Alongside his remarkable contribution to the series, we sat down with Scalameriya who shared his thoughts about his career, new LP “Kornukopiya”, label, inspirations & aspirations!
- Hi Nikola, we are delighted to host you on Paradox, what have you been up to lately?
Hi, thanks for having me!
I just finished an extensive album last month, so I am kind of recovering from that while working on the label with my wife and making other preparations for upcoming projects.
- How would you describe the Techno you produce?
This is a difficult question that I do not have a great answer to. I am not even sure that I can call it techno anymore. For me personally it really is just that, techno; but techno that I imagined as a kid everyone would be making in 2024. My perception of the genre always was that it is an ever-evolving one. Lately I’ve come to terms with the fact that I was most likely wrong, and that intentionally or not, the community likes to keep it in the progenitor form. So, now I have to say something like: techno/breakbeat/industrial/idm/score or invent a new genre name in the future…
- You released your new LP “Kornukopiya” few days ago on VOID+1 Records and we really like the result! What made you feel it was the right time for this new LP?
Nothing specific was the catalyst for it. I produce a lot in general, so I decided to test myself and see how fast I could make a conceptual project on a larger scale while intentionally upgrading my previous sound. It felt like I “needed” to do it, and I trust my intuition.
By the way, we are curious to know what kind of setup did you use for this LP ?
That’s quite simple actually. Everything was synthesized in Phase Plant, minus some sounds for layers, percussion and vox that I recorded with an old Zoom H4N. My daw is ableton live.
- What was the most important thing that drives your creative process for this new LP?
Imagination. I always “see” the tracks, it is just a matter of knowing how to translate them into a project fast enough so that the lined up ideas don’t fade away. My tracks are usually meant to be micro-movies, as silly as that may sound. The process for all of my productions is basically about establishing ultimate control over the idea and handling it with the utmost respect. Arrangement is the only part of the process where I improvise and have some fun, albeit within a predetermined structure.
- Let’s talk about the Techno scene in Turin. You are from Serbia and you are based in Turin (Italy). What would be according to you the most influencial artists that has shaped the scene? Do you feel the scene there has developed a specific sound so far?
I don’t think I have been here long enough to have the best insight for Turin’s clubbing and its history, or even the region’s for that matter, but I will answer from the experience I have so far: Genau as an organization is doing a great job at promoting techno and balancing acts that are getting booked. As for artists, I know that for example Stenny and Boston 168 are from Turin, both acts are successful but have a vastly different style, so I don’t think there’s a specific sound that is bound to the region, which is great and healthy in my opinion.
- Any special venue you recommend in Turin?
There’s not a lot of venues sadly, at least that I am aware of, but I really like Azimut as it has a very cozy vibe. There’s also a sense of community although I am not the best person to judge that as an outsider. Everyone is very friendly and eager to have a conversation in the resting area and I always see familiar faces, which is an indicator of a dedicated crowd and it always brightens my mood. Kappa is also taking place in a great outdoor location, but I must admit that I have never been there during the festival itself, as I am usually either elsewhere or too lazy to go.
- Any plans for a live PA in the future?
Yes. I am in the process of restarting my live PA. In 2019 I have decided to stop for no other reason than my ego to be completely honest. A big part of my identity is djing and for some reason promoters were focused solely on me as a producer and a live act to the point that my bookings were 80% live and 20% dj. Often I had to hear “I didn’t know you are a DJ”. I consciously lost a lot of gigs because of my decision to stop playing live, which I was ok with as it was important to me to establish the balance between djing and live. But now, people are slowly forgetting that I have ever played live, so It is time to go back to live with a new setup and me and my wife are even planning an AV live project for the future.
- As a DJ, you must come across loads of promos. What do you think about the current production in the techno circuits? Is there enough sense of creativity or innovation according to you?
The amount of promos I receive is overwhelming, but there’s not nearly enough of something I would classify as creative or innovative sadly. The quality of productions is amazing nowadays, yes. Probably because of all the tutorials available in this day and age. However the creativity / innovation aspect is heartbreaking. If anything, I have to dig twice as long as before to find something palatable. Everything sounds the same. On top of that it is utterly boring. Ironic that in the past, great compositions were struggling to sound professional and today everything sounds super professional, but lacks any essence or individuality whatsoever. Although this may sound bleak, I believe it will bring forth a new era of “underground” in the next year or two in the form of something akin to a rebellion. Signs of this are already starting to show, and I find they are growing exponentially from month to month.
- Only few artists have found their specific sound and we really think you’ve found your own… How would you describe your sound by the way? What gears/vst’s are the most important to reach this specificity?
