hear all the awesome music by Underground Resistance, Plus8, R&S Records, PCP, Rising High, etc.. and I was hooked.
 
I never imagined ever being able (or “being in the position“) to make music myself. Back then you really needed to invest money into gear to be able to make music. I was 16 or 17 years old and „making music“ was like a dream – so, so far away…
 

 
I was mainly concentrating on visual art (sketching, drawing, painting, grafitti, etc. were my first love since childhood, before I realized I could make music), until a friend gave me a very primitive program for the Commodore Amiga computer, which one could use to make very basic music on a lofi amateur level. Even if not really usable, I understood the math behind it, and I noticed that there might be some talent in me, so I wanted more of that.
 
In late 1992 I was introduced to the guys from PCP, who I admired a lot. Their main producer, Marc, who I’m still friends with today, was so kind to borrowe me 2-3 „tools“ (a Roland TR-606, a Roland MC-202, a Soundcraft Spirit Folio 12 channel Mixer and a Yamaha REX-50 effects unit, to be exact) to record a demo for them.
 

 
Of course, that was years before hard disc recording, and I couldn’t afford a DAT recorder either, so I recorded these “live“ jammed tracks to cassette (no computer, only connected gear and me playing with patterns and muting channels on the mixer). Funny enough, they wanted two of the tracks and my first vinyl was brought to life – from cassette. It was called „MIRO 1“. That was in late ’93. I started making money with releases and gigs and I received my first advance from my publisher, from which I bought my first sampler, effect-machine and mixer…
 
Tell us about the podcast you’ve recorded for us.
 
I could make a huge story around it, but the truth is that I make a relatively fast selection of tracks that “click“ for me at that moment, and work with what I have. The podcast is more of a story or a vibe, rather than trying to “only“ make a good dance mix, I guess.

Miro Pajic Analogik Podcast

 
Tell us more about your collaboration with Items & Things – Marc,Troy and Magda?
These guys have been a major influence for me ever since the whole minimal thing was at its peak. Magda’s super twisted dark funk, Marc’s unmistakable productions and Troy’s “brave“, doomy weird sets were always inspiring and beyond this world. It often felt like “I totally know what you mean“ type of thing.
 
I got in touch with Magda about two or three years ago after I noticed that she was playing some of my tunes. I started sending her tracks and after several months I was remixing Marc Houle’s “Undercover“. Since then I had a few tracks released on Items & Things. A good thing.
 

 
How did Planet Core Productions influence you?
The whole PCP thing was often only associated with hardcore/gabber/hard techno, you name it.
 
Truth is, in the beginning they were just making techno house influenced by 80’s Belgian EDM (Front 242, etc.), Detroit, Chicago, etc.
PCP have released some of the best tracks back in 1991 to around 1994, which were nothing else than epic techno with its own signature – often dark, weird, futuristic, with a lot of attitude. I loved it, and they were from Frankfurt, same as me, which was even better because one year later I got to meet them.

When I got really involved and started releasing one or more 12“ per month, the whole scene had already started splitting up into all sub genres and PCP (with its dozens of sub-labels and its own microcosm) wasn’t the same as it was before. It was still okay and I was part of it, but deep inside I never felt it the way I did in the first years. Years and more than 50 vinyl releases later I had to leave the PCP ship and the world around it. In the early 2000’s I had to go another way, which, after a few years, guided me back to where I came from and also here: this interview.
 
Since nowadays music is available worldwide as soon as it is released, piracy is a big issue today. What is your take on that?
 

In the beginning I was very concerned, especially since I come from the days when you actually made money making music. Now I know that there are certain things you simply can’t change, so I just focus on other things nowadays. I heard that illegal downloads are going down, but I don’t know if it’s true or not.
 

 
You are an artist, so you have to balance dance/club music with abstract electronica. Is that difficult for you?
 

I’m constantly fighting with myself to be as dance-friendly as possible. As long as it’s rhythmical and it’s supporting the groove, in my opinion everything’s allowed.
The balance (in favor of the dance/club part) is important though, which I always get reminded of when I’m at a good party. It surely is no secret that I love the combination of these two, if you know my productions.
 
