An important part of any DJ's career is collaboration. With whom have you worked?
Certainly Sveta Loboda, Kishe, Alloise and Devushka Blonda would number among my biggies. Usually I compose a song and produce a track for them to perform. It’s always a lot of fun and a great experience collaborating. Going to LA to shoot City Lights, for example, was a blast. I’m fortunate to live in the buzzing capital of a country where there are a lot of creative people, doing seriously cool stuff.
What is a typical day in Lutique’s life?
I am thinking of music all time, always either in my head working on tracks or in my studio producing, mixing or remixing them. I also always make time for my family, and friends. And every day I’ll be liaising with bookers, agents and artists to book work, discuss projects and keep plugged in to what’s happening on the scene.
What do DJs do now? I remember when it was all mixing records, spinning vinyls, now they are up there on laptops?
The role of a DJ has certainly changed. It used to be that they’d be up there, mixing up their stuff, but nowadays most famous DJs have also become sound-producers, preparing tracks in a studio. So, the club appearances are more about opportunities to show your own stuff to an audience, sample them, gauge reaction. Of course, the dials and knobs all make a difference, but the modern DJ is really a frontman for his own creations. Naturally, the DJ is also the focal point for the clubbers, so he needs to be a showman, and able to select tracks which will heat, or cool, the room as required.
Do you like playing the clubs?
In Ukraine, particularly in Kyiv, there’s a good club scene, there are also a lot of good DJs. However, there’s also a bit of a trend for things like topless DJs. Live and let live, but it’s a bit of a gimmick – I like to have people there for the music, who appreciate it. Of course, clubs are places for more than just music too, seeing a couple get together to my beats always gives me a buzz. It’s what music is all about – inspiring positive emotion. Now I’m in my 30s, married, with kids, and moving more into producing, though I still love the clubs.
You’ve played at festivals, such as Global Gathering and KaZantip. How do these compare to playing at clubs?
It’s a very different dynamic. Clubs you sometimes have people dropping in and out, or just drinking by the bar. At festivals, you have a pure core of people who have come there just for the music – and given the nature of a festival, they’ll be there all night long, so you have the opportunity to take them on a real musical journey. Whereas in a club, they may just hear a bit of your work, at a festival they can take in your whole oeuvre.
And your radio show?
That’s also pretty cool, and a different experience. When you can’t see the faces in front of you, reacting to your music, it’s all about the music itself. Though, of course these days, fans are sending you messages on Twitter and Facebook during proceedings, so there’s always a connection. My music has always been for me and my fans, sometimes, but not as a rule, commercial or even close to pop.
To the young, upcoming DJs, you are a hero, what advice would you give them?
That to be just a DJ is not enough. You need to be passionate about music, as a love, and look at your gigs as the opportunity to show your work to a live audience. You shouldn’t be motivated by the glory, or the perks – of course, some clubs give you beer, food, girls – but these are all fringe benefits. You always need to be thinking about your music, honing your craft. For example, I’ve taken up drumming, and am excited about the possibilities of incorporating that into my future work.
Finally, Lutique, how do you want people to see you?
I’d like to be seen as a good DJ, a talented musician, a respected house music producer. an overall good guy and an open-minded, real, friend and caring father. I’m working on these qualities all the time.An important part of any DJ's career is collaboration.
With whom have you worked?
Certainly Sveta Loboda, Kishe, Alloise and Devushka Blonda would number among my biggies. Usually I compose a song and produce a track for them to perform. It’s always a lot of fun and a great experience collaborating. Going to LA to shoot City Lights, for example, was a blast. I’m fortunate to live in the buzzing capital of a country where there are a lot of creative people, doing seriously cool stuff.
What is a typical day in Lutique’s life?
I am thinking of music all time, always either in my head working on tracks or in my studio producing, mixing or remixing them. I also always make time for my family, and friends. And every day I’ll be liaising with bookers, agents and artists to book work, discuss projects and keep plugged in to what’s happening on the scene.
What do DJs do now? I remember when it was all mixing records, spinning vinyls, now they are up there on laptops?
The role of a DJ has certainly changed. It used to be that they’d be up there, mixing up their stuff, but nowadays most famous DJs have also become sound-producers, preparing tracks in a studio. So, the club appearances are more about opportunities to show your own stuff to an audience, sample them, gauge reaction. Of course, the dials and knobs all make a difference, but the modern DJ is really a frontman for his own creations. Naturally, the DJ is also the focal point for the clubbers, so he needs to be a showman, and able to select tracks which will heat, or cool, the room as required.
Do you like playing the clubs?
In Ukraine, particularly in Kyiv, there’s a good club scene, there are also a lot of good DJs. However, there’s also a bit of a trend for things like topless DJs. Live and let live, but it’s a bit of a gimmick – I like to have people there for the music, who appreciate it. Of course, clubs are places for more than just music too, seeing a couple get together to my beats always gives me a buzz. It’s what music is all about – inspiring positive emotion. Now I’m in my 30s, married, with kids, and moving more into producing, though I still love the clubs.
You’ve played at festivals, such as Global Gathering and KaZantip. How do these compare to playing at clubs?
It’s a very different dynamic. Clubs you sometimes have people dropping in and out, or just drinking by the bar. At festivals, you have a pure core of people who have come there just for the music – and given the nature of a festival, they’ll be there all night long, so you have the opportunity to take them on a real musical journey. Whereas in a club, they may just hear a bit of your work, at a festival they can take in your whole oeuvre.
And your radio show?
That’s also pretty cool, and a different experience. When you can’t see the faces in front of you, reacting to your music, it’s all about the music itself. Though, of course these days, fans are sending you messages on Twitter and Facebook during proceedings, so there’s always a connection. My music has always been for me and my fans, sometimes, but not as a rule, commercial or even close to pop.
To the young, upcoming DJs, you are a hero, what advice would you give them?
That to be just a DJ is not enough. You need to be passionate about music, as a love, and look at your gigs as the opportunity to show your work to a live audience. You shouldn’t be motivated by the glory, or the perks – of course, some clubs give you beer, food, girls – but these are all fringe benefits. You always need to be thinking about your music, honing your craft. For example, I’ve taken up drumming, and am excited about the possibilities of incorporating that into my future work.
Finally, Lutique, how do you want people to see you?
I’d like to be seen as a good DJ, a talented musician, a respected house music producer. an overall good guy and an open-minded, real, friend and caring father. I’m working on these qualities all the time.
Graham Phillips
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