First of all, we want to say thank you for being our Artist of the Weekend. It is such a pleasure to have a piece of you in our source.
Now let me start with the questionnaire…
Everybody treats music differently and probably this is what makes the magic… How did everything begin with you?
Music has always played a very special role in my life, since ealy teenage years I was always a “fan” of something.. and when I say a fan I mean really a FAN! First it was growing up on the sounds of ‘80-90s grunge scene and bands like Sonic Youth, Alice In Chains, Nirvana, Pearl Jam. Apart from them Joy Division, Pink Floyd, Tool and bands of that kind have left a scar of angst, sadness, moodiness and an intense desire for freedom even to my nowadays taste for electronic music, I was never attracted to shinny-happy sounds. After a turbulent period of pretty riot-coloured teenage days, thanks to my brother I was introduced to the world of electronic music that was becoming popular in Serbia at those years, Prodigy and Kraftwerk were definitely my first electronic music expirience and somehow spontanuously i continued to follow it. But I still know and cherish my roots.
How did it all begin?! ..obsessively fanatical about music as I am, at some period of life I fell deeply in love and didn’t know how to express my feelings but through music, I was playing around at home on an old desktop PC with the first softwares of that time and learned something about mixing so I decided to make a set and send it away as an advocate of my feelings – and so it happened. It got me and I continued practicing, acquiring new skills and one set followed another until one of them (to my amazement) got recognised by my nowadays friend first of all, and a DJ fellow Alexandar, who contacted me via MySpace to ask for a permission to play that set on his monthly show on Tribalmixes Radio and.. I got knocked down eversince with no way back, haha!
Where do you get your inspiration?
“Small things”. Life. Love. Infatuation. People. Emotions. Sadness.. as the most often one. It’s a feeling that’s frantically pushing me to turn myself to music where it’s being pushed to the extremes of it and then it burns out when it reaches the highest spot, or just dissapears like it was never present cuz music is turning it 180 degrees. There’re so many ways to gather inspiration when you do something you profoundly love, sometimes there’s no reason for anything, sometimes it’s just about me and music being as One. It’s all you need if you love it, and live it.
What about the moments that catch you alone? How do they affect your mind?
It’s nice to go out and have hellofaparty time, waste your body and mind to the verge of capacities, being surrounded with friends or just some indefinite personas.. but I think it’s very important to have some time on your own, to be alone with your thoughts between four of the walls and learn to deal with it. It’s a must, to collect your thoughts, feelings, expirience.. “chew” it in a way and get the blacks and whites, goods and bads out of it, let it all settle down and move on. For me it’s pretty inspirational, usually a time to spend with music.. reviewing, listening, putting it close to heart or throwing away or making sets, playing a “one-man-party” set in my room or something connected to music usually. I love people and I love being with my friends but I love being alone pretty often because I need that time to use the gained inspiration and turn it into something with a meaning. Or just relax and be out of this world for a while, it’s a healthy and rather lovely feeling.
What is your opinion about the modern sound and the way people get attracted by it?
Everything evolves, so does the sound, it’s natural. Sometimes I’m not happy to realise and accept that because modern things are not necessaty good things, and some aspects of modern sound turned into something I really don’t like because I find that it lacks soul and a heart that was a major part of music back in time. But then I realise there’s so much music, so many variations of sound to explore, so many different shapes of it even in one same genre and in the terms of quantity really sooooo much of it literally bombing us, that it’s rather impossible to not find something real quality like to use and love like the sounds that’ve made you be who you are, if you just let it touch you and devote yourself trully to understanding it. Give it a chance. In every genre there’s quality, in that I’m sure and no one can tell me that tecno/minimal/house/progressive/trance sucks because in every one of it there’s something to blow your mind away! And it makes me happy because I tend and love to explore as much as it’s possible, and use as much as I can because it’s a given. Because it’s here on a plate in front of you and it’s a shame not to get the best out of it so – if you have ears and you search for quality, evolution of the sound can only be positive because if it has evolved, it means something new is added to it, more possibilities, more layers added, more bricks in the wall and 10-bricks wall is better than 5-bricks wall definitely.
Tell us about your future activities.
Ummm, this is a tough one because I’m not really good in making schedules and especially following them haha. But one thing is certain – I’m gonna concentrate on graduating Psychology and getting that degree finally, few more exams left and it’s my primary goal and something I wanna do in my life as a major job. Speaking of music, until the above-described moment I’m gonna continue Djing as much as time allows it, locally and internationally hopefully, and at some point of time I plan to turn myself to production, actually try myself out with it first and if it appears to be something good, it’s gonna be an immense addition to my nowadays activities and expirience, I think production should be every artist’s goal, making something really yours and not only playing music. I hope it turns out to be okay and accepted at least as my sets are. :)
If you must describe your style with a color what will it look like? Why?
