Antonio Dimitrov aka Every Kid on Speed is a figure that has long presented music outside of Macedonia thanks to his label ‘Acid Fake’ which he has firmly established across the global dance scene. Toni is the sole organiser of glitch noise performances and promotion, and hosts a radio show on Chanel 103. Here’s what he had to say.
ind.o.g: Toni, with your productions, over the last three years, you have had the opportunity to perform at one of the most modern festivals in Berlin, ‘Trans Mediale’. You return with a fresh sound every time that has a current impact on the scene outside Macedonia. Do you think our people want to hear a more experimental sound despite the fact that half the nation is going mad over Dj Tiesto? Or will the same happen as it did for electro? Many others, yourself included, were first playing electro four years ago, until it all of a sudden became ultra trendy music here.
EKOS: No! No they don’t want to! That’s the most frustrating thing here, that there isn’t a scene or an audience for new music. Something must first be heard, chewed, played, seen at least once, before it’s embraced. At which point it’s no longer interesting. Music made today is made so that it’s heard today, not fifteen years later which is what happens here. As you previously said, here they listen to Tiesto, which isn’t all that tragic in comparison to listening to techno from ten to fifteen years ago, and to the same dj’s that no one pays attention to. This is a consequence of what was said in the last sentence. When it’s not played everywhere, no one wants to listen to it here, but when they start to catch onto it here and it becomes trendy, it means that’s lost its effect everywhere else, and that’s an indication that you have to stop listening to it otherwise you will feel nauseous.
ind.o.g: You are currently playing in ‘Ludnica’ which is quite an experimental
club in Skopje and you have also been a part of Radio Chanel 103 for many years. You and your colleague Jane also hold a party every second Saturday at The Club and you play a back-to-back set at ‘Shush-Bush’. Why aren’t you more active?
EKOS: I think I’m more than active. Not just in terms of dj-ing but other engagements as well. On the other hand I think it’s enough. As you have already voiced, the public here is quite sheltered and is not easily swayed. You have to be a bit more cautious with your approach to music and it’s audience here. The problem is, or one of the problems, lies in the previous answer. I don’t want to compromise or improvise at all with the music. When you play at various places here you have to compromise, and I really hate that. Better to first establish a base for that. You also have to be cautious with the parties here. I don’t insist on anything. You can’t establish a scene with force. When such a base is established everything will come together even if in cautious circumstances. You don’t need a large following for this music, it isn’t mainstream. Making a profit should not be the driving force behind putting on a party, rather parties should be held as a way of having some fun with quality music.
ind.o.g: Will the time ever arrive when we will be able to have nothing but quality events for the party goers here? Will attaining sponsorship become easier, despite the fact that promoters have a hard time organising an event no matter how good it can potentially be, when it’s not known whether there will be a turn out for the dj they have brought out, or even worse, whether they will be able to afford to pay for the sound system at the end of the event?
EKOS: It looks at though this question is only ever asked here, that’s because the population here is very small, as are the party goers. Capacity in numbers simply doesn’t exist. Ordinarily you wouldn’t include the general public in these numbers. They have their own scene and they do their own thing without interfering. Nor do I don’t get involved with them or their scene. Therefore, one could say that there are enough ‘quality’ party goers that support their own part of the scene. Here, everything is quite mixed up. First of all these people want to have a party, but they don’t wish to focus on the music policy, they want it to be the same, they want to attend more well known commercial and more expensive parties. Commercial promoters and clubs are the criteria. This means they are people who really are not a part of the scene nor have they ever payed attention to the music. These club owners and promoters want to cash in on the music because they can see how the general public works. Ordinarily those promoters who don’t understand the music will not throw parties and events with music they don’t recognise, rather they hold them with those dj’s and artists that are fairly well known. They own the clubs and they call the shots. We’re a very long way from that here.
ind.o.g: Fortunately ‘The Club’ returned to our city quite recently. Have you been making the most of this club like the rest of the party goers in town who like to listen to quality music?
