Boris Brejcha: I am listening to Pop and Rock, but never to Techno

Reveal the man behind the mask – Boris Brejcha, the High-Tech Minimal founder. Waiting to hear his special vibes at EXIT 2018 on the 14th of July at Dance Arena? Before that, travel with Boris throughout the musical world.

Anastas: Greetings Boris, from the independ Bulgarian media for music – DJambore.com. I’m glad to have the chance to contact you at the beginning of the festival season, a month before you are going to play at the famous Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad, at Exit 2018.

What are your expectations for the summer since your popularity is growing so fast?

Boris Brejcha: Usually, I am trying to have no expectations when I’m going somewhere. I want to be unprejudiced, and I want to make my own experiences, even if I heard a lot about a certain festival.

For the summer in general, I am looking forward to many cool festivals and parties, good times with good drinks and good friends. I am trying to enjoy every moment.

Have you ever played somewhere in the Balkans? We hear quite often that the public here is more passionate and even a bit “crazy” …

Yes, I’ve played in the Balkans a few times yet. Yes, the people are absolutely crazy! They’re doing very good parties and had been an amazing crowd, every time I was there. They’re going with the vibe and you can feel that they have a passionate love for music. I would say the fans from the Balkans are comparable to those from Argentina. CRAZY!

Interesting comparison… Let’s get back to the venue of Exit Festival – the Petrovaradin Fortress, which is an awesome place for parties in our opinion. Which are the best venues you’ve ever played?

One of my favorite venues of all the time is definitely the beach, where „Universo Parallelo“ Festival takes place. It’s in Brazil and its absolutely stunning to dance under palm trees right in front of the sea. Beside of that, they always have very spectacular stages. For me, it’s a paradise.

I also love „La Fabrica“ in Cordoba very much! As the name says, it’s an old factory, which makes the location very cool and very underground. Its the perfect place for techno parties and the people are driving crazy, every time I am playing there.

The electronic scene has never been bigger and more popular in Bulgaria and you have a lot of fans in our country. What would you say to the people that won’t have the chance to see you at the EXIT Festival in Novi Sad?

I think the people who are not able to see me at EXIT festival this year, don’t have to be sad, because I am always trying to play at least once a year in the same region, so I will hopefully be back next year. Somewhere in this area, there will be definitely another chance to come see me. 🙂

Do you feel more comfortable as a DJ or as a producer? Which activity gives you more pleasure – creating your own world of sound or seeing how people interact with it?

I will always love producing most. Thats a huge part of my life, I started as a producer and I am amazed by the opportunity to create your own music. Of course I love „DJing“ aswell, because it’s always a enormous feeling, when you see people dancing to your music, and enjoying it so much. But beeing a DJ can be sometimes very stressful. A lot of traveling and not much sleep, thats very exhausting. When I should decide, I would say I feel more comfortable as a producer.

You describe your style of production as “high-tech minimal”. Tell me, please, the three main factors that helped in forming your own style… or what are the things that you don’t like in the other genres that sound close to high-tech minimal?

In general, high-tech minimal has a lot of minimal influences. Another thing which you can mostly find in all of my tracks is a melodic part and of course a heavy bassline. It is a mix of different genres with my own specific touch. That forms high-tech minimal. To be honest, I am not really able to answer the second question, because I am not listening to electronic music by any other artist. I want to avoid being influenced by other musicians, so I am listening to Pop and Rock, but never to Techno. 😛

Wow! And how do you decide that a certain ‘noise’ is the right one for a track that you’re working on?

That’s very simple. When I am in my studio, and I am trying a few things and I am listening to different sounds, I am deciding spontaneously. When I hear a certain sound, most of the time I decide within a second if that’s the one I want or not. Often, the best things even arise from an accident.

I am a fan of the mask you‘re using during the performances. Is there anything special about it (like origin, style)?

There is no specific special thing about the mask. I thought it would be a cool thing to present something different than others, so I chose the mask, and that worked out very well. Beside of that, the people love the mask. They are even having tattoos of it. They love it when the music and the lights are kind of melting together with my mask. Everything matches very well. Today, it’s my Trademark and I could not imagine playing without it.

How would you describe a common set of yours? Is it only “high-tech minimal” or does it incorporate different styles and how different are they from one another?

First of all, I am only playing my own tracks. Its not only high-tech minimal, it includes a mix of different genres, because I always produce music according to my mood. So the sets will always reflect my mood from the last months. My tracks are telling a story, in a certain way. That’s why they’re often carry a lot of feeling towards the people, and I think that’s what my fans really like about my music. 🙂

Thank you!