What makes a live performer unique? How do you decide whether someone is a live performer or a DJ? Which one do you prefer?
 
Technically, I don’t really care about details. To me it’s all about the end result and the signature/vibe/magic/hypnosis an artist provides in that moment. I don’t care if someone has dissected all his tracks to 45 channels in his live set and fiddles with 6 arms, or if he keeps it simple but has all the ingredients to play ping pong with my senses and/or force me to get sweaty on the dance floor.
 
If you heard a set you’ve downloaded by an artist you never saw in a club, and you really loved what you heard, you probably wouldn’t really care how he did it.

Vinyls or CDs?
 
Even though vinyl is a wonderful thing, I have to admit: I don’t care so much anymore (says the guy who was a „it must be vinyl“ guy for over 10 years). You can’t stop evolution and vinyl has been the music media Titanic for years…
 
Analog or digital?
 

Until 2005 my studio was all analog (at that time I’d never touched a plugin before) and I was loathing the whole digital thing. It was an ignorant and biased opinion. The result is what counts for me today. Whether oil or acrylic, it would still be a Van Gogh if it was painted by him. On the other hand, analog (hardware) music production gives you a totally different feel and inspiration than mouse clicks and looking at a virtual something.
 
 Clubs or festivals?
Clubs, because of the intimacy. Lights can also do their thing way better in a club. To me, this is an important thing.
 

 
What type of equipment are you using for your DJ set-up?

 
Since 1993 I was playing with vinyl or performing live (computer, sampler etc.), and I started the whole ITB thing in 2005, which changed a few things.
Since 2006 I’ve been playing live using Ableton Live, and I just started to DJ again this year using Traktor Scratch with an X1.
 
I know that your profession can get quite stressful at times because you dedicate a lot of time to it. What do you do to reduce your stress? What are some of your other hobbies?
 
 
That is a good question and something I have to remind myself about all the time. I think that doing “other things“ is the key. Being very focused and constantly obsessed with your career and your art can easily blur your view, suck out productivity and you can end up in stagnation. Doing “normal“ things can easily fill up that creativity cup. I’ve just reminded myself about that again.
 
 
What advice would you give to someone who wants to be in your shoes?

 
Have the faith of a child, be patient, be honest to yourself, have a vision that keeps you dreaming, and always aim for what you love and consider the best.
 
 
 

The post Miro Pajic Interview appeared first on Electronic Music.

We interviewed La Baaz, one of most awesome and promising techno artists on today’s scene and he prepared a special, exclusive dj mix for your pleasure. Check it along with several other projects Patrick’s on. Techno friday’s on.

For those who heard about you but haven’t go in depth, tell us a little bit about yourself please.

Hello, my real name is Patrick Sonderegger and I live in Zurich, where I have my studio and the office. I’ve started my electronic music career in 1994, at this time I’ve organized small outdoor parties where I was playing my first vinyls. Back there I produced music on old C64 and Amiga Computer but soon I bought my first audio equipment to refine my tracks.

From 1999-2004 I’ve released countless progressive trance tracks together with a friend under name Paste. La Baaz project was launched in 2002. In this project I focused my tracks and sets more into Techno.

Today, in my DJ sets, I play chosen minimal techno and groovy tech house with unique atmospheres and groovy rhythms using Tech approach that designates my trademark sound. In my home town, Zurich, I am also co-organizer of the successful party series Kinky Beats.

What would you be if you didn’t gone this way (music production) ?

For me music has always been a very big role in my life, I’ve sung in bands before, now I’m a DJ and producer. The music has sent me on big tours and I have met many interesting people. Something I would never miss. Incidentally, I’ve specialized in website programming. Today I am self-employed and run along with the music successfully a small web agency. I’m very happy with this combination.

Do you remember the event (party/festival) that sealed your destiny and made you go this way?

It was not really a festival I was especially fascinated by the electronic music that I could compose on my computer. Very early I had C64 and Amiga, and I tried to make my own tracks. I’ve played tapes of my own compositions at that time on small open-air parties, people were crazy about it.

What did you listen to and what/who was your inspiration back then when you were starting your thing?