EKOS: I can say that it’s very interesting here at the moment, even though it’s far from perfect, the venue is perfect for this sort of thing. It’s an underground venue that doesn’t pay attention to the interior, but rather it’s focus is on the line up. The venue has great sound, and the party goers are there for the music. Other places ordinarily throw a lot of money into the interior, there’s no equipment or good sound system, and as for the line up, concept and music... no such word exists to describe it! Music is played from a computer, the people go to see and be seen, and they don’t pay any attention to the music. The more repetitive the better. No one really goes to the clubs to listen to the music. Tragic.
ind.o.g: Your label has had quite a number of releases from overseas musicians similar to your style of music. Is ‘Acid Fake’ just a glitch noise label or is there room for other styles of modern music?
EKOS: Up until now there have been eight releases. It’s not just noise and glitch, rather a fusion of other styles, experimental combinations, even dance, although the base requirement is the glitch sound. In reference to the artists, yes, they are quality artists whose approach to sound, workings or general ideology is close to mine, or they are artists whose sound I really like or they have really proved themselves in the scene. I got to know many artists through my first two compilations. I‘m still in touch with some of them. Others I have lost touch with and I don’t know what they are doing now. Fortunately I continue to work with those artists I have remained in contact with on every level. From re-mixing to collaborative releases, re-works, distribution, organising parties, designing cd & record covers. In terms of what’s related to my music, I don’t release it on my label, but on other labels that I work with globally, or whoever else is interested.
ind.o.g: A few years ago you actively re-established the radio show ‘lista.mk’ together with Aleksandar Gavrovski, which was previously run by Janko Ilkovski. How about you reflect back on the first show of the program and to all the people you had to plead with in order to obtain music from their hard drives, and compare that to today. A number of artists appeared on your show which released an album in no time. The program has also released two compilations, one on ‘Margina’ and the other on ‘PMG Recordings’. Do we have quality artists who have established themselves well on the global scene?
EKOS: Well it was problematic at the start, just like any beginning, particularly for something that barely exists, such as the scene here or the promotion of more alternate and experimental music. Bit by bit, the artists eventually saw that someone wanted to take them seriously. Not only did they start to hand over their music, but they created new music on a more intense level. Some of them started to promote themselves more seriously, others released albums, and ever year ten or more artists would get together and create a compilation which in some way would liven up the scene. That’s difficult in every instance. The artists don’t understand the meaning of self promotion nor do they know how to do it properly, and when you give them the chance they don’t utilise it. They are skeptical of their own music or they are afraid. If they don’t really know or a not really interested to promote themselves abroad, they should at least take the chance to promote themselves here. That must be done. Quality artists? The quality of part of that music is debatable, however when you are working towards establishing some kind of beginning you can skip over that. In every instance some of those artists can promote themselves abroad but evidently they don’t know how to, but already there have been some artists who have had releases abroad.
ind.o.g: You are one of the first digital dj’s. Do you use turntables if they are present, given this digital technology and music that you play is unreleased and not available on vinyl? Has digital technology made the things easier for dj’s?
EKOS: You simply cannot go without embracing digital technology given that it’s so widespread. The fact that it has made things easier is an extra plus, as is the fact that you can play music that is not yet released or available on an internet label, or even a track that you have not yet completed. You can add a little extra with Final Scratch and come to a good compromise despite any shortfalls. On another note, the conditions here and the places for parties are so miserable in terms of equipment and set up that it’s best to play from your laptop.
ind.o.g: Your live acts are very interesting, what software to you use to make it sound as though you have an entire band that you can’t see supporting you?
EKOS: I use Abelton Live when doing a live performance.
ind.o.g: What sound are you playing as a dj at the moment?
EKOS: Minimal techno, and other variants that are understood as minimal techno. That whole techy sound that stems from the scenes in Berlin or Colonge which started with the record labels ‘Basic Channel’, ‘Rhythm and Sound’, and ‘Chain Reaction’. Even though this particular sound started there and spread to other parts of Europe like Sweden and Spain for example, it returns back to Berlin because of the fact that it’s the centre of that scene today.
ind.o.g: About two months ago you held an interesting exhibition here called ‘Gradizm’, something which has never been seen before. Your music was recorded along the streets of Skopje. What was the theme of the music?