Thank you.
I don’t know how I would exactly describe it though… At its core it is… honest maybe? What you hear is what I am. Style-wise, I would say, it is “biomechanical” with a pinch of esotericism.
As for vsts, right now I exclusively use phase plant as there is nothing that comes close to it in terms of the possibilities it provides me. I highly encourage everyone to start using it and take the time to learn it properly. I don’t think it is something you “need” for a similar sound, but it is definitely the best tool to learn that I know of for accurate results. In fact, it is the best for any electronic genre you want to produce, but you do need to know what you are doing, which is not rocket science, it just requires some time-investment.
- How did you build the mix for Paradox?
We are doing our best to present a variety of styles with artists on Void+1 so we can steer a part of the community in the direction we think the scene has to / will take. I wanted this mix to reflect that, so I dug deep into my vaults for some older tracks and different styles to accompany the super fresh productions of 2024 from my peers. A public thank you to all the producers who created these amazing tracks. Please make more!
- You’ve played many gigs in France & Paris so far, in which venue did you have your most pleasant experience here?
- The world of electronic music is based on debates nowadays, is it better on vinyl or mp3 in terms of mixing, can a dj be only someone that creates a set based on other’s productions or does he have to produce too… Does this mean that electronic music has become something to gossip about? Do we care too much about what’s around and not only about the music?
Well, people love to talk about things they are in no position to talk about. It’s kind of like when every grandpa thinks he’d be better at leading the losing football team than the coach because he accidentally scored a goal for his classroom in the 6th grade. The issue with club-music is the non-existence of quality control and close to zero requirements for participation. It makes one feel very knowledgeable and very important really fast. Then they surround themselves with people who think the same exact way and their opinions just become mere echoes of the herd. That feeling of competence couldn’t be further from the truth than thinking you are superman cause you put on a cape though. Without quality control and entry requirements, the herd mentality prevails and spreads like a disease across all layers of the scene and voila, here we are: talking about digital vs vinyl in 2024 when neither the digital nor the vinyl djs really know what they are doing, sadly. Does it matter which medium one uses? Absolutely not. But what you are doing with the medium matters. And why is there a debate? Insecurities and self-validation. Everyone wants to feel like they matter with less than minimal effort made. Diminishing the importance of the “opposing team” helps with construction of self-defense systems around their fabricated ideologies. Our scene sadly provides a great podium for this. It’s easy to feel like a rockstar and preach an ideology you acquired to cope with your insecurities. Djing can be as easy or as complicated as one wants to make it. How about we at least make it complicated before we engage in debates? Let’s start by debating less and practicing more perhaps?
And, sadly, it is a “yes” for both of the last two sub-questions. Music has become the last link of the chain in the scene. I am not preaching about times long gone and I don’t like the sentiment of “it used to be better”. I just want all of us to improve. The better the work of a producer, DJ, mastering engineer, and agent or promoter, indeed everyone involved, the more and better fans we will attract and nurture for future generations. Without shifting the focus back on the music, this won’t be possible and our community will continue to decay. The scene is not irreparable though; far from it. I think it is quite the opposite and that we will witness an age of prosperity in the next few years. In fact, I believe that our scene can be better than it ever was. We just need to start using our brains instead of repeating stuff we read online like parrots, and behaving like hired monkeys who dance for clicks in hope for money.
- Are there any new artists and labels focusing your attention that you want to share with us?
There’s a LOT. Sadly due to digital noise I addressed in the promo-question, they are buried in the sea of mud created by the parasites of the scene. Whoever takes time to read this, please, when looking for new music, be patient and dig deeper. It doesn’t matter if you are a casual fan, professional dj or promoter, your choices matter. I know it is annoying and it takes time but I promise it will pay off!
What I obviously need to mention is our own label, Void+1 and all the artists involved and their respective labels. I think it is a good place to start as you can open all artists in tabs and then check for other labels they release on and then check those labels for other artists and then: rinse and repeat! This is a great method for any genre obviously.
Apart from V+1, there are a lot of artists who are absolutely amazing, and I am not trying to act pc, but no matter how long of a list I make, I will probably forget someone and feel bad about it later, so, happy treasure hunt! 🙂
- What’s coming up next for you?
Right now, together with my wife I am laser-focused on preparing Void+1 for 2025. We have an exciting roster and concept planned that we will share info about in a couple of months, but there is so much work that we hardly have time for anything else. I am obviously working on new music every day as well and, at the moment, on some exciting collaborations even.
Thanks a lot Nikola, we hope to see you very soon somewhere, keep the good vibe on!
Love and respect