feeder insider w/ Primărie [en]

feeder insider w/ Primărie
feeder insider w/ Primărie

[ro]

feeder insider extended interview with Primărie

There’s no way to say Tzinah Records without immediately spelling out Primărie‘s name – and then instantly remembering one of his dance fever-inducing sets. Relentlessly promoting local talent, Dan Primaru didn’t stop at setting up a label and started his own agency, aptly named Tzinah Family. We sat down with this fun-loving one-man show and talked at length about his musical voyage, future plans for the Tzinah universe and what it is about a party that truly makes him tick.

keywords: smart, connected, web, electronica, international, Tzinah

When I travel, I enjoy… reading.
I find peace in… music.
I get the best feeling… behind the decks.
Amsterdam means to me… funny freedom.
As a child I dreamt of becoming… a “business man”.
My favourite food is… watermelon.
My second home is… Berlin.
A special place in Cluj would be… LaGazette.
Romania’s seaside needs some… underground culture.
This summer I discovered three artists I can’t get out of my head… Libe, Costin Rp, Loxique.

Primărie 1

Alexandru Bogdan: Hello, Dan! 2015 was a full year for you. Plenty of events at La Gazette in Cluj Napoca with Saboar, then together with March came Eden where you played alongside Faster and Jozhy K, event followed by more music at Arad’s Classical Theatre as part of ABC’s concept party. The passage between spring and summer was celebrated through Florar, a party ignited by you, Ali Nasser [E VOIE] and Dannilov at Shelter. How did you feel about this year and which event left a special taste afterwards? Compared to Bucharest, how is the audience in Cluj?

Primărie: Hello Feeder team. Yes, we have been active this year with more and more successful events. We started the year nicely, “at home”, with the NYE show at La Gazette, then for the first few months we did some charming events in Romania, like Trippin Cafe, 180 Targu-Mures, and after we went to play Bruxelles, Berlin and Austria. I can honestly say that the nicest were the #TzinahShowcases in Cluj, where we found the right people for our music, which makes me very happy.

And while we are at it, in my opinion, the atmosphere in Cluj is much warmer and more relaxed, I’ve only met beautiful people here. I believe these are two very important things for a DJ.

A.B.: Many events outside Romania this year as well: May took you to Riga, Latvia for the One One party where you played alongside Adrianho, after that April came with the Tzinah Records Showcase from Hungary’s Jate Klub; in Germany you’ve had a series of parties, like the one at Chalet, Berlin and you recently returned from the Vision Room, Belgium. Which countries would you like to come back to and which new one’s would you go to?

Primărie: Of course, this year I was also in London, where I must say I was pleasantly impressed by the fact that people were very responsive to the Romanian sound and I could therefore easily express my authentic spirit. I am really happy that I will be returning there on the 25th of July. At Vision Room in Belgium I enjoyed a special energy and I also hope to return there soon. This summer I would looove to return to Underground, Ibiza and for the near future South America is a special temptation.

Dan Primaru

A.B.: For the past 8 years you have dedicated yourself exclusively to music by being a full-time DJ, label owner and producer. What were the key moments in your career and what did they help you discover?

Primărie: One thing I can tell you for sure, there isn’t a day without new music. It is not something I am chasing, but I believe it is important, for me at least, to be up-to-date with the new ideas and concepts coming from the music-makers. Of course, also what counts a lot is to go and listen to your favourite DJ, see how things go with other parties, learn and even get inspired.

A lot of times, taking a break for a few days works when you want to reboot. All these things help you and give you the strength to move forward, to evolve.

Primărie 2

A.B.: Tzinah Records brings together many names coming from different countries, tell me, how do you guys synchronise, how do you keep connected, and what ensures the flow of your creative process?

Primărie: Being the A&R and manager, I’m in charge of all these things, it does take a lot of time and involvement, but when working with the right kind of dedicated people everything flows. Right now we have over 130 artists, our e-mail communication is very active and we are linked via Facebook as well.