In my teenage years, I’ve listened to rock and heavy metal, fortunately, in the 90’s, I was lucky to get inspired with techno and progressive trance. I’ve developed my sound taste over the years – from the quite deep, progressive trance sound to the Tech-house and Minimal-Techno nowadays. When I think about music, I always produce what I personally like.

Do you travel a lot and what is your favorite gig destination?

Lately, I’m not travelling a lot. As I said, I run my own company, which has occupied my time. Zurich is also quite a beautiful city to enjoy with a lot of parties and good people! I’ll be back to traveling abroad and performing soon. I was travelling and performing a lot before, in Mexico, Brazil, Australia and several European cities.

I play a lot of DJ sets in Switzerland, but Mexico is currently my favourite destination, I played at big festivals with lovely people and they love the sound of La Baaz.

Favorite festival and why?

My best festival experience I had in Mexico at the Soul Tech Festival, where we performed as Moosfiebr. The crazy thing was already the trip to the festival. We should’ve play at 2:00 AM and we have been picked up at about 1:00 AM from the hotel in Mexico City.

There were about 8 artists in the bus. On the way up, the dirt road to the festival, many cars and thousands of people were waiting for the entrance. We had to pass exactly trough this. There was almost no passage with the small bus. We stopped several times stuck in crowds of visitors.

The driver told us that we should stay invisible in the bus, because it could be dangerous if the fans spotted us. They are crazy about making photos of us and eventually would want to get into the bus.

Suddenly, some of them spotted us and started shaking the bus, but in the right moment the driver was able to break out of the crowd. After 3 hours journey and some wicked moments we arrived very late on the stage and we could start our live performance in front of 15.000 people waiting for it. It was a crazy experience. The best festival in Europe for me is the Fusion Festival near Berlin…

If you have a family and travel a lot, how do you manage to overcome being a homesick?

I’m with my girlfriend for many years. Always when I have to go for a gig in another country we miss each other for that time but she also likes electronic music a lot so she often travels with me to the gigs and we can enjoy the parties there together.

Now when we know more about you, what is your favorite hardware/software platform and setup?

I’m a computer geek since the beginnings of C64 and in my studio I work with a PowerMac and Cubase. That’s also one reason I work almost only with a VST’s setup.

VST’s you’re using a lot?

• Tone2
• Lineplug
• Fabfilter
• Sonalkis
• Arturia ARP 2600V (I like it a lot)

Who’d you love to collaborate with in the future or you’re a lone gunman?

At the moment I work with DJ Kara Maehl our joint projects Moosfiebr and La Baaz & Kara Mehl. In the future I would like to invest more time especially for the project La Baaz and Moosfiebr. I like to do remixes for other artists to get new musical input.

What’s your take on piracy now when music is available worldwide to virtually everyone immediately after being released?

Well, the internet has changed the music industry and new technologies are always made so that sound is easy to copy. There is one point to make it all valid, because if a fresh artist wants to be heard, their music should get out there as much as possible, even with the prior knowledge that it will probably be illegally downloaded. This can be also a good promotion, and you will get a gig faster in foreign countries.

Of course the income of an artist has changed, I think most of the artist charge now more for a gig to get their income compensated. But if somebody wants to support their favourite artists, they should buy the music on Beatport or other online shops with a good feeling.

Please, when you’re going to drop that “Freak It” SoundCloud bombshell already in its entirety? I played it like gazillion times, it’s insane!

My newest work “Lady Elliot” will be released as soon as I have a second track ready for an EP.
The tracks “In the Club“, “Loco Motive” and “Freak It” are all released on Bosphorus Underground Recordings. Check it out.

Any work in progress at the moment and can we expect a release soon?

Lately, I’ve focused mainly on the Moosfiebr project. We have a remix ready for Minilogue’s “Doiice” and for Ticon’s “Blow My Horn“. Several pure Moosfiebr tracks are in the pipeline for a release.
With La Baaz I had some releases on Bosphorus Underground Records, where others will come in the future. One of my latest unreleased works you can listen on soundcloud.com/labaaz

What do you play/listen to these days?

