Interview / De Yan
What attracts me most is working with music and the general concept of sound.
A longtime music lover who shares a passion for the general concept of how sound works. He finds utmost freedom in music production, from which the desire for creating music in many different styles arises, having been released under several aliases. Logos Recordings, Zingiber Audio and Welter are just a few of the long list of labels, under which he releases his music. His music and artistic creativity is also shared through HAUZ & Pirka, in which he takes part as an active member.
Check out the new mix as you read the conversation with De Yan.
Roomania: Hi Dejan. You have been a guest at our events many times, but here we can say welcome to our new project. You have been a part of the Macedonian electronic scene for a long time, so for starters, we would like to ask you what motivates you to continue your work with electronic music?
Hi guys. First of all, thank you for the invitation, I really like the concept you are developing.
I find motivation from a lot of places, such as everyday events, the books that I am currently reading, movies, mixes by other artists, tracks, the list goes on.
What attracts me most is working with music and the general concept of sound.
Dejan Dex @ Room 313 event, Prilep
Roomania: Over the years you have performed at many festivals and events. Which event would you single out as your favorite, from which you gained a lot of experience? What kind of events affect artists the most (in terms of performance experience) and “upgrades” them?
There is no one event that I could single out in particular. Every place that I've performed, from the smallest bar to major festivals, has left its mark on my musical development as an artist.
Roomania: Which music releases catch your ear? What does a piece of music need to have for you to "put it in the basket"?
First of all, I am looking for something original in every piece of music that I buy, without any special preferences and style adherence. Music is a broad term and commitment to only a certain sound, in my opinion, is a restriction, i.e. not using a lot of good music. However, it should all sound good when combined in a set.
Dejan Dex @ Room 313 takeover/ alternative stage
Roomania: Every DJ has his own way of arranging his music library. Some put signs or tags if the music is in physical format, some write hashtags, make playlists or folders for the digital format. What is your way of organizing?
Organizing music is a very important part of any set, especially when the sets are long. Starting with vinyl, I have no problem with sorting, as my collection is still small, just over a hundred records. I organize the digital by the months when I got it, more specifically I have organized it for each month separately from 2006 onward. Before each performance I make a special playlist, where the new music is in the foreground, but I also dig around in the old folders (I am always surprised with a track that was not in first plan in the past).
Roomania: "Son Kota'' is a project that you are working on together with Blagoj Rambabov. How did this cooperation start? Which editions have been realized and what can we expect in the future?
I have been contacting and cooperating with Blagoj for over 10 years, so the idea for creating Son Kotacame naturally. Specifically, the decision for this project came around 2018 and since then, we pay a lot of attention to production under this pseudonym.
So far we have released 2 records, and in the next period we have 4 already finalized records, one of which has a remix for the Russian producer Ki.Mi.
For all new releases, anyone who wants can be informed on our Facebook and Soundcloud profile, where we publish all the news about Son Kota.
Roomania: You express yourself most creatively as a producer and we have witnessed many interesting releases from you. How often do you create new music? What are your favorite studio tools? Do you have a ritual in production or is it a "go with the flow" way of working?
I do not have a special template for production, I make music when I am in the mood.
Electron Digitact is currently my favorite toy, and from the VST plugins I would single out the Massive and Fab Filter plugins, which I use in almost every track.
Roomania: You are a part of the “Pirka” collective. The creativity of this organization began by doing live streams in beautiful locations, then the organization of club events, to currently being a label with releases of outstanding artists. How did Pirka's story develop? What's next for Pirka?
Pirka started as a live-stream platform, of which I am not a part from the very beginning. The key moment was the stream in Rotino, where we became very close with part of the team, to then continue the project through parties, production, work on various projects and a lot of friendship.
The creation of the publishing house is one of the projects to which we have been paying a lot of attention lately, and with that I am very happy to announce the first two records for which we do not have definite dates yet. I would only reveal that Arapu appears on the first record as a remixer.
Pirka @ Rotino, Bitola
Roomania: "Klubtura" was a series of events organized by Pirka and Hauz, promoting artists who nurture the Romanian minimal sound. Which artists were part of these events? Were the expectations met and will the realization of these events continue?
I would say that we adhere more to a specific House sound which is good for a party, not just minimal. An important part of the "Klubtura" events were our art installations as well, which were different for each party and gave an extra touch for each event.
The events will certainly continue and we only hope for their growth, after the whole Covid situation.
So far we have invited: Monika Ross, Michael James, Burnski, Diego Krause, Viceversa, Alex Ranerro, Marlie, Arapu (I hope I didn't forget anyone).
Roomania: The Romanian producer and DJ Arapu, presented his set on Herodot's new platform, Sunrise Hub, where he played your track. Can you tell us where and when this release is expected?
After his performance in Skopje, we continued communicating and sharing music. So far, he has played two tracks of mine on Sunrise streams, one dedicated to the Sunwaves festival and the other one to Sunrise Hub. The first track is the work of me and Dout, and the second is a solo track, both are unreleased and ready to be sent to publishers when the time comes.
Roomania: Finally, how would you describe your mix for "Roomania"?
I have tried to make a careful selection of the tracks I like the most from the past few months. My goal was to make a mix that would be good to listen to, and still have a party moment.
author:
Aleksandar Mitrik
Editor in chief
author:
Aleksandar Samardjiski
Editor in chief