A newcomer in the Ozorian Valley this summer, Kosovan DJ and Vargmal Records‘ label manager, GENT is on his way to the 2019 Dome stage. Listen to his exclusive radiOzora mix while you read a bit behind the scenes, about the artist audioillustrated.

– What were some of the events or experiences that set you off on this journey?

It all started when I was a kid, probably around 10 or 11, I would check out my uncle’s music library and listen to the music he was on back then. I still have some of the CDs around from that time, mixes from the likes of Sven Väth, Richie Hawtin, Marco Carola and DJ Rush.

Later on, I got into early Goa trance, again through my uncle and a very dear and influential Kosovo forum of the time called PSYKS, a place where I learned a lot of stuff and met the nicest community in my town.

After a couple of years, at the age of 14, I went to my first rave, an experience that got me really into the music and the whole culture around it. This interest and passion eventually grew to the point that I wanted to go behind the decks myself and be part of this scene.

– How has your taste in music developed throughout the years?

It started with electronic music and it’s still pretty much all around it but now it’s much wider and richer. Throughout the years I got deeply into it and became kind of obsessed with music digging, which led me to discover a whole lot, be open to everything and truly appreciate a lot of aspects of the music culture.

– Who do you think are the most cutting-edge newest sound makers in the electronic music scene? Who are your newest discoveries?

At the moment, the whole new generation of the UK bass music scene producers from labels like Livity Sound, Whities, Timedance and more are making some of the most exciting and forward-thinking music. They’re fusing bits and pieces of different styles into new directions and results are often mindblowing!

As of new discoveries, I am always looking for new music but lately, I am rediscovering and finding a lot of late 1980s and ‘90s records related to or in the vein of classic groups such as Cabaret Voltaire, Psychic TV, and Coil.

– Which artists remain the ultimate classics for you in the scene or in music generally?

That’s a tough question, there are way too many to name. If I’d say in a more general context and the influence of particular eras and styles on me, even though it is quite impossible to list them all, I would say the early UK ambient techno and IDM, Detroit techno and house, ‘90s Goa trance, Basic Channel and Hardwax related dub and techno, Japanese new age and ambient, American minimal music, late ‘60s and ‘70s Krautrock and psychedelic rock, traditional African and Asian music, Albanian Iso-Polyphony and overall world music.

– What are you working on at present? What are you looking forward to the most?

I am fully focused on finishing the long overdue debut release of my label Vargmal Records, the most exciting and challenging endeavor so far. I really worked slowly on this project, which is a compilation album of various artists to be released as a 12” vinyl record.

The aim is to create a narrative of the whole label’s sound into one release, an introduction record to the whole variety of sounds the label will host but at same time showcasing that all of these compositions have a particular vibe to them that ties them together, which is basically what I am trying to do with the label. A unified platform representing the transcendental side of music while having different sounds with the same values in one single concept and standing for the motive behind the music rather than genre, style or BPM.

If everything goes as planned, you’ll have the chance to hear it by the end of the year. After it, there are also plans for a couple of EPs, which you’ll get to hear in the future.

Besides the label work, I am also really looking forward to a couple of future gigs, getting back to the studio after a few months, and finishing the work plan of probably the most successful project I started so far, Orb Mag, an online magazine that covers a wide range of alternative music, art, culture, and technology founded last year by me and two friends, Arian and Dren.

– Scene at home?

The electronic music scene in my hometown Prishtina started after the war of the ‘90s and is booming right now like never before. Loads of events with some of the best names from mainly the techno scene, particularly from organizations like Hapësira, Servis, and DokuFest.

Experiencing these events with this many people is very satisfying and new to our scene, everything is growing fast and I am really curious to see where this is all going to lead.

– What do you think about psychedelic festivals and their role in our lives, if any?

Psychedelic festivals represent a particular subculture with its own lifestyle and way of thinking which is an experience on its own that is much more than the music in there for me, although the music is a very important part of it.

Most of these festivals have resisted in lots of aspects not being commercialized and driven by sponsors, which for me shows the power of this subculture to work on its own terms. This way these festivals become spaces where this community experiences a sense of freedom and collective celebration.

– Have you been at OZORA before? If yes, what are your expectations for this year? What are you surely going to try out or check out? If not, what have you heard, what are you looking forward to?

This year is my first time at Ozora and I have heard a lot about it from friends that have been before and seen even more on the internet. I don’t prefer to go to new places and for new experiences based on expectations but I am sure I am in for something memorable.

I will be playing at The Dome, which I am really excited about and that is the event I am most looking forward to experiencing.

– Are you preparing anything extra for your performance at OZORA?

I have already started collecting material and a portion of that is some unreleased label material, which I will premiere at the festival. Being part of such a festival with a huge history behind it and alongside those names is something really special for me, and I am honored to be part of it.