We’d like to thank Pasiphae and the Tropism team for making this connection possible.
ra.co
This time, the focus turns once again to The Hague. Intergalactic Gary stands as a long-running figure within a sound and attitude that moved through pirate radio, record labels, club booths, Italo, electro, house, disco and all the strange spaces in between.
Intergalactic Gary’s path starts far from The Hague, in Wellington, New Zealand, but his musical identity was shaped through the city’s Italo disco and electronic scene. He began mixing around 1980, later becoming active in squat parties, clubs and pirate radio stations alongside I-F and crew. From La D.S. in The Hague to The Cybernetic Broadcasting System, from The Parallax Corporation to decades of club and festival appearances across Europe, his work has always existed between scenes, formats and eras.
Right after this year’s IFM Festival and one day before his appearance at Intergalactic FM x Tropism at Astron Club, here is a short Q&A with Intergalactic Gary on radio, local scenes, technology, social media and the dancefloor.
Ines Bodlovic
First of all, thank you for accepting our invitation and taking the time for this Q&A. You’re coming to Athens straight after the IFM Festival. Tell us a few things about this year’s edition — we’d love to hear what feeling this year left you with.
The IFM Festival was a real blast this year, again!
The amount of amazing live artists and DJ’s plus the new and bigger location (Intercity) and the amount of music freaks from all over the world that came over, made it all very special.
You mostly play vinyl, which doesn’t give you the same flexibility as digital. Have you ever felt the dancefloor wasn’t connecting with your set? How do you deal with that?
I haven’t played any vinyl since 2016. After playing “vinyl only” for so many years I wanted to start combining it with playing digital. Adapting to playing digital took me a while, since it felt very boring at first, in order to get used to it I had to switch completely to playing digital with the idea that once I got used to it I could do both at some point. Because of certain issues you have to deal with when playing vinyl like, your record trolly not arriving at the airport, skipping needles, feedback issues etc. I decided to switch completely. Another positive side of playing digital is I can play out my own edits.
If we think of a DJ set as a narrative, is there something you’re trying to express or explore when you play?
Playing music in a DJ set is about expressing emotion, mood, building tension vibe and energy. Also trying to combine different music genres from different eras is something that feels inspiring to do and hopefully translates to the crowd.
You started out with pirate radio, when radio was one of the main ways to discover music you couldn’t find elsewhere. Does radio still play that role today?
It’s a great way to discover music still to this day, old or contemporary music or to get you through the day at work, if you have the option to listen at work.
Even though the pirate radio era had a certain charm to it, it was always limited to being a local thing.
Ines Bodlovic
In the late 2000s, we saw a wave of web radios, acting as alternatives to mainstream media. Do you see web radio as a continuation of pirate radio in the digital era?
It’s a blessing that people can tune in and listen wherever they are thanks to web radio nowadays.
Do you feel part of a local or musical scene, or do you operate more independently?
Somehow I think I’m quite independent in a way, that I keep to myself with most I do, but being able to do so up till this day is all thanks to
I-F and his endless support throughout all those years with IntergalacticFM and everything else he has involved me in and also the support of other people that are somehow connected to IntergalacticFM. I am very grateful for that.
Do local scenes still exist, or has everything become part of one global network?
Local scenes still exist in my opinion, sometimes more unknown globally, but connecting on a more global level has become easier.
Is there any city, outside of The Hague, whose sound or scene you feel close to?
Other places/cities that I feel close to are Detroit and New York City. Those places have shown a lot of support and appreciation throughout the years.
Technology has always been central to electronic music. How important is it in your work, and how has your relationship with it changed over time?
Technology in electronic music is very important since it’s always evolving. It feels like we’re living in the golden era of music technology and it’s only getting.
Do you think a DJ today can exist without playing the social media game? How much do you think it really matters now?
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem you can make a living as a DJ without playing the social media game nowadays. Unless you’re already very well established. Booking DJ’s based on social media presence, amount of likes and followers and not selection and skills seems to be more normalized these days.
There are a lot of talented DJ’s/artists out there, also from a younger age, that grew up with social media that stay under the radar because they don’t want to play that game.
Have you ever felt disconnected from the scene? What brought you back?
Don’t think I can say I’ve ever felt disconnected from “the scene”
There’s a sense that, from hard techno to contemporary pop, we keep going back to sounds from the ’80s and ’90s. Do you see that too? What’s behind it — lack of new ideas, or nostalgia?
For me it’s not so much about nostalgia with music from the 80’s and 90’s. If music has stood the test of time it’s worth playing.
https://www.discogs.com
What’s the difference for you between making music and playing a DJ set?
Those two are related of course but also stand on their own, I have to focus on one or the other. If it’s about making music, I have to focus on just that, without
thinking about or preparing for the next DJ set and vice versa.
In places like Greece, clubbing is still very tied to the night. Do you feel that shifting? More daytime events are happening, does that feel positive to you?
More daytime events happening feels like a positive thing to me, but I think it should exist next to night time events.
Clubs are still heavily tied to alcohol, even as consumption is changing. Can club culture exist outside of that model?
There are sober parties happening these days, which I think is totally cool. I believe both options can exist, so people can choose for themselves.
Do you feel there’s real support for artists, radio and the wider scene, from institutions or the state? How is it in The Hague?
From what I understand, there is support here in The Hague.
Is there a booth you feel especially comfortable in?
A DJ booth which I’m most comfortable with is on the same level as the dancefloor.
Bonus question:
If you were a drum machine, which one would you be?
That would be: Yamaha RX5.
https://www.homcore.com/
Listen to Intergalactic Gary:
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Visit Cannibal Radio’s Instagram page to win 2 double tickets for Tropism x Intergalactic FM, at Astron Club on May 23.
More from Intergalactic Gary:
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#ItBites