What a buisy week. I’ve performed 4 gigs, and will do 5th tomorrow.
Tonight was one of the best, so i desided to write a bit of my impressions, ususlly i don’t write. Want to share my emotions.
I didn’t expect to play tonight. Dj Moire, Riga junglist booked me for tonight junge party in Peahen, Andreisala, but it was cancelled, due to place owner changed mood. I thought i will rest, but then Miks called aske if I can play with him, downstares in Pulkvedis. “Yes, of couse” I replyed. I love to play with Miks. I learned a lot of things from him. He’s the club co-owner, he collect vynils like mad, having biggest collection in Riga as I know. I don’t tell you how much, it’s betvean one and ten thouthand records. Can you imagine? He buy everething, a lot of jazz, wich is one third of the collection, which he never play, but listen at home. Than all that funky breaks stuff, like Skeewiff (by the way I introduced this collective to him), Finger Licking, Fort Knox Five. He loves rock. 80’s stuff. Like Pixies, The Cure, Joy Division. All the best records you may think of from 80’s he have. He buy some rare records for 80 US dollars. Crazy guy. Respect.
So I vas one hour late, as allways, sorry. Miks feels wasted and asleep, so he asked me to play alone. “Yes!”. As he played funky breaks, I started with similar, played some Balkan stuff which I’m really into now, some Latino, some Afro, Balkans again. There was 3 beautifull Latvian ladies with Arab-like looking guy. He asked me to play Balkan stuff again, they asked for latino. I love such a gentle and clever [zapros]. Nice. That a one thing I learned from mik for instance. Listen to wat they say. Often they ask some reaaly stupid thing. Sometimes nice things which I do with pleasure. But you have ti listen anyway, pay a bit of respect. Sometimes I just say, ok I will play that tune, but I don’t. Little trick. Sometimes I play with pleasure. Sometimes I say “No!”, when that tiny girl asked to plat Tiesto. God! Why him? I never play that shit no matter how big star he is and how many thouthand of stupis heads visit his shows. “NO!” And I make [grimase] shoving that it’s a very very bad taste. Ok. Latino, Balkans, Gossip remix, Breaks, Balkans again. People start to hang out around me, its getting crowder. At the ebginning danceflor downstares was empty. Upstares, where a dj payed MTV style “hip-hop”, or rather pop RNB, wa some people. So slowly I grab tham all to me, leaving his dancefloor almost empty, as promoter (beautifull Andra) telled me later. Nice. I love when people are crowded, nice audience it was. I love this small kind of competition betwean djs in Pulkvedis (upstares/downstares). Today is 31st of August, just before 1 September, students come back to Riga, a lot of beautifull young girls and boys, some foreigners. I’m geting heavier, hard and sharp electrohouse, uplifting sound. That what moves this crowd tonight. Not a minimal sound, which I’m much into for last year, but more pop electro. Ok, no problem, I compromise. [C] remix, which I made a hit in Pulkvedis, Swen Webber remix of “It’s never too late to be a different”, some other similar. Its kinda minimal too, in terms of composition, just one really heavy and sharp sound and the drums. But it moves people in Riga the most now. Magority is not ready for minial yet. Also, electro is much louder, harder, and intence. I love to mix electrohouse with minimal. Hard, hader, mo egharder, crazy harder, and than boom – i play eally mellow minimal tune, loke “W” by Coblestone Jazz, everybody exausted and relaxed and nice melodic feelings again here. You know? Than some minimal, to let them relax, but not let them go away. As some people leave, i returm back to electro. My tips and tricks 🙂 I dont see that beautifull short haired lady which danced with arab man. She was cute and smiled to me, asked even for something to get crazy. They left, but it’s all right, they helped me to build the groove at the beginning. Thanx. Than French friends appeared, I gues they for in Embassy or Culture center, nice beautifull gentle people, two ladies and a man. I love when they come to my sets. They ealy feel the music, scream, smile, we’re shaking hands and look to each other time to time, a contact. Thank you, french! Comon sava? TThan I see two girls, friens of mine, one was working as waitress in Casablanca bar before. They often come to my sets, I enjoy to play when friend are here. It’s much easier, they know my tines, I try to give them new ones allways to impress them with quality new stuff, but not hesitate to play well known hits too. They might sound boring for me (Imagine playing the same great track during a year, it’s great, but I played it so many times. But people love it, so I ready to compromise. people I love you! I will play you all my best stuff, all the world best stuff, no matter how ald it is. I will make you crazy and beautifull at same time. Just come and be open minded. And we build it together again. You know what I mean? You know! So here we go, I change from harder tunes to mellow tunes, to vocal tunes, to melamholoc tunes, to uplifting tunes, to crazu heavy tunes, like that “Crack or Speed” B-side. It’s so crazy and heavy and dirty and stupid, but it so beautifull at same time. I play it only at very special time, when the crowd is ready, and when they want even harder than hard! Unexpectadly, I bought that records for A-side, which is good too, beautifull melodic uplifting minimal techno, but this B-side! Its crazy, I would never buy it by listening to that aone and half clip from Juno.co.uk. Never! This dirty hard style is not for me! But when I played it once, experimentaly, I understood the power ow this Tune! That’s what I like about vynyls: you can get some tracks as a surprise. B-sides, Paul (Murphy) you remember? That “Sha La La” B-side. Ok, its different story, jazzy latino brea-beat something, completely different from what I’m playing now in Pulkvedis. People wonder (and me too) how can I incorporate so different styles in my sets? It may sounds strange, but it so natural for me, TO BE DIFFERENT. I really enjoy all jazz/latino/funky stuff, its nice to play ot in Cuba Cafe. Music is not loud at all, but the mood is so mellow and sweet, people start to dance anyway, they can’t resist. Or reggae and dancehall stuff, I play in Depo or Cuba as well. Yes, its completely different side of the Moon, but its warmest feelings from our planet. I have to play it. I have to oorder that bad pressed seven inches. Its all our world of music. Music is so wide now. And people too, tahy spectre of influences is limitless. They listen to everething now. So do I. It’s seems so natural. Sorry, one style guys. I wish you to wider your view in short future, you will anyway. Thats life and my experience too. Or Jungle movemant. Fabio, nighty Fabio, respect, man you still pushing liquid funk so nice! Or drumfunk, which is quite opposite side of drum’n’bass, but its so interesting in terms of composition, I think most intelligent form of drum’n’bass now, the most interesting. So how can I resist to play it too? No way! But off couse, drumfunk is for drumfunk heads only. Crowd must be prepeared for this music. Its very small and very intelectual, and quite young too. Not here, in Pulkvedis. here we love electro and minimal now. …….. I got to go, I will finish this story later, and spell all the mistakes with automatic spell checker, may be not, tomorrow is another story, Betons and me will drive to Venspils, where we’re going to play reggae in the most posh restaurant (!) of the town. Oh crazy week, I love my life, I enjoy my DJ carrier, (its not a a carrier at all), … I’m getting so buisy sometimes, …. see you again. Unlimited love to everyone at tonight dancefloor and beyound 🙂 Dance is something very important. Very important. Sure. And love. And smile. See you.
DJ over-X, the most respectable Latvian female dj, who along with another lady, Dj VXN, was most interesting figures of Latvian drum’n’bass scene during 1999-2006. Over-X dj sets was the most powerfull, dark, intense, and hypnotizing at same time, than any male dj could imagine. Nobody ever played such a hard edge stuff as she did. Nobody knew what records she played as well, very rare stuff. Professional mixing. No surprise, her teacher was Janis Krauklis. As drum’n’bass dj, she played in USA, England, Estonia, Lithuania, Russia and other countries.