“I hope listeners stay delighted” – interview w/ TRICKSTER
We’ve caught up with Alexey Groshkov a.k.a. TRICKSTER, also one of the co-founders of Basic Algorithm Records and one of the organizers of Russia’s BK event series and asked him all about that, and more. Best served audio-illustrated!
– How has the underground music scene, the psytrance scene changed in Russia from 1997 when you first heard psytrance… And where was that? Who were the artists that hooked you?
– Yeah, certainly there are huge changes in the Russian scene, which happened in the past decade. Before it was just a couple of credible promoters who threw regular parties around Moscow, and you chose to go to one of them this weekend, or to others the next week. But when there was a party with foreign artists, then everyone was waiting for it. Also there were a few underground trance clubs where most of the people were hanging around. As for me, my first party was iconic for the Russian scene, Orbita Rave 2 hosting few thousand people. It was inside the cycle track stadium in Moscow and I was brought there by my friends, at first I was a bit shocked but I liked it and it has become a big part of my life.
Nowadays things are of course a lot different – many people who are trying to make parties and even more people visiting them, some annual summer festivals have started happening. Many international artists play in Russia almost every weekend. Parties have started splitting into subgenres within psychedelic trance music. For example we have Suomi sound parties, darkpsy parties, full on and even hi-tek parties.
Speaking about my musical tastes, there were many artists who influenced it. Russian artists of course too, but there were not so many of them in those times. In general I liked most of the stuff released on Flying Rhino, T.I.P., Dragonfly, Blue Room.
– When was DJ Trickster created? Which gig do you consider your first proper success? Is there any crazy story behind your artist name?
– Well I started to dj around 1997-1998 using this alias, when we were making really small private parties with friends. This nickname I chose when I came across one article published in a popular Russian magazine dedicated to underground electronic music and nightlife about the guy who called himself Trickster. You know, those were the times when the internet wasn’t so widespread yet, we used to read about new things in that sort of printed media. Well, recognition came later when I was invited to play in other cities of Russia and Ukraine.
How have you personally and music-wise developed till now?
– Well my musical tastes shifted from morning melodic music to hard darkpsy. And nowadays I mostly play nighttime psytrance and I think that’s the most interesting style for me at the moment.
– You’ve been involved in the scene at least from 2001 when you and some friends organized the first BK party, which has become one of the best underground festivals in Russia… What were/are the difficulties and rewards of making the BK series happen. What was the driving force, the concept, the inspiration behind it all?
– Well, in those days when the internet was just making its first steps of controlling ones’ minds – we had this big web forum about psy music, where many people shared their opinions on many different related things, including myself. Then the idea of making a party where everyone from that forum could play the music they liked was purposed. And we did, and it was called BK-1 which hosted just 30 people.) However, it became a tradition and BK started to grow gradually and more and more people were coming each time. So we needed more sounds, more equipment and it turned into a proper underground festival of those days. For BK is mostly a family of like-minded people, we’ve known each other for almost 15 years and that’s still a meeting place where everyone can share their musical tastes.
– What are some of the realizations you had, inspirations that you picked up during your “crazy travels and amazing parties all over the world” that are perhaps reflected in the music you play, in the events you bring to life at home?
– Hm, well speaking about “crazy travels”, of course, like many others, I was totally amazed during my travels to India and Nepal. And an also very mind-changing experience for me was my first BOOM in 2004 . Since then I have been to European festivals many times, including Ozora in the past three years and each time it’s sort of a crazy experience. But of course the main motivating event of my life in the last 2,5 years is the birth of my son.
– You founded the Basic Algorithm Records label with Dj Metalgear from Insomnia Rec. and Dj Plazmer in 2012. What made you start the label? How would you like it to shape the overall scene and ‘the sound of psy’?
– Nowadays there are hundreds of different labels on the scene and the amount of releases is growing like a tsunami, but as a dj, very often when I’m listening to a new release I have a feeling that I would love to change something in it, like some track seemed to be not relevant somewhere or the opposite, that something is missing on that CD and so on. We decided to found a label mostly to share our vision and taste with others after gaining so much experience at the parties and playing hundreds of dj sets. Also there are many new great artists who we want to support and promote.
– Which artists do you consider the ultimate pioneers of psychedelic music and of psytrance? Who do you consider the most innovative sound-makers today – any recent discoveries that blew you mind?
– Well pioneers of psytrance for me are certainly являются Hallucinogen, Shpongle, Etnica, Juno Reactor, X-Dream, Logic Bomb, Penta. Hux Flux. But actually the list of artists who made significant impact on psychedelic sounds can be way too long for an interview.
Nowadays there are also many great acts. As for Russia there is Fungus Funk for sure, as well as Wishi, Sorrowmurk, Groove Hunter to name but a few. Also I’m always very excited with new sounds of Synthetic Chaos Babagoon, Mind Pirates, Meercut, Gaspard. I heard Synthetic Chaos live at the preparty of the Moscow edition of Modem Festival and it was fantastic.
– If you had all the time, energy and opportunity in the world, what else would you be doing, organizing, creating? What else are you passionate about?
– Hhmm, a good question. Well, I would probably organize a shelter for homeless animals. Even now I have 4 cats living with us and two of them were found on the streets. I always feel sad when I see animals thrown out by someone.
Also I’m keen on freeride snowboarding. I rode in the Himalayas, Europe and recently came back from Elbrus where we spent great time with friends. And my special Russian fun – winter swimming in holes in ice. Each weekend, doesn’t matter what the time of year it is or the weather, I try to swim in the lake.
– What are you most looking forward to right now? What are you working on or just planning?
– We are finalizing a compilation for our label, we almost have all tracks put together and just need to do the proper mastering and original artwork. And also we are preparing for our next long-awaited summer BK festival that will be sort of a milestone – 15th year! We will host many international artists and of course the best local djs.
– In a few words about the mix…?
– In this mixtape I tried my best to collect the most interesting new stuff and we will be featuring 3 tracks from our upcoming compilation on it as well. I hope listeners stay delighted.
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