A.B.: The guys from Whatpeopleplay published a worthy review for the TZH060 which got released in June under the name – “Collectzinah”. Tzinah Records is growing through its new members, talented artists such as PlusculaarLoxique,OctaveCheise, Grooverique, Zahir (DE) or Herck. Tell us what are you guys working on for the summer, EPs, compilations, launch events? Perhaps you can tell us a bit about the next vinyl release, VA – Tzinah on Black 002?

Primărie: We are very pleased about the review from Whatpeopleplay, we are looking forward to more of the kind. We have a lot of EPs under wraps, with the artists you mentioned above and more, new materials are about to be released from Herck, Costin Rp, Alex Kravitz, Mihai Pol, Andru, Andu Simion… uh, we have our work cut out for us :). Always, with each 5 releases, we push out a VA with new talents, willing to make a name for themselves, and for this year we are planning another one with renowned artists, but everything remains a surprise for now. As for the vinyl, there we’ve decided to make VAs also in order to focus more on the music and not the artist, this being our concept for ‘Tzinah Black’. TKHBK002 includes tracks from Silat Beksi, Dani Casarano and Derek. I don’t anticipate any launching events before an album comes out, but keep an eye on #TzinahShowcase :)

Primărie 3

A.B.: Both your artist’s page and the website of Tzinah Records are constantly updated with actual information, how much does on-line communication represent right now?

Primărie: If I were a clubber in 2015, I would want to be in touch with everything connected to music (artists, parties, venues, timetables, releases etc.). And I can say that at the moment this is very important for a DJ, at least for one who aspires to forge a permanent and close bond with his audience.

A.B.: This summer Transylvania plays rough. We won’t even be up after the intense shockwave of Electric Castle Festival that you’ll be taking us to your afterparty on the 27th of June. In July we will hear you at SunSpot, while in August you will feature at “In Transylvania” festival. Did I miss anything?

Primărie: Yes, well noted, there are three major festivals which we will be enjoying this summer in Transylvania! Meanwhile there will be events at La Gazette in Cluj Napoca, Bar512 in London and a #TzinahShowcase in Basel, Switzerland. For the first time I will be mixing in Budapest for Contra Mundum. There are other TBC events as well and, just as you said, our pages are updated daily, so I invite you all to follow them.

A.B.: How would the perfect event look like to you?

Primărie: Good question :) I could talk at length on this subject, but I will be short and express my point of view. A successful event starts out with a dinner between the promoters in order for us to get to know and become more familiar with each other, after comes a bit of socialising inside the club to get to know the party better and the kind of people who attend it and finally… ‘let’s play some music’. I’m not finished… I would like to remind you all how great it would be if everybody could play for at least 3 hours, right?! :)

And for a party to be perfect, it should be followed by a special afterparty, because the afterparty is the place where I can best express myself.

Primărie 4

A.B.: Do you have a preferred state of mind or do you just jump right in the production process, regardless of melancholy, exuberance or other feelings?  Could we talk about the studio? What kind of instruments do you believe aptly reflect what you are seeking in sound?

Primărie: When I make music I like to be carefree. I enjoy happy music, and in order to make such music I need a certain state of mind. About the studio I do not want to go into details now, all I can say is that Ableton Live works for everything.

A.B.: This year feeder celebrates 11 years of online activity. When and why did you log in for the first time?

Primărie: Can’t exactly remember, it was surely long time ago when I was trying to promote my first parties. A lot has changed since then and I am happy that now, in 2015, you are our media partners. Hopefully there will be many more like these in the future, even more beautiful ones!

Primărie 5
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Words & Translation Alexandru Bogdan
Photo VJ VLC

Feeder Insider explores the universe surrounding music and visual arts through open conversations with local and international artists. Join us here on our weekly crossing of the border between human and technological. An editorial project co-financed by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund (AFCN).
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