Purple. Definitely, just flashed through my head without even a second of thinking. I put a small thought now on the question “Why?” because as a psychologist I often like to analyse my personal things and I got some pretty logical explanation here: Purple is a mixture of Blue and Red. Blue – as a state of mind means something melancholic, moody, sad; Red as a colour is a symbol of Love, and almost all of my mixes are either expressing sadness and longing for something or are the result of being or falling in love, so, I guess it makes sense why Purple. And I love the colour actually.
Which is the party that you will never forget?
Definitely Cacao Beach in Bulgaria on July 2010th. My 2nd time in Bulgaria and an expirience that I will never forget! I’ve played almost 6 hours set with one break in the middle and ended up playing until 9 in the morning on the Black Sea bay. Music I’ve played there, beach in front of us, sunrise and morning waves, Cacao Beach, the AMAZING crew and the best feedback I’ve ever got in my life so far.. priceless expirience, really, and I’m eagerly looking forward to come back there again at any time!
What would you say for all of the people who use drugs?
As a (soon to be) psychologist I’d say – It’s all in your head! Use your heads and heart instead, life can be pretty intense in every meaning of that word without drugs for sure! It’s a blessing to feel extasy being influenced by your own feelings only, clean and induced by reality of it all and not chemically generated. When you reach the plateu of your feelings, joy, happiness, extasy, even sadness or no matter the emotion, and all of that by being clean and sober – you’ve seen and managed it all and there’s nothing to be compared with it. Try it out, reach that point and you’ll keep yourself there for sure. Hopefully.
Is there anybody next to you at the moment? What part of your life does love take?
I try to keep my personal life out of publicity glance for all of these years, not that I’m some kind of a rockstar now or anything.. I just tend to keep it in safe and on a personal level, even in real life, I guess it’s normal. But for sure it plays a huge role, definitely, everything starts and begins with Love, everything else is being subordinated to that precious sphere called Love. I’m not good in setting the priorities, really not so good, but often in life I’ve been catching myself organising everything else according to Love. It’s all about it, at least it should be, for everyone. It moves. When it happens it’s not to be compared with anything, I easily forget myself then..
And an immense inspiration for music it is, this one I never forget, I’d be nothing without it.
What is the most important thing for you in one track? Do we all need to search for the deep meaning?
I think that every track I choose and use has some meaning, wheter it’s some emotional feedback I get out of it, a story of the track, the drive of it, a bassline, melody or the quality of the track.. every one has to be unique in a way. In the whole big sea of the tracks we’re being overwhelmed with you gotta have some standards for choosing, otherwise we’d end up covered by thousands of tracks per day.
As for myself, I have quite a few standards: some I pick because I feel instant goosebumps inside of my chests, it’s the most often reason. Some other ones I pick because I see myself playing them live and they’re good representation of your sound and connection with people, some of them I pick because they remind me of something, someone, I don’t know.. but it has to be special and the most important of it all is the scar that it makes, I could name and describe every track I’ve ever played on my sets/parties with a feeling. I’m sure I could.
Is producing music the best alternative for international success?
In general – I think and I see it is. Especially in Serbia because not much is appreciated in here and it’s a sad and cruel but a true thing. We have many many artists that are pure quality and more really good youngsters are coming every day but in this country it oftenly stays burried deep down if you don’t move yourself on your own, because of so many things.. and one of them is certainly vanity that will never die, it’s sad. What happens is that quality producers are being recognised by some label or an other artist outside Serbia, and then we get worldwide successful DJs and producers from Serbia that play and work globally and leave Serbia because they’re appreciated there and in here they were nothing, because there’s always someone “bigger” to make you “invisible”. At least and happily there’re still some quality hunters and music lovers out there who can listen, feel and respect it all and make the talent and quality still live. I wish it can happen to everyone.
I’ve already mentioned that production should be every artist’s goal because one needs to go forward and improve his/her talent, skills and posibilities and that’s what production is all about. But then, seing my example - I’ve never made a track of my own except a couple of bootleg edits - and my music is loved and recognised all around the world, it’s really strange to me. I feel strange to get invitations for playing internationally and every time I get a call I think – no way, why me?! ..so I guess it’s not an obligatory thing.
What I’ve learned is the most important for success in general, not only speaking of international success, is to really feel and love what you do, to give yourself away 100% to it and to stay true to yourself and keep in safe some uniqueness of yours. I don’t know how but I’ve made it.. and came to the point where I see myself as someone who’s never even dreamed of this, but you know what – now when I got here I’m not planning to stop, I wanna go further and see what’s more left to expirience out there, I wanna give you more of myself, and I will. :)
How do you treat your fans? How does their attention make you feel?