I listen to anything with a character and what I think is good music. Mostly I’m into minimal-techno and tech-house with emotion. In my DJ sets I play quite a wide range, from groovy minimal-techno/house to very emotional electronica as well. I’m always finding the right groove to make people happy on the dance floor.

Some of my Favourite Artistes are: Pan Pot, Stephan Bodzin, Julien Jeweil, Dubfire, Oliver Hunteman, Adam Beyer, Sam Paganini and more..

Contact:

• http://www.moosfiebr.com/
• http://www.kinkybeats.ch/music.htm
• http://dj.beatport.com/labaaz

Social:

• @Facebook
• @Soundcloud

La Baaz – End of Summer Mix 2012

The post La Baaz Interview appeared first on Electronic Music.

Pale Penguin has been a mainstay in the electronic music scene in Thessaloniki, Greece for nearly two decades, making him a force to be reckoned with when it comes to breaks, electronica, techno and techno-house. If you have not made it over to see him as the resident DJ at the Elvis Bar in Thessaloniki, or had the honor of hearing one of his sets opening for major acts, entertaining film festival attendees, filling up clubs across Europe or battling it out at the Battle of the Year/Balkans, maybe you have caught him as the main music contributor for Freeze, Soundmaker or Crawford Magazine.

His influence on the electronica scene doesn’t stop there; he is also a co-founder and co-manager of V.I.M. (Very Important Music) Records and has teamed up with Kid Stretch to deliver to the world the funky, disco-breaks project Pale the Kid.

Whether you are a long-time fan or a newcomer to the world of Pale Penguin, check out this interview to find out what he’s been up to lately and what we can expect to hear from him in the future.

Can you tell us more about your background?What were you into before music?
I was born in a small city of North Greece before almost 42 years and when i succeed to the University i moved to Thessaloníki, Greece’s second biggest city. After i had finished the university I’ve done my postgraduate studies in UK, stayed there for 2 years and got my MBA degree. Then i moved back to Greece again and almost 14 years now I’m working in different companies as a real estate expertee. Now I’m North Greece real estate manager for one of the bigger Greek super-market companies. Additionally to this I’m deep into music as a DJ, producer, reviewer in magazines, label owner and label manager. I’m married since 9 years now and I’ve got a beautiful daughter which is 7 years old (thanks God she loves Breaks!)

What drove you to break-beat ?
I was always into freestyle stuff….i loved Big Beatz…the early days. Labels like BOLSHI RECORDS, ATHLETICO RECORDS, DUST II DUST RECORDS, WALL OF SOUND RECORDS, FATBOY SLIM (of course!), FREDDY FRESH, CHEMICALs etc…..Then i’ve listened to the early MEAT KATIE stuff, KINGSIZE RECORDS, AKADEMIA, ACETATE and when i listened to PMTs-Gyromancer i have found the music that i love till now!

What would you describe as the starting point in your career?
Depends on what career do you mean. If you mean my career as a dj i can state my first DJ-ing nights dropping early WALL OF SOUND stuff and people going nuts, if you mean my career as producer the starting point was the white label vinyl that we’ve print with THE SCIENTIFICS. A cover version of Eurythmics classic “Sweet Dreams”, and we have sold all 300 copies in almost 2 months.

How long have you been doing this?
I’m DJ-ing since 1992 I think playing Acid Jazz, Funk etc but I can say that I’m doing it in the “appropriate way” (doesn’t means only professionally) since 1997. I’m producing since 2004 together with my “partners in crime” ECHONOMIST and MR.LOOKMAN. Together we’re THE SCIENTIFICS and we have launched and managing V.I.M.RECORDS.

How did you get into V.I.M records?
As I have mentioned before I have launch V.I.M.RECORDS together with the two friends of mine. We have been always good friends, loved music and one day back in 2006 we have decided to launch V.I.M.RECORDS in order to give quality and forward-thinking music to the audience.

What are your musical interests apart from break-beat?
I’m a massive Vinyl collector since my early ages. I’m collecting and listening to everything that sounds good to my ears. I’m deep into Funky, Funky-Breaks stuff, Jazz, Latin, Boogaloo, Electronica, Ambient, Deep House, Techno etc. Used to listen to a lot of Indie Pop stuff and Alternative stuff. Now I’m also going deep to Dubstep and Future Garage.

