A longtime Greek-Ozorian family member, celebrating his 10th Djing anniversary in the valley this summer, DJ DOC has had an encounter with The Prophet, to get you spiced up in an audioillustrated way together with his radiOzora mix.

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

Τhis journey started in 1996, when I was Djing at rock & metal clubs. At the same time, the first goa psy trance parties were held at a small club, called ‘Acid Club’, in Thessaloniki. One night after my Dj set at the rock club, I visited Acid Club, where there was a Flying Rhino event with James Monroe and Dominic. There I had an apocalyptic psychedelic experience that changed my life and set me off on this journey. Music was never the same again after that night. After that, my first trips to India and Thailand back in 1998 – 2001 offered me amazing experiences that shaped my musical journey for a lifetime!

How was your alter ego born?

The nickname ‘Doc’ was given to me by a good friend back in the 80’s, after my persistence in him visiting a doctor with his steady cough. Consequently, the nickname stuck with me throughout the years and finally became my Dj name.

Who have your greatest teachers been, your greatest inspirations? Who has had the greatest influence on your musical soundscapes?

Before psytrance, my greatest psychedelic music inspirations date back to the 80’s, the rock & metal music I was listening to from bands like Motorhead, Hawkwind, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd. In terms of psychedelic music I was really allured by projects like Juno reactor, Eat static, X-Dream, the Flying Rhino and Blue Room labels, which have shaped my taste in psytrance.

How has your sound, your taste in music developed throughout the years?

I consider myself very lucky ’cause I grew up in a house full of music. My parents moved from Athens to Thessaloniki, when I was still a baby, and decided to open a record shop. Therefore, I was listening to different musical genres and as a teenager I was more into punk rock and metal. At the age of 18, I formed a punk rock band in which I was singer. This band lasted 2 years and after that I began playing as a Dj at small bars and rock clubs, from punk rock, to heavy and thrash metal. All that changed in 1996 when I started going to psytrance parties. Since then, I have been hooked to psytrance and as the years went by I started to enjoy more electronic genres like techno, dub step, psydub, psychill and drum’n’bass.

How about those mind-blowing, life-changing experiences that have shaped you and your sound?

During the last 22 years, travelling has opened my mind and gave me many mind-blowing experiences, like my first open-air party in a forest. That was the landmark of my psychedelic consciousness, as I experienced psytrance in nature and this perspective was definitely different from the one in clubs.

Which one of your releases/tracks are the most characteristic of your sounds or stand the closest to you for some reason?

The most characteristic tracks of my sound and style at the moment are included in the latest EP ‘Groove Agents’. It is a collaboration with Mike (Ridden a.k.a Drip Drop) for Harmonia Records, which was released last summer. It includes 2 tracks: ‘Identified’ and ‘Suspects’. There is one more track collaboration with Mike called ‘Flight Module’, which is going to be released on Ridden’s new album. Before that, I was more into psy-progressive production so I really enjoyed this collaboration ’cause it was a transition from psy-progressive trance, a 136 -138 bpm production, to a faster, but still groovy psytrance.

What projects are you involved in?

I’ve been involved in a psy-progressive project called ELSEWHERE (Landmark Records) for two years, with 1 EP and 4 tracks in compilations for Landmark and Ovnimoon Records. I also had 3 collaboration tracks with Ridden for Harmonia Records.

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

For me, the most cutting-edge newest sound makers in the scene are: Virtual light, Filterheads, Module Virus, Ninesense, Ingrained Instincts & Drip Drop. Now as a Dj, I play different psytrance genres and I am always looking for new talented artists in Greece. My newest discoveries in the dark psy-progressive scene are ‘Hecate’, a new promising and gifted talent that has her own unique psychedelic touch in psy music, and ‘Ekahal’, a young artist who already has a professional sound in Psy progressive with some releases. And last but not least, ‘Balliou’, a young psytrance artist who has become a member of Harmonia Records and now he is preparing his killer debut EP.

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

Eat Static, Tristan, Earthling and Frank E have remained the ultimate classic artists that I respect, not only as musicians but also as personalities, since the end of the 90’s.

Scene at home?

The scene at home is growing every year as more young talented musicians appear with fresh ideas.

Most memorable gigs, experiences?

There are many gigs and festivals to remember but the most memorable events are:

1. The opening set for Samothraki festival in 2001
2. Bomodori festival 2001 in Japan
3. Seismic chunk festival Australia in 2002
4. Voov festival Germany in 2006
5. The first Ozora that I played in 2008
6. Desert tribe, Israel in 2011
7. Fusion festival Germany in 2012.
8. Forest star festival Sweden in 2013

What are some of the greatest challenges you faced so far as an artist or producer? How about the moments that you felt were the greatest rewards so far?

Well, I think the greatest challenge that I faced so far was finding the balance between
travelling and music production. Since I was travelling for many years and started playing as a Dj, it was hard to settle in one place and make a studio. Since then I have decided to
give more time to music production. The best rewards are always the smiles and the good vibes I receive every time I finish a Dj set from the people on the dance floor.

Musically speaking what’s still on your bucket list? If it wasn’t this, what would it be?

I would love to experiment with different musical genres such as psydub and dubstep.

What are your other passions in life?

Music has been always my biggest passion in life and I think I’ll stick to music forever. Also, spending good times with family and friends is a passion that lasts forever. Yoga and travelling have also become necessary activities in my life.

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

Right now I am working on a collaboration track with Conwerter for Harmonia Records. I am looking forward to making some more collaborations and an EP for my solo psytrance project ‘Docode’.

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

The most interesting thing about psychedelic festivals is that many people from
around the world have the chance to meet, communicate, dance and share experiences beyond their nationality or their religion. It’s also an option for many people to meet with an alternative lifestyle and enjoy dancing music in nature, which is a unique and totally different experience for ‘club’ people.

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 summer will be my 7th time Djing at Ozora. Actually, it will be my 10th year anniversary Dj set, since my first set was back in 2008 and after that I played in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015. So, for me Ozora is more like a family meeting festival after all these years. Since 2008 Ozora has been growing year by year into one of the biggest gatherings and I consider myself very lucky to be part of this amazing festival.

Are you preparing anything extra for your performance at OZORA?

A good selection of music and focus in the mix and the flow of the set are the key elements for a good performance at Ozora.