Nikita Klassen

Born in Karelia, at the age of six moved with his family to Perm, the homeland of his parents.

Graduated from the Higher School of Economics, Faculty of Management.

Quotes

• The best advice is a mother's: build up contacts.
• I feel disappointed when people only use music, and when it becomes an impersonal soundtrack for everyday life and becomes «usic.»
• I am inspired by good weather, the birth of an idea and the first time of its bubbling. And by jalapeno in the fridge.
• You can't avoid good music if you listen a lot.
• We make the history here and now. The sooner you realize this, the sooner you begin to understand how much time do you waste.

My story

I was born in Karelia, in the small town of Segezha, where the only attraction of the city is a paper mill. When I was six, we moved to Perm. I remember when my dad and I traveled in Gaiva bus hustles, I could ask about everything: how does a locomotive work? Why is there a barge on the river? Where does electricity come from? — And dad answered them. This is my favorite childhood memory.

Dad for me is the sample of reasonableness, calmness, and logic, and my mother is the emotional beacon of creativity and fiction. Perhaps it is from them that all my hobbies have grown into what I am doing now.

In any occupation, inspiration is essential, and this is, of course, people who are passionate about what they are doing. In the DJ, Marat Grave and Andrey Vaskin were and still remain my mentors. Marat infected me with playing vinyl as such, so scratching, hip-hop and funk. Andrey was the first who called to perform. These were the «Druzya» («Friends») cafe and the «Vse stili v sile» («All styles in full swing») fest. Our friendship still lasts.

To be blunt, I don't think music education is necessary for DJing. It is enough to love music and want to share it. When you delve into this culture more and more, it is quite possible that the background, for example, of the music school can be useful. On the other hand, for seven years I was taught how to play the flute, but it didn't help me to mix tracks better.

If you make music — just listen and feel.

Everything has changed. Music is everywhere and is for free. Mixes, streams, podcasts, mood radio and soundtracks for running, yoga and fishing sound all over. To tack on this endless stream of impersonality is harder and harder, and to keep attention on something is almost impossible. Music as a consumer product with a short-term taste and fleeting euphoria disappears very quickly. It is replaced by a new one, just as faceless because if you wish, everyone has a whole production studio in your pocket (with its help, you can make a call, yeah).

I do not declare that everything is rotten with music. You just need to appreciate your musical toolkit. Each one is unique. The only difference is how wide it is. Good music cannot be avoided if you listen to a lot.

A hit can be a track from the sounds of bubble-wrap, the work of a gas generator and an owl cry. The main thing is to present it in the right way.

DJ puts it all together to create a mood. A vivid example of this is the legendary Custom House club. I always liked to play in the bar area, it's more comfortable there. One day you can tie yourself into knots, but you won't raise the roof, but the other day you can ride a wave, pick up the crowd and lead them with music. And there are no formulas. Sheer magic.

For almost five years I haven't been preparing any shows in advance, because it's so much easier to rearrange during the set. You never know how it will go, especially when it is not clubs, but bars. For example, Gatsby's bar bodes for get-togethers, dancing is rare, but it happens, and in Smoky dog bar or True Speech bar the atmosphere is different, it is its own one. Trying to catch these features.

It is a pity that the brightest memories of the last DJ year are not connected with my native city, but with tours. Underground is great, but I sincerely want Perm to have a stake not only in baseline, house, and techno.

Dance festivals and battles require an utterly different DJing. Huge responsibility, serious preparation, and concentration. If the dancer is wrong, there can be an excuse. If the DJ is mistaken... Wow... I once went through this.

It's never too late to start learning new things. For me, the last couple of years is house dance. Along the way, fresh breath came to the DJ sets. Even the idea was born to break into house DJs gatherings. I hope it works out.

I like the expression «Modern art has no problems: the author does not understand what is good; the viewer does not understand what is bad. „ With modern music is the same. The irony is that my hobbies are at some kind on all sides of these barricades.

I got high education, but after the institute, I used it absolutely for no good. Neither work in an advertising agency, nor then in the bank brought a feeling that I was doing something constructive. I am glad that by chance I finally found where to use my knowledge.

Plus Market is the brainchild of the whole team, in the starting lineup of which I was not. Together we survived six moves, conflicts with owners, difficulties with suppliers, quarreled with each other and made it up, opened a private gallery, held dozens of exhibitions, festivals and jams. In truth, after all the events it's hard not to be a single „Plus“ family. This is priceless.

Once I helped the guys arrange several orders. Carry stairs and paint buckets, roll up backgrounds. Further, I watched. I still struggle to understand how with the help of spray cans, markers and brushes one can create such masterpieces. I live and breath in the graffiti theme, but I do not paint myself. Nevertheless, all this is so true that it touches. Street art is honest, open and worldwide.

Generations change, and you can see how the young guys try graffiti culture, come to our events. Some of them will be known in a few years. The new feeling of the past year is the responsibility for them. Now we are even more working on their involvement in the movement.

Travels change you a lot, they seem to turn everything in your head, and then put on new places. You will not earn all the money, and emotions and impressions are priceless, so you should travel whenever you can.

On each trip, I go to the vinyl shops and dig up records. I ask where is the sale of all unnecessary, and begin to listen to everything. After 300-400 fluently listened to vinyl records, I leave the store, buying only 3-4 pieces. The buzz is that among a ton of the forgotten and undervalued you can find genuinely magical music. Give her a new life, another chance.

Once on a trip to Peru, I accidentally met a guy from Russia who went to a graffiti festival in Brazil. This is a coincidence. We exchanged a few phrases and went our separate ways. The universe just hears us all indeed.

It happened that street culture with all its aspects and directions, creation and unity is close to me. This is a wonderful feeling. And you know, no less delightful than singing songs with a guitar. It is essential not only to hear but also to listen. We are all learning.

Now I don't want to leave Perm: here is the home, the family, the full-swing business and a lot of things. Of course, everything can change at the moment, but for now, the balance is like that. I am always glad to travel, but in the end, I want to come back, with new understandings and sensations.