Can you tell us something about your first club performance?
It’s been so many years back and it’s been so many clubs that I’ve played all around the world that I really cannot remember it. I think it was here in Thessaloniki, in a small club that doesn’t exist now, I was stressed of course but everything went perfect as far as I can remember. There are some clubs and festivals that I’ve played that was simply amazing and I cannot forget their atmosphere and the whole feeling……..the passion of the crowd.

What are your plans for the future? What can we expect from your new project?
There are a lot of plans for the future. First of all we’ve reached release No100 with V.I.M.RECORDS and we have released a massive collaborations compilation for this called “100 LIGHTS AWAY FROM HOME”. The plans is to continue releasing dope stuff and to maintain our position in the top Breaks labels worldwide. On the dj-ing side of things I will continue my two Fridays per month residency in ELVIS CLUB here in Thessaloniki (a residency that lasts around 8 years now!!) and I’ll do some gigs around Greek islands for the Summer. On the production side of things there are a lot of remixes and a special compilation for THE SCIENTIFICS that are going to come out soon, and there are a lot of remixes for my Disco-Breaks project PALE THE KID that will also come out the next months. Finally lately I’ve launched a new Tech-Breaks/Tech-Funk label (together with Wasabi from ERASE RECORDS) called DIABLO LOCO RECORDS. A label inspired by traditional Mexican wrestling and the famous Luchadores! We have released so far 4 killer singles and we’re looking forward to offer top quality stuff within next months.

Any DJ’s or producer you would like to mention?
There are so many that I’m afraid I’ll forget some of them. There are a lot of people that are doing great job in the scene like Duane Barry and his label DIGITAL SENSATION UK, like Lee Martin and DUSTED BREAKS, Dom Smart and BROKEN ROBOT RECORDS, Scapo and DIRTY DROP RECORDS,
Dima and RUNE RECORDINGS, of course HEDFLUX, KULTUR + COLOMBO, BEATMAN AND LUDMILLA, BLAZER, PARALLAX BREAKZ, LINE OF SIGHT, ANDY FAZE, MACHO, DIGIBOX, VIZE, IRE, FISSO & SPARK, DEENK, BL1TZ, SASSER, GEON, THEC4, LADY PACKA, TRIPLE AGENT, STEVE MACCABE, LLUPA, GHETTFACE, JOURNEYMAN AND BARRCODE, BIG MISTAKE, BAD TANGO, SKETI, SYSTEM 2, HOME ALONE, BEAT RANGERS, CAGE PAGE, ADAM FAZ, T.R.O. and so many others that are doing good job and pushing things forward!

All DJ’s have their favorite piece of equipment , what is yours?
Nothing preferable……2 Technics MKII and a good ALLEN & HEATH mixer are the best! Sometimes I’m using a CYLOOP but there’s nothing special for me

Which countries do you feel you are best accepted in?
Of course my country because I’m well known here and there’s a lot of respect for what I’m doing. Also I’ve played sometimes in Germany and seems that I’ve connected with the crowd perfectly. But in general I cannot say that I’m best accepted and to some others not….it’s more to what crowd are you djing for and what do they expect from you. You have to get in touch with the people, understand their feelings and needs, “smell their tastes” and then you can easily have them “eating out of the palm of your hands”.

Do you have some influences you would like to name?
One of the best DJs I’ve ever played with is MEAT KATIE….i love his energy and power and his Breaks & Techno sound. My favorite producer in the scene is without a doubt PMT…..pure gorgeous darkish Proggy-Breaks music. Shame that he had stopped producing many years now…..

What do you do when you’re not making music? What do you do in your spare time?
I’m spending most of my time in my daily job. Then I’ve to control and balance things between music and family. To see my wife, my daughter, to find the time to see some friends, going out for some good food and good wine. Thanks God I’m managing it till now.

Does the pressure of this kind of life sometimes get to you?
For sure….sometimes I feel very tired and stressed and under a lot of pressure. But again it’s that pressure that gives me the vision and the need to go on and be more productive. It’s all matter of control and balance I believe.

