Music captivated me when I was just five years old. I remember walking beneath the windows of the music school and dreaming of striking the piano keys; later, my mother enrolled me at that school, and I would leave kindergarten during quiet time to attend lessons. Seven years at music school completely put me off playing that instrument.
Then came institute, which brought a host of new acquaintances and interests. I was seized by punk rock. I began playing guitar. The band "La-5 v vozdukhe" appeared, where I sang and played lead and bass. It was an amazing time of getting into the scene, discovering my own abilities, meeting interesting people, and so on and so on.
The story of how "La-5" turned into the drum and bass DJ Zemine has been retold online many times, so I will repeat myself. At Griboedov, during a showing of my own collection, "Daring and Bad Taste," in the summer of 1998, I met DJ Gvozd, whom a friend had invited to take part in the show as a model. A month later, the drummer left "La-5," and we decided to try experimenting with drum and bass. The three of us played our songs on guitars, reworked to fit a d&b rhythm, while Gvozd played his mix. We had four performances at Griboedov with this punky-drum and bass project, as we called it. After that, the band broke up, while I remained with drum and bass.
DJing attracted me, tired as I was of group creativity, with its freedom and solitude. A DJ belongs entirely to themselves while performing and does not have to look back at the actions of the team. There is more individualism here. Once again, I tried myself as a DJ at Griboedov. This was at the end of 1998. At first, these were simply records of my favorite music, from punk rock to funky house. Then I tried mixing drum and bass, and the sensations that came over me when I played my first jungle mix made me abandon everything and devote myself to jungle. Dreams of a Fender Stratocaster and an album were sacrificed while launching Saint Petersburg’s first drum'n'bass record label, RESPECT.
Then there were jungle parties at "Griboedov," "Spartak," "Klim Voroshilov," "Ot Vinta," "Port," "Saigon," "Pyatnitsa," "Mama," and "Para"; trips to Yekaterinburg, Petrozavodsk, Moscow, Krasnoyarsk, Kharkiv, Irkutsk and KazAntip; and all kinds of radio and television shows. I not only performed at various events myself, but was also the organizer of a huge number of jungle parties in Saint Petersburg.
Among the parties I organized, I can recall a series of events at the Griboedov, Klim Voroshilov, Pyatnitsa and Tunnel clubs; the Saint Petersburg leg of the European Club Tour 2001 by Gush Collective (Germany); the All-Russian Drum'n'Bass Convention (2001 and 2002); the first official party of the English drum'n'bass label DSCI4 in Saint Petersburg, featuring Sta & Paul B and Black Sun Empire (September 2002); Pyro’s visit to Saint Petersburg (Denmark; Nerve, Perspective and Industry labels); and others. In the summer of 2002, I organized drum'n'bass parties at KazAntip on the Saint Petersburg dancefloor.
I also took part as a DJ in a huge number of events featuring Western stars. The most interesting included the famous series of Progression Sessions parties from Good Looking Recordings (Live in Moscow, 2002); Stepping Sessions with Matt Cantor in Moscow (Freestylers); DJ Parade 7 with Bad Company (2002); and Women’s Day at Tunnel with Eva Cazal (Tresor, Berlin).
I am currently involved in organizing an event called "Pirate Station," featuring artists such as Goldie, Aphrodite and Technical Itch. But my main projects still remain "Respect" and the "All-Russian Drum&Bass Convention."
"The All-Russian Drum'n'Bass Convention" is an annual festival of drum'n'bass music, held with the participation of more than 50 of the best drum'n'bass musicians and DJs from Saint Petersburg, Moscow, other Russian cities, the Baltic states and Ukraine. The event has been taking place in Saint Petersburg for two years already, is of enormous importance to Russia’s club culture, and enjoys the deserved respect and attention of promoters, DJs and musicians from all the cities of Russia and neighboring countries. It is precisely the All-Russian Drum'n'Bass Convention that has become a foundation for drum'n'bass culture, where intercity contacts, touring, collaboration and projects of all kinds are born, experience is exchanged, and new talent is discovered.
As for Respect, it is not only a promotion group, but also a scene that brings together Saint Petersburg drum and bass musicians—the projects 3'0'3 Project, GOOASH, Mekanic Duo, SPBass Team and R.E.S.T.Art—and DJs—Gvozd, T.Half, Zemine and E-beat—as well as a releasing label. Respect Records already has around 14 successful drum and bass and 2step releases to its name, released with the participation of well-known DJs from Saint Petersburg and Moscow, and DJs and musicians from Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Dnipropetrovsk and Germany. Respect Records released a mix by Gush Collective—the first legal 2step release by a Western artist on a Russian label.
As for labels—the question journalists love to ask—I was brought up on techstep, on labels such as Audio Couture, Tech Itch and Moving Shadow. Later, I developed an understanding of what I was doing and began following all the new trends, but the techstep sound still remains my priority.
Of course, I understand that DJing without production is nothing. A DJ who does not strive to become a music producer will stop developing at some point and will not reach a world-class level. Although I do not want to diminish the art of DJing in the slightest. Presenting music beautifully and harmoniously, and being closer to the music consumer, is no less important than writing music in our age of consumption.
The most important thing in a mix for me has always been mixing. I love long, beautiful and harmonious mixes, the interweaving of melodies and rhythm. At the same time, I do not get carried away with a single sound during a set; I like changing moods, moving from light—from my favorites, Mathematics, Marky and Plex, and labels GLo, Tangent and Aspect—to heavy—Concord Dawn and Dylan, and labels Ram, Renegade Hardware, Metalheadz, Penetration and Tech Itch—and from the latest hits to old school.
In Saint Petersburg, I am used to playing for a crowd that knows and feels me, and I know that when I play at my own parties, I feel the dancefloor and the dancefloor feels my mood. I never completely give in to the dancefloor; of course, I like to indulge my favorites, but sometimes I can be contrary as well. As for other cities, communicating with a new dancefloor is always interesting and refreshing. I usually manage to fit into any atmosphere, and I always connect well with people.
It is also important not only what I play, but how I play it. For me, the physicality of movement and the visual aesthetics of my presence behind the turntables are very important. Lesha Haas once even remarked that I was "one of the few elegant DJs," and that he enjoyed watching me play.
DJ Zemine, 20 December 2002
