Damian Levensohn Interview

We have already shown you a Damian Levensohn mix some time ago which you can check out HERE but since he has put out another stunning mix and there is no way we're not hosting it. And no way we were not dancing to it either! So, using that as an excuse, we caught up with him for a short interview, actually his first ever.

Hi there Damian, lets talk about your first days, you've started as a dj profesionally in 2009, how were your first days?

Well yes, you may say I started by the end of 2009, but I've been mixing music just for myself or my friends some years before that. I never felt the need to show my work until some friends involved in this told me to do so, so I started "profesionally" and the truth is that I loved it. Before that and meanwhile I've been writing for some webmags respected in Latin America.

Which walk did you make until getting to this genres you are playing nowadays?

Tagging genres is something that may become a maze with no exit. I loved music all my life, since what you can reach being a teenager until nowadays I've been listening really diverse musics, I'm one of those who think that besides styles, you can take productive or positive stuff from every genre. To make a timeline I could say that regarding dancefloor music, before getting to dubstep I always had a huge influence on techno and its derivatives. To listen at home: black music, the girls singing and the most emo folk.

Which were the highlights in these last 2 years?

It was a total surprise for me to reach some objectives or wishes so early. Having a regular presence in Cocoliche's booth, the only club in town with real music culture. To launch my own party there -Green Submarine- giving the local dubstep scene a party with cutting edge sound that's not what most of the producers want to sell around here, was amazing. And I had the honour of sharing line ups with some referents like Appleblim, Stephan Bodzin or And.Id. Crazy times.

Tell us about the last mix you've published, that we are presenting now and will be broadcasted through Relevant Radio when it launches.

It's a synthesis of the sounds I've been atracted these days, always inside of what you can define dubstep, going through garage, gangsta or even rooted in techno like some tracks from Modeselektor or Cosmin Trg. It's mainly music you can enjoy both on a dancefloor or on a nice relaxing evening.

There is a rising trend for the live setup on djing, especially in the genres that you work with, will you go on djing old school? What's your opinion on laptop-based dj sets?

The old school vs digital discussion will never get a conclusion, so I think everything is valid, it's just a matter of what is the artist looking for. I'd like to mark a difference here though, there is a situation that I think is less worthy or valid, when you use Live just to make conventional dj sets, and by conventional I mean 2 channels and no FX or any tool that enhances live sound. Personally, I've always used cd's and integrated a Kaoss Pad controller a year ago, giving a lot of live content to the presentations. I don't know about the future, I like to experiment so I don't discard anything.

You had a very good debut djing, in a city whose dubstep scene is very small. The feeling of being in the wrong continent is a classic on lots of dj's over here, have you ever felt that?

Ja! Feeling that you were born in the wrong continent seems to be something really hard. The truth is that I really like Argentina and Latin America, in fact I think someone's roots are a huge influence in every aspect. But, as you say, the scene here is very, very small. The good thing is that it depends on us to make the whole thing grow, and that's what I'm up to now, either generating parties or spreading the word on the web about new sounds in the world that have no space in the local media. If I was born in Europe maybe I'd have everything more handy, but life is not always about the easy stuff.

Which were the latest artists/tracks that blew your mind?

Week after week I discover new records or artists that blow my mind, for instance the latest from Pinch & Shackleton, Bjork or Emika. Every track from xxxy, Culprate or Nguzungunzu.

Tell us about your future plans.

Next is the third edition of Green Submarine, a party that I make together with 2 friends. This time we are hosting Addison Groove, who arrives our country for the first time. And next thing I'm focusing on is a mini tour through Europe on April-June 2012, I'm really looking forward to that, full of expectations.

You can check out more from Damian on his soundcloud page HERE.

Music - DJ's / Bands / Producers