What would you recommend to someone just getting into business?
To be true, honest and to do (with all his effort) the things that he believes that are OK. There’s no right or wrong in this business, it’s a matter of different tastes. But if you’re honest and true, sooner or later, the others will get what is the most important from you: good vibes and good feelings! That’s what counts the most.

websites:

Official Website – http://www.vimrecords.com/
@Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/grigoris.savvidis
@MySpace – http://www.myspace.com/vimrecords
@Discogs – http://www.discogs.com/artist/Pale+Penguin
@Play.fm – http://www.play.fm/artist/palepenguin
@Soundcloud – http://soundcloud.com/pale-penguin
@Mixcloud – http://www.mixcloud.com/palepenguin/

Article by Anna Kec

The post Grigoris Savidis – PALE PENGUIN appeared first on Electronic Music.

Kittin Klub Mix-Spring 2011

You cannot seriously discuss electronic music without including Miss Kittin in the conversation. The French artist has carved out worldwide fame while creating success for herself as an electronic music DJ, vocalist, and songwriter.

Miss Kittin first came on the scene with her hit singles “1982” and “Frank Sinatra” more than a decade ago. Both songs were performed in collaboration with the Hacker, a prominent French techno producer who has since worked with Miss Kittin on various other singles and albums since that time.

More acclaim came for Miss Kittin as she produced and released a pair of singles, “Rippin Kittin” and “Silver Screen Shower Scene” that proved popular with international audiences. She released successful debut solo albums “I Com” in 2004 and BatBox in 2008.

We had the chance to sit down with Miss Kittin for an interview. Our interview with her covers everything from her musical influences to what is on the horizon for the artist.

1. How would you define  your music style?

I don’t like to do that, and I don’t know how… It’s very diverse. It’s really up to the journalists to define it.

2. Who are your sources of inspiration?

Everything around me. Life in the streets, in books, newspapers, my friends, it’s endless. I make a point to have a life rich of inspiration, out of the clubs.

3. What first drew your attention to electronic music?

Rave parties in the forest. It changed my life.

4. Do you listen to non-electronic music at all  and what it would be ?

Yes, all the time. I only listen to electronic music in clubs. I love indie rock, blues, pop, things like Black Rebel Motorcycle club, Johnny Cash, PJ Harvey, Bloc Party, Damon Albarn, Ella Fitzgerald, lots of ambient music too like Biosphere, Bola, many things…

5. What do you usually listen to?

Depends on the day. For example, I listen to the radio in the morning. But I also need a lot of silence.

The post DJ Miss Kittin appeared first on Electronic Music.

Please state your full name, place of origin and your artistic alias under which you perform for our readers.

• My name is Mikael Dahlgaard and I live in Copenhagen, Denmark. My DJ name is EMOK and I produce music under following names: EMOK, PHONY ORPHANTS and MAELSTROM.

A lot has changed in the electronic music scene, including many music listeners taste. What drove you towards more minimal music you propagate?

• I have all ways been into different styles of music. I love most electronic music all from good Goa trance to minimal techno and chill out. With playing and living from music for so many years it comes natural to me to change style and what I like from time to time, as I cant stand listening to the same kind of music for years. I had a period where I have been more into Prog House music, but still uplifting and with energy, lately though I like it a bit harder again, with more melodies so some good proper Prog Trance. As for Iboga Records, we had a year with releasing a lot of Progressive House music.A lot of our artists make this style these days and we love it as well. We have achieved a pretty good and solid name for Iboga records in this style. That doesn’t mean the trance music is a done chapter on Iboga Records. We have just changed the label into two labels, IBOGA RECORDS CLUB and IBOGA RECORDS TRANCE where each label will focus a lot more on the specific style. So for all of you that know Iboga Records from the trance scene, there is good news, we have some massive releases and albums coming up with artists like: LIQUID SOUL, ACE VENTURA, ATMOS, FLOWJOB, MAELSTROM, QUANTIZE, CAPTAIN HOOK, BEAT BIZARRE, REEFER DECREE, PHAXE and a lot more.