Fans. One more thing I’ve needed a tone of time to realise how to deal with, and I think that still I have a lot more to learn haha. I still don’t and I’ve never considered myself a person who has fans, or should have them, I never started doing this for being famous, having fans or whatever kind of glory but.. as time was passing by it got clear to me that I have to deal with it, it’s true, there ARE really a lot of people there following me and being fans and it’s.. well, sweet, hehe. :) Yes, I still have to learn hahaha. But I’m sure that, no matter what happens, I’m not changing myself, I’m human before it all. And every time I get an e-mail or a comment or any kind of a feedback to what I do, it fills my heart sincerely and I instantly reply to that, as I would reply to a friend’s question or something, all of those fan-people are friends for me too and I tend to stay in touch with them as much as my possibilities and time allow that, to share the love for music with and let people know – we’re all the same to the face of this world, I just know to do some things with music and that’s it. But I’m glad to have them all behind my back, everyone who says opposite – lies. They’re making me happy and this love for what I do worth being.. and pushing me go further and make those people never fall outta love for music again! It’s a gift, to have a chance for doing this and being good at.. I wanna thank to ALL of those people out there for supporting me and making me feel this way!!
Do you like our source (http://eilo.org/) ? Any suggestions?
I can easilly say and be sure in the fact that Eilo.org is the biggest project on Balkan of that kind, really, and I’m happy to see that. Many have tried same or similar things but nothing was successful and spreaded it’s wings as much as Eilo did and it’s a great thing to have, I feel it pretty close to my heart because we come from close countries, by distance and by our common Balkan mentality, and I can only wish you to grow more and more.
Suggestions? Hmm, maybe more promotional parties, in the region and Bulgaria ofcourse, I think it could help you in my upper wish to grow even more than you’ve even expected. Good promotion is half a job done in one’s success.
Who is your favorite artist for all times and why?
It’s really hard for me to choose one, because I have loved and still love many and have been influenced by many. But if I’d have to choose.. it’d be Pink Floyd, not a particular member but the whole band. Pure revolution! Without them many of nowadays things would never exist.
If I gotta choose one from electronic music area, I’d say DEEP DISH. But not Sharam, not Ali.. DEEP DISH, that old good one from their beginings, until 2003rd, 2004th latest. That was music, that influenced me more than anything else on this world and for their falling apart I will never stop being sad about.
How do you select your tracks for a party? Do you follow a special label or it is all depends on the moment?
I have a couple of favourite labels that I follow and have the luck to be on their lists so I’d not miss a thing, but it has nothing to do with selecting tracks for a party, it’s always different. Depends on the venue, the crowd, my mood at that particular moment and my vision of a party I’d want to be at if I was in the crowd, so it depends on the moment definitely. I never make playlists in advance, I just select the tracks to burn on the CD or not outta all of them I have, and when I get there in front of people I cease the moment, try to catch their mood and get inside of their shoes to feel what they wanna fall for at that moment, listen, look, feel them and we all go with the flow, usually it works pretty well. Feeling the crowd is one of the most important things, if you don’t communicate with them, if you don’t listen to their feedback.. you should never be a DJ or any kind of a musician, it’s a co-creation every time.
When you get home after a very good party, what is on your mind?
I wanna play more! Haha, ironic but true, cuz usually I’m very nervous before parties.. still can’t get over that feeling no matter the expirience, and usually am pretty stressed and drained of all of the preparations but when I start playing I think that, except club’s owners and police – there’s nothing to stop me playing for as long as I’m able to stand on my feet. And usually that feeling follows me back home and stays there for a while. Until I get stressed for the next party again haha. :)
Club or Open area?
Each of these has it’s own special charm that the other one does not have. I love playing at small underground clubs where you can be intimate with the crowd and fully feel them and let them feel you. Give ourselves to eachother to the bones. Big venues somehow make a “star” out of you and the lack of that precious feeling of being close to people, it’s different but can be heart-shaking also. And again I love playing openair because music definitely sounds special under the skies and spreading it’s magic widely, both are needed to be felt but never compared cuz it’s so different, my pick here is clubs anyway, small ones.
Think or feel?
Feel. Thinking is overrated – feelings make the world go round and tumble.
Please, tell us your favorite thought and give us your wishes!
I’ve recently opened a fellow Serbian DJ Marko Vukovic facebook profile and his info page listed his favourite quotation, his personal one that says: "Sve imam ali nista skroz" (in Serbian), “I have it all, but nothing completely” (in English).. this one made an astonishing impact on me because it’s close to the way I often feel, like there’s nothing that I cannot get, but nothing I get as much as I want, something always stays “untouchable”. And I find it good, cuz it’s a motivation to still strive and long for more, more and always more. Human possibilities are infinite if you set them free and listen to your heart’s desires.
Wishes – grow, grow and grow, but don’t let yourself rule the world because you’ll have nothing more to go for in this life, it’s not interesting.
Thanks for making me enter your world and feel special,
Love on You!
Marija
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