EKOS: The sounds were in context with the concept of the entire exhibition and correlation with other parts of the exhibition. It included field or ground recordings, quite a specific style which is present in the experimental scene. The sound was that of the streets of Skopje, then again it can be from any city. The street sounds were projected through various speakers which would be activated by a sensor both inside and outside the gallery in correlation with corresponding images and prints. This exhibition has already been held in Belgrade and will now go to Sofia, that way the sound can be altered be from the city to which is travels to. It’s all in context of the individual city itself.
ind.o.g: What is happening with you at the moment? Do you have any new releases out on any labels? Are you getting ready to tour?
EKOS: Ah many things. From traveling to live performances, dj sets, artistic projects and exhibitions. I’m currently working on organising and co-ordinating all of this, as well as running the label. I have just returned from performing in Lisbon and Sofia, and I will be going back to Sofia where I will be working on a radio project. I’ve had little time as of late to work on my own productions given the circumstances and being preoccupied with so much!. Over the past year there have been a number of releases, full length tracks, EP’s, 7 inch, tracks on compilations on various labels globally. A tour was planned together with Massaccesi but as he was preoccupied with numerous gigs, that could not be realised. Something will definitely happen over the summer or autumn period.
ind.o.g: Where have you performed up until now?
EKOS: Here is a short preview of the festivals and parties I have performed at. Artist include D.I.Y., Massaccesi, Maru, Urkuma, Octex, Belgrade Yard Sound System, Paul Devens, Andrey Kiritchenko and Zvuk Broda. I have also performed with T.Rumschmiere, Jason Forest, The Bug, Phon.o, Modelesector, Solar X, Miss Kittin, Ellen Allien, Random Logic and many others.
Massaccesi and myself Down by the Graveyard - Skopje, Macedonia
Club Transmediale Festival - Berlin, Germany
Progress Festival - Lijubljana, Slovenia
Transmediale Festival Berlin, Germany
Net User Conference - St Anastasia, Bulgaria
Club SPS - Sofia, Bulgaria
Absurd Festival Skopje, Macedonia
ctrl_alt_del Festival - Istanbul, Turkey
Cultural Offensive - Veles, Macedonia
Interpretation Festival - Graz, Austria
PMG Secret Live Show - Skopje, Macedonia
Tiny Noise Festival - Sofia, Bulgaria
Tiny Noise Festival - Skopje, Macedonia
Tiny Noise Festival part 2 - Skopje, Macedonia
Radia LX 2006 - Lisbon, Portugal
Nothing is ever as it used to be - Skopje, Macedonia
Eskimo Event w/ massaccesi - Sofia, Bulgaria
ind.o.g: The glitch scene is quite independent. The artists look after their own releases themselves. Why is that?
EKOS: That’s because the terms of the scene requires that as a principle. The entire experimental scene functions independently or ‘do it yourself’. Many artists form their own label just so they can release their music given they couldn’t find a label to release it on, and from that the work takes off. On the other hand, the big labels that release everything have been dead for a while. For example, Matador used to release Matmos or Lesser. Therefore, you can have faith in those smaller labels. If you like a particular release, you can always be sure that the next release will be just as good because they always follow through with the music they like.
ind.o.g: Some time ago we had the opportunity and were fortunate enough to see three glitch performances from guests from Australia, America and Greece. Will you continue to bless the city with new festivals which not only have a musical focus but an artistic one as well?
EKOS: Yes we have been very fortunate. They are all artists that work in the experimental scene, which evidently stand for something, and that I closely work with as well. By all means, organising these kind of events will continue and a few are planned in May. First and foremost, my label mate Massaccesi returned after two years, who this time after his gig held an exhibition and workshop. Before that we were in Sofia. We have also planned to host noise artists Donna Parker from Boston, noise band Magic Makers, Hermit’s noise band Vialka and some Slovenian artists as well.
(c) ind.o.g.translated by tania. skopjeclubbing.com.mk
|