We, all your faithful listeners are aware of your new sidelabel, Iboga Trance, which will propagate psychedelic and faster tunes (not that current ones aren’t psychedelic enough), how do you think it’ll perform having in mind enormous quality and popularity of Iboga on the scene?

• We think this is the right way for Iboga Records focusing more on trance music as this is our origin and we still LOVE good quality trance music. We will focus a lot on the quality of the releases we make and work a lot more on promotion and artist management.

Will it gather only psychedelic genre tunes from current artists or are there some new names planned as addition?

• Names so far for Iboga Trance is: Ace Ventura, Liquid Soul, Atmos, Gaudium, FREq, Phaxe, Flowjob, Quantize, Captain Hook, Reefer Decree, Beat Bizarre, Maelstrom, Phony Orphants and we have some interesting new tunes from Mayor 7 (Side project from X Noize).

What can we expect to hear from you this year at the festivals?

• So it will all depend on which festival I play, which time and which stage. I will continue doing my 130 bpm progressive sets as I have been doing the past years but I will also play some faster sets focusing more on the music from Iboga Trance. All depends on the event. I play music for the crowd on the dance floor, so they will get what they expect.

What are the new, upcomming Iboga releases you’d like to emphasize?

• End of February we release the LISH album -€“ MILES AWAY. A really massive progressive album, also we have a chill out compilation from LENNY IBIZARRE. In March we have the new double TICON album -€“ I Love You, Who Are You ?. In march we also have a new compilation compiled by ANTIX called BEST OF OUR SETS, and the new GAUDIUM album is also close to be done. Then we have some massive single releases with ACE VENTURA, TICON, A.BALTER & EITAN REITER, FLOWJOB and so on. Later this spring we have compilations from ACE VENTURA and one from LIQUID SOUL, so stay tunes, there will be A LOT of nice stuff coming to your ears.

There are doubts on music sales in your music genre. Was it hard to survive all these years while you maintained high quality of releases and did the new digital music age hurt your sales?

• Yes its VERY hard. The sales of our progressive music (Prog House) is going very well, but the trance music is VERY hard to sell. Seems like people from the trance scene doesn’€™t buy so much music any longer and do not support it as years back.  Must be because trance people tend to download and copy the music instead of buying it. Its sad, because its becoming more and more difficult to have a label going releasing this kind of music that people so many places like so much.  The worst thing about this will be that no one will be left to release this music in the end, and then slowly this style of music will disappear.

If you could release music from any of your artist right now, who would that artist be and why?

• Shit that’€™s a hard one. So here comes a list of my favorite tunes we are going to release soon:  ATMOS -€“ ONLY 4 US, TICON & WEEKEND HEROES -€“ TELEPORT, RIKTAM & BANSI -€“ MOTHER FUCKER and then I look forward for the next massive LIQUID SOUL single we work on.

I know it’s ungrateful to ask, but our readers are simply dying to know what music top artists listen at private, so what are your favs?

• Its all good. Ticon, Pet Shop Boys, Deep Fried Dub, Music For Dreams (Danish Label), Turbo Weekend, Spleen United, Antix, Metallica, Nirvana, Bob Marley, Manu Chao.

There’s a rumor that new Iboga website is on the way, is that true and what are functionalities it’ll offer to your visitors/listeners?

• Yes its true. The new website is almost ready and its really a nice one. It contains a new online music store, weekly podcast and much more. Stay tuned. www.iboga.dk or www.iboga-records.com

Emok’s Exclusive Dj Set for Analogik:

Tracklist:

1. Nord – Boulevard Hotel
2. Atmos – Only For You
3. Pryda – Glimma
4. Lish – Feel Good
5. Hallucinogen – Gamma Goblins (Riktam & Bansi Remix) < OMG!
6. Ticon – Retreat To Retro
7. Nyquist – Otagu (Perfect Stranger Remix)
8. Michael Woods – Nitro
9. Flippers Vs DJ Slater feat U-Prag – King Of The Night

Follow Emok and Iboga Records:

• @facebook
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• @myspace

For Contact and Booking :

• Iboga Booking
• booking@iboga.dk

The post Mikael Dahlgaard (Dj Emok) Interview appeared first on Electronic Music.