5 Minutes with Dee Jay Groove
-How has summer been? What’s been good, what’s been bad?
This summer was one of the best summers for me. The nightlife in Berlin starts late and never ends. Europe’s most famous clubs are located in Berlin – Berghain, Watergate, Cookies, Bar 25 and many more. If you like electronic music, Berlin will be your Mecca. Minimal house and techno. Being a Dj and producer in Berlin is awesome. This city gives me more energy. An incredible music scene and nightlife.
-What music did you grow up listening to? Do you listen to it now? Is that what inspires and influences your own sounds?
I grew up listening to more pop and rock music but after my twenty years I can say that House and Techno music is already circulating in my blood. This style of house music can often have an acoustic feeling and generally have a tempo of between 120 and 130 BPM that I also like very much. So, I thought that it would be an awesome idea to start producing music.
To me, music is about more than what’s trending on the radio or at the latest festivals. I feel a strong emotional attachment to it and use it as a vehicle for introspection. I invest a lot of time, money, energy, and emotion, so I expect it to maintain its importance in my life.
-Being from Greece, what makes your music special and unique? Do you think there is a certain style or charm to your beats that make them Greek influenced?
I come from a small provincial town. Coming to Greece is a must for the young people who are planning trips to go to the festivals. The Greek mainland and islands offer a million things to do during the day. Why is my music so special. To this I would prefer to answer those who listen. “For me, it’s all about the groove that makes you keep dancing.”
.-And are you part of a healthy scene, or a crew of producers, have you come up in a creative community or are you just out on your own?
I started producing music when I was more young and I have started this on my own. It took me a long time to come up with what kind of music I like to work. I experimented with many genres, and finally ended up in electronic music. I feel that electronic music has a far broader emotional range than most traditional genres. Most electronic music is built around a very strong rhythmic core. I feel that electronic music has a far broader emotional range than most traditional genres, though its expression is often much more nuanced.
-Tell us about your new track ‘Lost’. How did it come about?
I wanted to make a track a little bit different from the others. A track that any dj can play at any time.The track initially wasn’t even meant for release. It was heard by some of my friends and they gave me the idea to make the release of a single album. And so I finally did. I hope you enjoyed.
-You’ve had quite a lot of Beatport chart success in the past? When you are writing a track do you often write it with the intention to focus on the same production style of the past releases?
This year for me and especially this summer was the best for my releases. I have reached the Top 100 releases on Beatport and I can say that I was having big support from my fans. The last three months I was producing more Electro house music. I can’t say that I always make the same genre. Sometimes I have the feeling to produce deep house or techno or minimal but I can say that I am more close to House music. I think that this is me, my style.
-What are you like as a DJ – do you play the same sounds as you make or are the two not connected?
Successful DJing is all about bums on seats (well, feet on dancefloors, actually). The audience is an essential half of DJing. I prefer to play songs that will be able to lift the crowd. Sometimes it may be purely commercial but sometimes not. You can be a good DJ. You can also be a great DJ. DJing is a two-way thing, a collaborative process, a musical conversation. You must follow the crowd and not to fail. Yes – I play also my tracks in my sets.
-Top 5 tracks that you are playing in your sets right now?
My top 5 tracks: Feel so high – Hardwell I like it so much. I like also “This girl – Kungs vs cookin on”, “cant stop playing- Oliver Heldens remix”, “Calvin Harris – CUBA”,Ping Pong – Armin Van Buuren.
-Finally what else have you got coming up/are you working on?
Now I start working for a new Deep House album and maybe for one more, Electro House. I start planning new gigs in Europe and especially in Berlin. I’m really looking forward to start playing podcasts on Radio.
