Moskalus

"There are a lot of people with talent and I am really happy that they chose me to be their partner and be able to help them with spreading the word a bit"

Moskalus reates music that works in all settings and transcends genres. His openness to a wide range of sound is what has both made him a widely loved favourite, but also someone who operates in his own parallel musical world. We had a chance to talk to him, so enjoy your reading and check out his latest releases.

What was your first foray into the world of electronic music?

I would definitely say Video Games. I have had GTA 2 and that came with a mix CD Timecode / E-Z Rollers ‎– 99.1. So it was Drum & Bass in the beginning. :~)

In and out of the electronic music circle, who is an inspiration to you?

Musically definitely Jazzanova, Masters At Work, Ricardo Villalobos and many more. I am not sure if there are any people out of electronic music that inspire me, since my life is all about that hehe!

When did the idea of starting a label begin to take shape? Has it always been something you’ve wanted to do? 

I have to admit I did not really have the intention to do a label. Actually the distribution reached to me at first with an offer to have my channel monetized. That did not work very well so i have canceled that. I was helping Simon from the distro with his label and some other projects and he told me it would be a great idea to have my own label, so here we go!

Can you pinpoint any early inspirations for Moskalus in terms of labels, artists, aesthetics or otherwise?

On my first two channels there was no real aesthetic back then. I was just uploading tunes and stuff, mostly with covers or random pictures I found on tumblr. After the years I was getting more into vaporwave and then VHS/Glitch art, that was the driving force for my video productions. I was totally fascinated by the vhs tape feel, glitches and many other elements of this kind of art. That was in 2013 i think. After all the years and experiences everything blended together and my taste in general is really something. Not something I was born with, but something I built.

What is your criteria for choosing artists, projects, releases…?

There is no such thing like criteria in my world. I always find something good in stuff people are sending to me. I just need to go through it and find out what would work out well. There are a lot of people with talent and I am really happy that they chose me to be their partner and be able to help them with spreading the word a bit.

What’s the most satisfying and unsatisfying thing about running a label/platform?

Regarding labels, it is money in the first place. I mean there is no intention of making money from that. It is just that you have to invest something into it, and I am paying everything from my day job money, but I am fine with it. Running platform is from my point of view a bit difficult. It is really time expensive and when i say that, i mean that. I try to have things organized like I do in my office job. So lately it is not so crazy like it used to be. But i have to say it is consuming basically all of my free time. Sometimes I am a bit tired, but it became a strong part of my life. So I am going to the pub first when my mailbox is clear, lol!

What have been your personal highlights and lowlights?

This may be the most common answer but...my parents divorce. But after that everything seems to be my personal highlight. I am a hard worker.

What were your first experiences as a DJ?

My first experience as a DJ was in 2016 at the first ever Banket. That is our party we are doing with my collective Audio Video Bass here in Ostrava. After that it was one crazy ride!

How did you start experimenting with electronic music?

I just downloaded a cracked version of Fruity Loops and was just trying to do something. At that time there were not so many video tutorials like now. So I quickly lost the patience and moved on. Now it is quite difficult to find time for that, but one day i will get back to it!

What is your music criterion?

I can find a beauty in everything. I think this may be the reason why my music world is so big. There are no genre restrictions. I am open to everything.

How would you define your sound?

My sound is raw, jackin ', bangin, sexy, in your face dance music!

Do you think DJs can ever be true artists, or how would you describe their role?

They definitely are! They are storytellers. It reminds me of a quote: “you can teach a monkey to mix two records together, but can you tell a story?”

Would you like to share a set? Can you tell us more about it? When and how was it recorded?

I'd say this one for Sure Thing. I recorded the mix in 2016 and I wanted to show some love to music by UK artists since my musical journey started “there”. At that time I felt like the sound was stagnating and the scene changed a lot. I am always saying that era from 2008 till 2012/13 was the best music wise for me.

What makes a good mix to you?

Eclecticism!

Are you particularly permeable to your environment, creatively speaking? If so, how does it influence your DJ focus?

It really depends on the situation, place and many other things. But with my experience i think i can say i am really flexible. But I like booths just for myself. I don't want any people to be there when i am playing. (Except the crew & other DJs ofc) If i ever blow up, i will have that on my rider, lol!

What is missing from the dance music scene nowadays?

That is a tricky question!

Do you think that after the Covid-19 event, the music industry will change?

It definitely will. But i am not sure how. The problem is so big. It will affect everything. We just need to be patient, disciplined & not ignorant and hopefully we will get at least closer to what it used to be before.

What lesson should we learn from this paralysis?

We should learn that we can do something big together even though we are so far from each other.

What tracks would you recommend us to liven up the confinement?

The Nathaniel X Project - We're All Amazing

Chaos In The Cbd - Our Last Dance

LNRDCROY - I Met You On BC Ferries

These tracks always help me go through hard times :~)

What’s your favourite “save the dancefloor” song?

Bicep - Vision Of Love! This works every god damn time :~)

What are your future plans?

Work harder! Work on the label and work on my own productions!

Moskalus